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Mr Loophole makes renewed call for cyclist number plates, but gets shut down by Jeremy Vine show panel

There was a lukewarm reception and criticism for the lawyer's latest cycling legislation appeal, two years on from his petition that scraped across the 10,000-signature threshold, only to be emphatically rejected by the government...

Nick Freeman, otherwise known by his Mr Loophole nickname, the lawyer famous for obtaining not guilty verdicts for celebrities charged with driving offences, has once again reasserted his stance that cyclists should be required to display a registration number plate or tabard, be subject to speed limits, penalty points and a host of other legislation applied to motorists.

Freeman has already campaigned for such changes before of course, his 2021 petition on the issue limping across the 10,000-signature threshold for an official response from the government, only to be decidedly rejected by the Department for Transport.

Now, within the context of the former chief of the Metropolitan Police, Lord Hogen-Howe, last week calling for the introduction of legislation to require cyclists to display a number plate on their bicycles to tackle "dangerous" cyclists who are "entirely unaccountable", Freeman appeared on Jeremy Vine's Channel 5 morning show to makes his case.

However, Freeman probably did not get the reception he was hoping for, panellist James Max calling it "the worst idea anyone came up with" and a caller branding it a "completely daft and impractical idea".

In fact, having listened to several minutes of Freeman speaking about the case for cyclist number plates, Max concluded: "What a surprise that a lawyer is calling for more legislation and more opportunity to do loophole-picking... it's now galvanised my views... as soon as I heard the lawyer talking it was like 'actually, every single reason you've given really forces me against this idea'."

He had earlier pointed out: "We're not even able to police the fact that we have people driving on our roads uninsured with cars that don't have MOTs..."

While fellow panellist Poppy Jay added: "I'm learning how to drive again... all I can say is it's the other motorists I'm worried about, not necessarily cyclists. How you would enforce this I have no idea. Bikes get nicked all the time, wheels go missing, you could just take that licence plate off right now, put it on someone else's licence plate, 15-year-olds on the road? Do they need a licence plate? The admin...

"The idea of putting something on a tabard, it doesn't make any sense, how much would it cost? How would you police it? What if I had three bikes? What if my kid has a bike?"

Such was the backlash to Freeman's case, the show's presenter and vocally pro-cycling figure, Jeremy Vine, barely had to address the issue. But what did 'Mr Loophole' say? 

"We do need it," he insisted. "It's about legal compliance, we have to recognise Parliament legislated for cyclists some time ago and the legislation is completely impotent because unless we can identify the people that are cycling badly, breaking the rules, going through red lights, cycling on the pavement, there are thousands and thousands of people cycling every day doing that and if we've decided as a society that we want a law to prevent this then there is no point having that law in place and not making it count because it's impotent.

"There's no real means of tracking the cyclists. My view is that we need a whole new set of legislation for cyclists, e-scooter riders, and electric bike riders as well, I would have a system which is exactly the same as we have for motorists. Penalty points, some form of identifiable number on the back of the bike or a registration tabard, helmets, drink drive limit, speed limit, we need law in place. 

"When these laws were originally passed, if we go back to the 1988 Road Traffic Act, there were very few cyclists on the road and since lockdown cycling, fortunately, has boomed and there are thousands and thousands, millions on our road on any one day, which is fantastic but we do need to hold everyone to account. We need to hold car drivers to account and we need to hold cyclists to account."

Asking Freeman to name the only country in the world that requires cyclists to have number plates, Vine added: "It's North Korea... does that give you a sense you might be wrong about this?"

> Is there anywhere cyclists are required to be licensed, and how has it gone in the past? Or is it just North Korea?

"No it doesn't and I'm not trying to be arrogant," he replied. "We have a particular attitude in this country, we share very cramped conditions, the available road space for car drivers and other users is getting less and less, it's becoming a far more dangerous place and stressful environment for everybody. What I'm suggesting is, not only that we need to make a law that counts so that we can enforce it, but it will make our roads safer for all users.

"You imagine taking a number plate off a car, how would that driver drive? Probably far more recklessly and dangerously because he's not going to be held to account."

The Department for Transport has previously repeatedly insisted that no such legislation is planned, despite then-transport secretary Grant Shapps' bizarre few-day flirtation with the idea last summer, and the department said as much in an official response to Freeman's petition.

> Mr Loophole's cyclist ID petition "gathers momentum" says BBC – except it closed last week

In August, road safety campaigner CyclingMikey accused Freeman of using cycling issues for publicity, the lawyer's archive of cycling-related comments including making calls for compulsory high-visibility clothing and helmet use, arguing cyclists should be forced to use cycle lanes, that lockdown created a "toxic culture of cycling", and that the Highway Code changes introduced to protect vulnerable road users and pedestrians would cause carnage and more danger.

Freeman posted on social media promoting his appearance on Vine on 5, one reply saying they "hope you've done your homework and can discuss what 'problem' this would solve and how much you expect road KSI [killed and seriously injured] stats to reduce once this is implemented. Then a thorough cost-benefit analysis is in order. Thanks in advance for your thorough homework, research and detailed proposal."

Another said: "Amazing. After your last petition barely got to 10,000 [signatures] and you got completely dismissed, you're back again? What a waste."

Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

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52 comments

Avatar
Born_peddling | 1 year ago
0 likes

Who wants Freeman's most used hotel locations? I even know where his house is..... anyone up for cementing some busted bikes outside his gaff, call it urban art 🎨 😆

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Born_peddling replied to Born_peddling | 1 year ago
0 likes

The only change in law should be insurance companies not being allowed to ruin a cyclists way of life just because the "car" is seen as more important. True it's the oldest mechanical murderer and as a former mechanic nothing scares a bully driver more when you can point out how many LEGAL ways a car can be disabled especially if it's in a secure parking spot....all you've done is enhance the security by disabling it's ability to kill!

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ChrisB200SX | 1 year ago
9 likes

His "the law is impotent because there is no real means of tracking the drivers, err, cyclists" slip was very revealing  4

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eburtthebike | 1 year ago
10 likes

"We do need it," he insisted. "It's about legal compliance........"

But not for my customers of course, only cyclists.

"..........and I'm not trying to be arrogant......."

He's gonna need to work on that a bit.

OK, a lot.

 

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Cyclo1964 replied to eburtthebike | 1 year ago
2 likes

Well if he wants legal compliance lets stick cameras on all speed limit signs !

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BalladOfStruth | 1 year ago
12 likes

Man who's made his career out of ensuring known dangerous drivers are let off to endanger again makes further attempt to place restrictions on a road user group which prevents a statistically irrelevant proportion of danger on the country's roads. 
 

Sounds about right. 
 

Inb4 Nige rocks up and describes him as a "top road safety expert".  

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KDee replied to BalladOfStruth | 1 year ago
4 likes

I thought it was "leading" road safety expert 

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brooksby replied to KDee | 1 year ago
9 likes

IIRC it was top lawyer and leading road safety expert.

 

(Got to get it the right way around).

 

(Door mirror).

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wycombewheeler replied to BalladOfStruth | 1 year ago
2 likes
BalladOfStruth wrote:

Man who's made his career out of ensuring known dangerous drivers are let off to endanger again makes further attempt to place restrictions on a road user group which prevents a statistically irrelevant proportion of danger on the country's roads. 
 

Sounds about right. 
 

Inb4 Nige rocks up and describes him as a "top road safety expert".  

just trying to increase the size of the market for road traffic defences he defends

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Steve K | 1 year ago
3 likes

I've never heard of James Max before, but I like him now.

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mitsky | 1 year ago
6 likes

"What I'm suggesting is, not only that we need to make a law that counts so that we can enforce it, but it will make our roads safer for all users."

No police force anywhere is sufficiently funded and staffed to deal with ALL the traffic violations, that would result in an immediate fail on a driving test, by dangerous DRIVERS already on the roads in vehicles that have registration plates.
(Not including the cloned ones of course.)

If this idea was to actually happen, how exactly would he suggest funding it..?

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Born_peddling replied to mitsky | 1 year ago
1 like

The cost has already been proposed to be passed onto cyclists so basically parents of school kids would be expected to foot the bill.... Remember people that not every family can even afford to get their to school via public transport. Low wage workers and health consciousness ones would lose their jobs as a result of this extra cost. Trust a rich muppet to be out of touch with reality 🤦‍♂️. Hey Freeman ever been rugby tackled at 30mph by a cyclist who's decided to bail off their ride and use you as the crash mat fecking Rtard!

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bikes replied to mitsky | 1 year ago
1 like

They're a long way from being able to handle "all"! Surely they're closer to "a small percentage of".

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Cycloid | 1 year ago
14 likes

He wants cyclists registered.

I want him certified

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brooksby | 1 year ago
16 likes
Quote:

the available road space for car drivers and other users is getting less and less,

Isn't that because cars are getting bigger and bigger?

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chrisonabike | 1 year ago
12 likes

Lawyer lawyering for more laws for lawyers shock.

Public amazed as man whose day job is making a case for any nonsense his client instructs displays no shame at making a nonsensical case.

The only point to Freeman now is finding out what the Nigels are calling themselves!

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perce | 1 year ago
17 likes

'' We need to hold car drivers to account''. Says the man nicknamed ''Mr Loophole''. You couldn't make it up.

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peted76 | 1 year ago
7 likes

Well that's a good news story.. Arsehole Loophole gets shut down on national TV. That should put him back in his box until after Chrimbo at the least.... 

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Surreyrider replied to peted76 | 1 year ago
3 likes

But isn't it bad news that he was on the TV in the first place giving his utterly stupid views?

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HoldingOn replied to Surreyrider | 1 year ago
5 likes

Better he is on the TV being shut down, than on his Social Media echo chamber being applauded.

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Surreyrider replied to HoldingOn | 1 year ago
0 likes

On this occasion I think you're right. But he got 'unlucky' as most TV programmes are geared up for his views to be amplified and reinforced. So I think my point, sadly, still stands.

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ErnieC replied to peted76 | 1 year ago
4 likes
peted76 wrote:

Well that's a good news story.. Arsehole Loophole gets shut down on national TV. That should put him back in his box until after Chrimbo at the least.... 

I do wish you would stop calling him aresehole. Arseholes' s are very useful and necessary - imagine life without one. 

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