David Cameron 'ran red light on bike and didn't say sorry' says pedestrian

Last updated at 12:33 24 January 2008


Cameron

David Cameron's cycling habit has got him into trouble again after an angry commuter spotted him going through a red light.

The Tory leader clashed with the pedestrian, who wants to remain anonymous, as he sped through a set of lights in Parliament Square.

The commuter told the Standard that he was taking his normal route across the square's Great Peter Street side in the morning rush hour yesterday when a cyclist, wearing a suit and yellow bib, came past stationary traffic. The pedestrian light was on green.

Mr Cameron stopped when the pedestrian identified him and shouted "Doesn't the Road Traffic Act apply to you?"

"He was two feet away from me when he came through. I was polite but really angry. I get fed up with cyclists who think they are immune from the normal laws of the roads," the man said.

"This was a pelican crossing and pedestrians have a right to cross in safety.

"What made me even more angry was that instead of apologising, his whole attitude was one of arrogance.

He kept saying "well, I haven't collided with anyone have I?"

"He didn't dispute he had gone through a red light but didn't have the decency to admit he was in the wrong. It's no wonder the City of London are cracking down on lycra louts.

"It reduced my opinion of him. It summed up politicians for me. After all, this is a man who goes on about 'social responsibility' all the time."

The Tory leader often cycles from his north Kensington home and has to pass Great Peter Street to get to Parliament.

A spokesman for Mr Cameron said: "He rides through London on a regular basis - anyone who does this knows how tricky it can be - he apologises if any offence was caused."

Mr Cameron was caught on camera last year going through a red light without his cycle helmet on.