A sportive rider knocked off his bike by a motorist who allegedly went on Twitter to say she had right of way because she pays 'road tax’ says he is lucky to be alive.
Toby Hockley was knocked of his bike during the Boudicca Sportive in Norfolk on Sunday, allegedly by Emma Way who didn’t stop and later tweeted: ‘Definitely knocked a cyclist off his bike earlier – I have right of way he doesn’t even pay road tax! #bloodycyclists’. Her account was later deleted.
Hockley, aged 29 and a freelance chef from Norwich today told BBC Norfolk: “A car came tearing round the blind corner and narrowly missed a cyclist in front of me.
“She came on to my side of the road, I took the wing mirror off and I went flying off my bike into a hedge. She hit me hard, really hard. I am lucky to be alive. But I managed to get out of the hedge and stand up.”
Hockley escaped with a nettle rash and bruising. He added: “I'm not angry, I would just like it known that her stupid comment that I don't pay road tax is not an excuse to treat cyclists like second-class citizens.”
The assertion Way pays ‘road tax’ is wrong. The government website states the tax disc is Vehicle Excise Duty, and rates are based on the car’s engine size, fuel type and carbon dioxide emissions. The website I Pay Road Tax debunks the road tax argument even further.
The incident happened on a narrow lane five miles from the end of the sportive, in a village called Snetterton.
Norfolk Police say they have identified the parties involved and are investigating.