Top Gear's James May: I'm all for bicycles in cities

Top Gear presenter James May has come out in support of cyclists, saying that he wishes to see an end to 'sectarianism' on Britain's roads.

Speaking to the Times on Thursday in support of the newspaper's Cities Safe for Cycling campaign, May said: "We need to get rid of road sectarianism. Car drivers supposedly hate cyclists, cyclists hate taxi drivers, taxi drivers hate motorcyclists, bus drivers hate lorries. I just think if everybody was a little bit more pragmatic, that would do more for safety."

"I’m all for bicycles in cities. We use bicycles to go around locally and also for fun occasionally. Typically, our bike rides would be three or four miles. I go to the shops on it."

During the interview, May dismissed the myth that cyclists don't pay 'road tax' and said that introducing a "road tax for cyclists" was "utter nonsense" but he did support the idea of funding for cycling out of the government's central transport budget.

He also branded many current cycle lanes as not fit for purpose, or as he put it "utter bollocks", and confirmed what we all knew - that fellow Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson also cycles.