Veolia sides with Jeremy Vine over bin lorry in cycle lane

The broadcaster was on his bike in Camden’s Tavistock Place cycle lane when a Veolia bin lorry appeared, travelling in his direction.

In a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday (August 5), Vine can be seen moving out of its way.

He then asks one worker, who is seen dragging a bin down the pavement – “What are you doing? This is a cycle lane."

The bin man retorts: “See what we’re doing here – working, mate.”

Really need @CamdenCouncil to stop @Veolia trucks imperilling people who cycle. You can't take a massive hunk of metal like this the wrong way down a cycle lane, no matter how important a job its operatives are doing. pic.twitter.com/6v6usIOzT4

— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) August 5, 2023

Vine was also criticised by some online as his video appeared to show that he had cycled through a red light, something he denied.

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But employer Veolia appears to have sided with Vine, telling Ham and High that its vehicles “should not block or drive within cycle lanes”.

A spokesperson for the company said that they were “grateful to Jeremy Vine for bringing this to our attention”.

They added: “We are working closely with Camden Council to ensure our collection operations are safely carried out whilst maintaining the safety of cyclists and other road users, which is of the utmost importance."

Camden Council has also thanked Vine for flagging the issue.

The authority said: “Thanks for making us aware @theJeremyVine. Our waste and recycling vehicles have set routes and should not be blocking or travelling down cycle lanes.

“We have reviewed the lorry routes with Veolia and reminded them of the importance of drivers keeping cycle lanes clear at all times."