A biking activist has acknowledged that he was unable to stop his electrical bike from swerving into the trail of a automotive that was passing a no-entry sign.
A motorist struck Michael van Erp’s bike on Sunday whereas he was pushing it onto a west London street, in accordance with a video he uploaded to his Biking Mikey YouTube account.
Mr van Erp stated on social media website X on Tuesday that he “could not… brake a 28kg e-bike as soon as I realised the driving force wasn’t stopping.”
Within the YouTube video, the 52-year-old activist first prevents the automobile from passing below a no-entry signal that was put up at a junction as a result of street development.
The male driver makes a gesture to Mr van Erp, then shifts into reverse to let automobiles going within the different path go, then resumes driving.
As soon as once more, the bicycle owner tries to dam him, however the driver hits his bike and leaves.
Though Mr van Erp’s possessions have been strewn all around the street, it appears he was unhurt and his bike was spared important hurt.
In line with a Metropolitan Police spokesperson, “We’re conscious of footage circulating on social media which seems to point out an incident on Paddenswick Highway, Hammersmith on Sunday August 10. No arrests have been made at this stage.
“We urge victims of crime to contact the police by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency.”
However who precisely is Michael van Erp, higher referred to as Biking Mikey?
Biking Mikey, whose actual identify is Michael van Erp, is a Dutch-born street security campaigner and YouTube content material creator primarily based in London.
Biking Mikey, whose Youtube account has over 119,000 followers, often information drivers he says are violating site visitors legal guidelines, such utilizing a cell phone whereas driving.
He then studies these incidents to the police and shares compelling footage on YouTube.
Since 2019, he claims to have reported 2,280 drivers, who’ve been hit with 2,649 penalty factors and fines totalling £165,700.
He says that his actions have resulted within the disqualification of 35 people from driving.
His footage has captured public figures like Man Ritchie and Chris Eubank committing infractions—however who he’s stays unknown to him throughout filming.
His private drive stems from a tragic previous: his father was killed by a drunk driver when he was 19.
Typically dubbed a “vigilante bicycle owner” a label he disputes—he insists he’s merely accumulating proof for the justice system. He frequently positions himself at hotspots like “Gandalf Nook” close to Regent’s Park to catch offenders.
Whereas some hail him as a deterrent to harmful driving, others criticise his confrontational strategies
Nonetheless, even Biking Mickey makes errors. His personal digital camera captured him working a crimson mild in April 2024; he publicly acknowledged the incident and acknowledged that he was ready to simply accept any repercussions.
Has he actually been banned from reporting to the police?
In line with social media speculations, the Met Police have “ghosted” or blocked him, which implies that his submissions would possibly now be disregarded or denied. Nonetheless, the Met has neither confirmed nor denied any such motion, and the assertion is just not supported by any official assertion.
In reality, Biking Mikey himself mentioned his encounters with the police throughout an interview on Fubar Radio. In line with him, regardless that he largely makes use of the reporting system on-line and infrequently speaks with officers in particular person, he feels that the police are “on his facet, usually” and usually assist the necessity for site visitors enforcement.
