Boris Johnson’s foul-mouthed rant is typical of London’s vile wealthy cyclists

“Why don’t you f*** off and die – and not in that order”: Boris Johnson’s late-night, foul-mouthed rant at a black-cab driver while cycling is no less than I’d expect.

Not because Johnson is a Tory (though it would be an accurate mantra for his party), nor because the cabbie was aggressive (and he was) – but because the London mayor is one of a legion of wealthy cyclists who turn into rude renegades when they get on their bikes and roam the streets of the capital like wild dogs.

I once worked with a man who, while admitting that he didn’t really need a job since his partner was a banker, cheerfully regaled how he had spat in the face of a taxi driver stopped at a traffic light that morning, having furiously ridden after him because the cabbie had “cut him up”.

Indeed, a great many drivers in London will have witnessed at least once a biker shouting or swearing at either them or another motorist.

Now, of course, the city’s roads are often hazardous for cyclists – you only need to glance at the grim accident statistics: six have already been killed by lorries this year.

It is also good that people get out of their cars in a bid to cut the congestion and resulting pollution that is literally choking our city.

And who can blame anyone for wanting to avoid London’s overpriced (thanks, Boris) and overcrowded public transport at rush hour?

Yet, being civil to one another and obeying traffic laws should apply to everyone.

And I’m not saying drivers aren’t rude too. As an occasional cyclist, I’ve also been on the receiving end of motorists’ rage (well, angrily beeped at, at any rate).

But bikers should not be exempted from basic decency or the rules of the road, such as stopping at red traffic lights and halting for pedestrians at zebra crossings.

Looking at this culture of abusive cyclists, I cannot help but notice how so many are affluent – those who have reaped the greatest benefits from a profoundly unequal economic system in which greed and ruthlessness are valued above all else.

Few bikers look like they work low-paid and unfulfilling jobs.

Indeed, in the case of the “Boris bike” rental scheme, a Transport for London survey revealed that half of all users earn more than £50,000 a year.

Strangely, riding a bike to work is nowadays probably an even greater marker of affluence and social standing than driving a BMW to the office.

A possible exception to this is the borough of Hackney, which has the highest cycling rate in Britain due its shortage of Underground stations and bohemian reputation.

There, although few cyclists live on council estates, scruffily dressed bikers – usually private renters – are everywhere and, for the most part, seem fairly courteous.

It is a different story when you cross into Islington, where the mayor lives, and west into the even wealthier City, Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea.

There, especially at rush hour, it is far more common to see angry alpha-males – yes, they’re virtually always men – wearing suits or sleek-looking and presumably very expensive cycling gear and roaring around the streets on their nice Marin bikes.

All too often, I suspect, they feel no sense of responsibility to others – only a burning sense of competition and their own entitlement.

And of course Johnson is “one of them”, as the black-cab driver shouted as he was filmed provoking the mayor.

It’s notable that one of the few things he’s bothered investing in, while neglecting the housing crisis, is cycling - helping his own as usual.

You bet he’s one of them!