Broadcaster Jeremy Vine has announced he will no longer share videos of his cycling journeys through London, saying the volume and intensity of online abuse he receives has become too much.
For years, the BBC Radio 2 and Channel 5 presenter has posted clips of his daily commute, using them to highlight instances of dangerous driving and advocate for greater protection for cyclists. But on Sunday, Vine said on social media he had decided to stop – a decision he explained in more detail during an interview with BBC Radio 4's World at One on Monday.
“I’ve been dealing with a lot of abuse – what used to be called flak, now they call it trolling,” Vine said.
“I wish I didn’t care, but I do. In the end, it got to me. I just want to move on and change the narrative.”
Vine, an outspoken advocate for cyclist safety, described the intensity of the backlash, saying people had posted disturbing and personal messages online. Some even expressed a desire to see him injured.
“Please only upload another cycling video if it’s you getting run down and hospitalised,” read one of the comments he shared.
He said that criticising drivers in the UK is often met with hostility. “Car driving is like a religion in this country,” he said.
“If you say anything that challenges that, you get a reaction.”
Vine acknowledged that some of his own comments have sparked controversy. Speaking recently on Gaby Roslin’s podcast, he remarked:
“All the people who are not getting enough sex lock themselves in small metal boxes and drive around London.” When asked if his tone was too militant, he defended himself:
“I’m just someone who wants people – especially children – to be safe on the roads. If you cycle and don’t want to be crushed under a bus, you’re suddenly seen as radical.”
He also mentioned the recent theft of his bicycle as another factor in his decision to step back from filming.
On social media, Vine reflected on his reasons: “The trolling just got too bad. These videos have been watched over 100 million times, but the anger they create has genuinely upset me. My only goal was to get drivers to think more carefully about how dangerous cycling in cities can be.”
In 2018, Vine told the London Assembly’s transport committee he witnessed up to 40 driving offences each day while cycling from Chiswick to central London. A year earlier, a woman was jailed for threatening him during one of those commutes.
