Weird Road rage at Buckingham Palace.

From Hackney Groups Cycling:

A member of the public witnessed an incident of road rage next to
Buckhingham Palace on the 13^th of February last week in which a
driver threatened a cyclist with a hammer. The member of the public
was in a car behind the van driver who threatened the cyclist and is
prepeared to assist if the victim wishes to take the matter up with
the police or
with the the company that owns the van.

The incident took place in Grosvenor Place at about 9.55am on 13^th
February.

Please contact the LCC on 020 7234 9310 and ask for Tom if you were
the
victim of this incident.

_____________________________________________

Tom

I've attached the letter I wrote to the firm who owned the van.

Bell lettre.doc

The owner of the firm called me yesterday (I didn't catch his name).
Bell Perc sells and hires out percussion instruments, drumkits, etc.

He was very apologetic and conciliatory. He said the driver (who - a
detail I'd missed - is quite a large man) had told him about the
incident directly he returned to the premises, and he had been
expecting a letter or other response. He didn't in any way dispute my
account of what happened. He made no excuses for the driver, and felt
sure it was out of character. He did, however, say that the hammer was
in fact one
used for tubular bells and weighs very little despite the apparent
size.
I said that neither I nor the cyclist could possibly have known that.

The cyclist was a young man, quite smartly dressed (not noticeably
cycling clothes), between 20 and 30 I'd say. I'd noticed him a minute
earlier having difficulty (failing, in fact) trying to get between a
bus and some vehicle in the outside lane. Grosvenor Place is not a
very
cycle-friendly road, but he didn't appear to me to be a very
experienced
cyclist.

All the best.

================================================== ================

The Managing Director
Bell Percussion Ltd
6 Greenock Road
Acton
London W3 8DU

14 February 2007


Dear Sir

Your Van Driver - W637 RMK

I was driving south along Grosvenor Place at about 9.55am on 13th
February. I
was in the outside lane: next to me in the inside lane was your van,
with the
above registration number. I noticed that the driver was dealing with
some kind
of paperwork: he had a clipboard in front of him on top of the
steering wheel.

As we came within 20 metres of the red traffic lights at the junction
with
Hobart Place, your driver overtook a cyclist and cut in sharply in
front of him.
The cyclist then passed your (stationary) van on the inside, and with
some
difficulty. I saw the cyclist turn to face your driver and apparently
shout
something.

Your driver then put down the clipboard, took up a hammer, and got out
of the
van and threatened the cyclist with it. The cyclist was clearly very
frightened
by this.

The hammer was substantial, about the size of a club hammer, but had
hard
plastic ends (as used by panel-beaters).

I was stationary beside your van, and I too got out, and called to
your driver
"A hammer? Isn't that rather excessive?" Your driver replied "****
off" and got
back into the van and drove away at speed (the lights were by now
green). I came
back up behind him at the next set of lights, and made a note of the
registration number. I feel sure I could identify the driver if I saw
him again,
but no doubt you will know who he is.

This level of aggression in a delivery driver - in my view -
represents a
serious danger to other road users. Before I take any further steps
myself I
will be grateful if you would let me know directly what you propose to
do about
this.


Yours sincerely

In article .com,
spindrift
says...
snip
That wasn't a delivery driver, that was Thor, great god of inconsiderate
motorists.

On 23 Feb, 09:31, Rob Morley wrote:
In article .com,
spindrift
says...
snip
That wasn't a delivery driver, that was Thor, great god of inconsiderate
motorists.

If a White Van man shouted at me that he was Thor I'd tell him to
adjust his theat and not be tho thilly.

What kind of muppet gets out of a LIVERIED VAN to issue threats to
other road users? What would his excuse have been, he decided to do an
impromptu Mike Oldfield recital?

On 23 Feb, 09:34, "spindrift" wrote:
On 23 Feb, 09:31, Rob Morley wrote:

In article .com,
spindrift
says...
snip
That wasn't a delivery driver, that was Thor, great god of inconsiderate
motorists.

If a White Van man shouted at me that he was Thor I'd tell him to
adjust his theat and not be tho thilly.

What kind of muppet gets out of a LIVERIED VAN to issue threats to
other road users? What would his excuse have been, he decided to do an
impromptu Mike Oldfield recital?

This should be reported to the police

In article .com,
spindrift
says...
On 23 Feb, 09:31, Rob Morley wrote:
In article .com,
spindrift
says...
snip
That wasn't a delivery driver, that was Thor, great god of inconsiderate
motorists.

If a White Van man shouted at me that he was Thor I'd tell him to
adjust his theat and not be tho thilly.

What kind of muppet gets out of a LIVERIED VAN to issue threats to
other road users? What would his excuse have been, he decided to do an
impromptu Mike Oldfield recital?


Maybe he's Thor because he has Tubular Balls.

On 23 Feb, 09:43, Rob Morley wrote:
In article .com,
spindrift
says...



On 23 Feb, 09:31, Rob Morley wrote:
In article .com,
spindrift
says...
snip
That wasn't a delivery driver, that was Thor, great god of inconsiderate
motorists.

If a White Van man shouted at me that he was Thor I'd tell him to
adjust his theat and not be tho thilly.

What kind of muppet gets out of a LIVERIED VAN to issue threats to
other road users? What would his excuse have been, he decided to do an
impromptu Mike Oldfield recital?

Maybe he's Thor because he has Tubular Balls.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I love the boss's attempt at mollification:

"It was only a little hammer!"

Alun said the following on 23/02/2007 09:42:

What kind of muppet gets out of a LIVERIED VAN to issue threats to
other road users? What would his excuse have been, he decided to do an
impromptu Mike Oldfield recital?

This should be reported to the police

Mike Oldfield impressions don't warrant that, surely :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Have to say I'm with Alun on this - I would get the police involved.

These things happen all the time (I was involved in something along similar
lines just last night) and hardly ever is there a chance to hold the
*******s to account. 'It was only a plastic hammer' - so what? Were there
any consequences for him or the firm? None that I can see. You have
documented evidence, times and numbers, and what amounts to an admission of
guilt. Press it home. Turn it into a real, tangible cost. Make it cost them
money and him points.

I reckon the very few occasions there's a chance to hold the scumbags to
account have to be seized. You're not going to change white van man culture
overnight, but every little helps. Anything else is just giving them
impunity, and the psychopathic ****ers don't deserve it. Go for the jugular.
"spindrift" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 23 Feb, 09:43, Rob Morley wrote:
In article .com,
spindrift
says...



On 23 Feb, 09:31, Rob Morley wrote:
In article .com,
spindrift
says...
snip
That wasn't a delivery driver, that was Thor, great god of
inconsiderate
motorists.

If a White Van man shouted at me that he was Thor I'd tell him to
adjust his theat and not be tho thilly.

What kind of muppet gets out of a LIVERIED VAN to issue threats to
other road users? What would his excuse have been, he decided to do an
impromptu Mike Oldfield recital?

Maybe he's Thor because he has Tubular Balls.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I love the boss's attempt at mollification:

"It was only a little hammer!"

On 23 Feb, 10:32, "AP" wrote:
Have to say I'm with Alun on this - I would get the police involved.

These things happen all the time (I was involved in something along similar
lines just last night) and hardly ever is there a chance to hold the
*******s to account. 'It was only a plastic hammer' - so what? Were there
any consequences for him or the firm? None that I can see. You have
documented evidence, times and numbers, and what amounts to an admission of
guilt. Press it home. Turn it into a real, tangible cost. Make it cost them
money and him points.

I reckon the very few occasions there's a chance to hold the scumbags to
account have to be seized. You're not going to change white van man culture
overnight, but every little helps. Anything else is just giving them
impunity, and the psychopathic ****ers don't deserve it. Go for the jugular."spindrift" wrote in message

ups.com...



On 23 Feb, 09:43, Rob Morley wrote:
In article .com,
spindrift
says...

On 23 Feb, 09:31, Rob Morley wrote:
In article .com,
spindrift
says...
snip
That wasn't a delivery driver, that was Thor, great god of
inconsiderate
motorists.

If a White Van man shouted at me that he was Thor I'd tell him to
adjust his theat and not be tho thilly.

What kind of muppet gets out of a LIVERIED VAN to issue threats to
other road users? What would his excuse have been, he decided to do an
impromptu Mike Oldfield recital?

Maybe he's Thor because he has Tubular Balls.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I love the boss's attempt at mollification:

"It was only a little hammer!"- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"(I was involved in something along similar
lines just last night) "

Wha' 'appen?

Travelling at speed, BMW coming out of the turning on the left, driver
clearly saw me, but simply pulled out regardless, right in front of me,
relying on me slamming on the anchors (in the dark, in the wet). We had a
little discussion about it, at some volume, for some distance, all the way
along Upper Street Islington. I think his kids in the back seat were
impressed...
"spindrift" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 23 Feb, 10:32, "AP" wrote:
Have to say I'm with Alun on this - I would get the police involved.

These things happen all the time (I was involved in something along
similar
lines just last night) and hardly ever is there a chance to hold the
*******s to account. 'It was only a plastic hammer' - so what? Were there
any consequences for him or the firm? None that I can see. You have
documented evidence, times and numbers, and what amounts to an admission
of
guilt. Press it home. Turn it into a real, tangible cost. Make it cost
them
money and him points.

I reckon the very few occasions there's a chance to hold the scumbags to
account have to be seized. You're not going to change white van man
culture
overnight, but every little helps. Anything else is just giving them
impunity, and the psychopathic ****ers don't deserve it. Go for the
jugular."spindrift" wrote in message

ups.com...



On 23 Feb, 09:43, Rob Morley wrote:
In article .com,
spindrift
says...

On 23 Feb, 09:31, Rob Morley wrote:
In article
.com,
spindrift
says...
snip
That wasn't a delivery driver, that was Thor, great god of
inconsiderate
motorists.

If a White Van man shouted at me that he was Thor I'd tell him to
adjust his theat and not be tho thilly.

What kind of muppet gets out of a LIVERIED VAN to issue threats to
other road users? What would his excuse have been, he decided to do
an
impromptu Mike Oldfield recital?

Maybe he's Thor because he has Tubular Balls.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I love the boss's attempt at mollification:

"It was only a little hammer!"- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"(I was involved in something along similar
lines just last night) "

Wha' 'appen?