A cycling activist has stated that he was unable to prevent his electric bike from swerving into the path of a car that was passing a no-entry sign.
A motorist struck Michael van Erp's bike on Sunday while he was pushing it onto a west London road, according to a video he uploaded to his Cycling Mikey YouTube account.
Mr van Erp said on social media site X on Tuesday that he “couldn't… brake a 28kg e-bike once I realised the driver wasn't stopping.”
In the YouTube video, the 52-year-old activist first prevents the vehicle from passing under a no-entry sign that was put up at a junction due to road construction.
The male driver makes a gesture to Mr van Erp, then shifts into reverse to let cars going in the other direction pass, then resumes driving.
Once again, the cyclist tries to block him, but the driver hits his bike and leaves.
Although Mr van Erp's possessions were strewn all over the road, it seems he was unharmed and his bike was spared significant harm.
According to a Metropolitan Police spokesperson, “We are aware of footage circulating on social media which appears to show an incident on Paddenswick Road, 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.”
But who exactly is Michael van Erp, better known as Cycling Mikey?
Who is Cycling Mikey?
Cycling Mikey, whose real name is Michael van Erp, is a Dutch-born road safety campaigner and YouTube content creator based in London.
Cycling Mikey, whose Youtube account has over 119,000 followers, frequently records drivers he says are violating traffic laws, such using a mobile phone while driving.
He then reports these incidents to the police and shares compelling footage on YouTube.
Since 2019, he claims to have reported 2,280 drivers, who have been hit with 2,649 penalty points and fines totalling £165,700.
He says that his actions have resulted in the disqualification of 35 individuals from driving.
His footage has captured public figures like Guy Ritchie and Chris Eubank committing infractions—but who he is remains unknown to him during filming.
His personal drive stems from a tragic past: his father was killed by a drunk driver when he was 19.
Often dubbed a “vigilante cyclist” a label he disputes—he insists he is simply collecting evidence for the justice system. He regularly positions himself at hotspots like “Gandalf Corner” near Regent’s Park to catch offenders.
While some hail him as a deterrent to dangerous driving, others criticise his confrontational methods
However, even Cycling Mickey makes mistakes. His own camera captured him running a red light in April 2024; he publicly acknowledged the incident and stated that he was prepared to accept any repercussions.
Has he really been banned from reporting to the police?
According to social media speculations, the Met Police have “ghosted” or blocked him, which means that his submissions might now be disregarded or denied. However, the Met has neither confirmed nor denied any such action, and the assertion is not supported by any official statement.
In fact, Cycling Mikey himself discussed his encounters with the police during an interview on Fubar Radio. According to him, even though he mostly uses the reporting system online and rarely speaks with officers in person, he feels that the police are "on his side, generally" and generally support the need for traffic enforcement.
