Near Miss of the Day 316: Parliament Square driver tells cyclist he should have "used the f*cking bike lane"

Our Monday Moaning piece last week entitled ‘Why don’t cyclists us cycle lanes’ prompted one road.cc reader to send in a video for our Near Miss of the Day feature which shows a driver telling him that he should have “used the f*cking bike lane” in London’s Parliament Square.

With the introduction of Cycle Superhighway 3 in 2016, there are protected cycle lanes and early start traffic lights at several of the entrances to the square, but it can often be quicker and easier to take the main carriageway when the lights there are green.

Chris, who shot the footage, which shows him approaching the square from the Millbank direction with the Palace of Westminster to his right, told us: “There is the option to use the bike line, but as the light was red, I chose to use the main traffic lane. The driver then close passed me.

”When I stopped to challenge her, her response was that I should have ‘used the f*cking bike lane’.

“Later she asks: ‘Why do you think we build them?’ And she suggests I am going to get killed cycling in the manner I do.

”People driving cars often use what they perceive to be indiscretions on the road as a justification for road violence.

”My point would be that even if I was obliged to use the bike lane – which I wasn’t – it is no excuse for such behaviour.

“The police issued a notice of intended prosecution but later had to withdraw it because of an "administration error.”

He added: “I think it’s a pretty good layout – I generally feel safe using it.

“The big bike box on the junction to the square is very good.

“I only started commuting that way recently, so I don’t know how it was before.”

> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?

Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on.

If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info [at] road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.

If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won't show up on searches).

Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.