Former Top Gear presenter James May has branded driving in London as a “totally pointless activity” and declared that cars “don’t really belong in towns and cities”.
The TV personality said he “hates” driving in the capital and always avoids it, adding that it “spoils cars” by making the “boring and annoying”.
Speaking to London Cycling Campaign’s magazine, he said: “I love cars, but I do think in my bones they don’t really belong in towns.”
May, who lives in Hammersmith, regularly cycles four or five miles each way into central London for meetings and voiceovers.
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James May has called for Hammersmith Bridge to remain closed to cars
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The 62-year-old added: “It’s a joy to ride a bicycle. It’s free at the point of use, there’s no admin, there’s something very child-like about it – it makes me feel about eight years old.“
The presenter, who owns more than 25 bicycles including many he built himself, said it “amazes him” how many people use their cars to drive to shops one mile away.
May suggested turning Hammersmith Bridge, which has been closed to vehicles since 2019, into a permanent vehicle-free crossing.
“If they ever finish mending it, I don’t see why Hammersmith Bridge shouldn’t also have some shrubbery, some benches, a few little cafés and hotdog stands,” he said.
While progress on reopening the bridge has been slow, a Department for Transport spokesperson acknowledged the “challenging situation” and “frustration” from motorists.
They added: “We continue to work closely with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and TfL on the bridge’s restoration and the Department has provided £13million of funding towards the project.”
The bridge was originally closed over fears it would collapse due to more than 22,000 vehicles crossing it every day which was impacting its structure.
The bridge was fully closed in 2020 and reopened in 2021, to pedestrians and cyclists but has yet to allow vehicles back due to budget concerns over funding the improvement works needed.
May noted how quite a few people in cars “seem to be somehow offended by people riding bicycles because they’ve paid all this money for a car and think therefore they should be rewarded for it“.
He also took aim at Kensington & Chelsea Council for refusing to install cycling infrastructure. He said: “There’s plenty of space. Big wide roads. Why are they being t***s about it?”
He described seeing a Ferrari driver behaving aggressively in London, saying he wanted to tell him: “You’re going to ruin cars for the rest of us. It’s a massive privilege having a car and you have to take it seriously.”
The presenter revealed his personal goal: “My only remaining ambition, apart from not falling off my bike again, is to get to the end of my life without running anybody over.”
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The bridge has been closed to vehicles since 2019
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Hammersmith and Fulham Council explained that if the bridge were to reopen it would cost £250million which would normally have been paid in large part by Transport for London and the Department for Transport. But due to budget issues the only way to raise the funds would be through road user charges or tolls on the bridge.
