Jeremy Vine, the well-known BBC Radio 2 presenter and television personality, has announced that he will no longer post videos of his cycling journeys in London due to the significant level of online abuse he has received. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's World at One programme on Monday, Vine explained that although he initially intended to continue uploading clips highlighting dangerous driving behaviour, the negative comments and personal attacks had personally affected him. "I shouldn't mind, but in the end I just thought I just want to now switch the narrative, I don't want to do this any more and in the end it did get to me," he said.
Vine had been sharing recordings from his daily commute by bicycle, aiming to raise awareness about the risks cyclists face on the capital's roads and to encourage greater consideration from motorists. He described car driving in the UK as a "religion," noting that those who criticise drivers often encounter hostility. Vine read out some of the abusive messages he had received to BBC Radio 4, including one that said: "Please only upload another cycling video if it's you getting run down and hospitalised." Other comments targeted his family or expressed a desire for him to be injured.
While Vine has sparked debate with his posts, his language has at times been controversial. Last week, on broadcaster Gaby Roslin's podcast, he suggested people who drive cars in London are "all the people who are not getting enough sex [and] lock themselves in small metal boxes." He told World at One that such remarks reflect broader societal issues.
In response to questions about whether his own behaviour could be seen as militant, Vine described himself as "just a safety first kind of a guy," emphasising that his concerns stem from a desire to protect children and cyclists from harm. "If you drive and you're wanting your kids to be safe on the back you're just a sensible person," he said. "If you cycle and you'd really rather not have your head crushed by the wheel of a bus you're described as militant or radical."
Another factor in Vine’s decision was the recent theft of his bicycle from his home. Writing on social media, he stated: "The trolling just got too bad. They have had well over 100 million views but in the end the anger they generate has genuinely upset me." He clarified that his intention was solely to prompt drivers to consider the dangers faced by cyclists. "I know I've sometimes got a little cross when a driver has, say, pulled out without looking, but I only ever uploaded the film to show the danger."
Vine’s filming of the daily London commute has been extensive. In 2018, he told the London Assembly transport committee that he captured up to 40 driving offences each day as he cycled from Chiswick in west London to the BBC offices in Oxford Circus. His efforts have at times led to legal consequences for aggressive motorists; in 2017, a woman was jailed after making threatening gestures towards him on the road.
The BBC reports that Vine’s decision marks the end of a long-running campaign through social media videos highlighting road safety issues, amidst challenging responses from some members of the public.
Source: Noah Wire Services