Jeremy Vine speaks out against ‘dreadful’ anti-cyclist graffiti during coronavirus lockdown

Jeremy Vine has shared his frustration at the people who sprayed anti-cyclist graffiti on the road in Somerset.

Broadcaster and cyclist Vine reacted to words painted onto the road surface, urging riding to stay home and calling them “covidiots.”

The graffiti was found on the B3114 in Litton, south of Bristol, and has since been painted over.

Vine said in a tweet: “Well this is dreadful. This is actually the moment for us all to embrace the cycle trip. Clean air, good exercise, obeying the rules.”

Mark Jerzak from Chew Valley Cycling Club was the first person to raise concerns about the number of attacks on cyclists since the start of the lockdown, Somerset Live reports. 

Members of the club had received abuse from passing cars, some had found pins placed in the road, while another rider suffered a broken collarbone after a driver pushed them off their bike.

Mr Jerzak then came across the words "Covidiot cyclists stay at home protect the NHS" painted on the road on April 26.

The coronavirus lockdown rules have resulted in a lot of confusion around exercise and particularly cycling, as the government has given no clear rules on how long or how far it is acceptable to ride.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people to stay local, while government ministers have sent mixed messages in interviews, including the suggestion that a ride of between 30 minutes and an hour would be enough.

In order to clear up the confusion, Cycling Weekly contacted the Department for Media, Culture and Sport on April 23 to find out if the government had issued guidelines on how long to ride for.

“There is no strict limit on time for exercise,” a press spokesperson replied.

“The official guidelines are clear that, in any given day, a person can go outside for one form of basic exercise, such as a walk, a run or a cycle, if they are well enough and as long as they are on their own, or with members of their household.”

The Welsh government has introduced more strict rules on cycling, which state that a ride should be limited to a reasonable walking distance from home.

But cycling organisations British Cycling and charity Cycling UK raised concerns over these rules, saying they may discourage people from cycling.

>>> ‘I struggled to do 45km on day one’: Meet the man who’s cycled the length of the Tour de France in his apartment 

Cyclists are advise to ride within their abilities, to carry tools and food to avoid having to stop or ask for help, and where possible ride a loop or figure of eight to avoid getting too far away from home.