You’ll be hard pressed to find a more passionate defender of cyclists’ rights as road users than yours truly. But upon seeing the deeply disturbing CCTV footage (link below) from the latest cycling fatality in Sydney, all I can say is feel very sorry for the bus driver involved who now lives the rest of his or her life with the horrible burden of knowing they killed a man, albeit through virtually no fault of their own doing.
Unlike many recent incidents that have triggered a tsunami of bile across social media, this accident appears to have had nothing to do with texting and driving, poor road sharing awareness or predatory driving by a reckless motorist. Witness accounts say the victim wasn’t even on the road at all. Rather he was weaving between pedestrians on the footpath of one of Sydney’s busiest suburban shopping strips at speeds of around 30km/h.
As you can see from the video the rider then bursts into an intersection at full speed and straight into the path of the bus whose driver, no doubt, had virtually zero chance to see him until it was too late – if they even saw him at all.
This rider took a horrendously dangerous gamble with his own life in choosing to ride that way. It was pure madness. And, tragically, he has paid for it with the ultimate currency imaginable leaving friends, family and a bus driver just doing his job to live the awful consequences.
Sometimes we really are our own worst enemies. Enough is enough.
View the CCTV footage here:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/shocking-footage-shows-last-decisions-that-cost-cyclist-his-life/story-fni0cx12-1226902423130
Carbon Addiction 
When I saw the photos of the bike and rider being under the back left hand section of the bus, and on that particular corner (I live about 500m away from there), I had a feeling that this one was not actually going to be driver fault. Seeing the footage reinforces the fact that people need to make better choices out there. I was on the very same stretch of road that morning, hell I was even in the left lane flanked by buses and could have gone between cars to try and filter through, but figure its safer just to roll slowly until things get moving again.
Its these choices that you make every time you are out there that can decide your own fate. It’s not worth your life for a few seconds gained. This is tragic but sadly could have been avoided. I feel sorry for the bus driver.
Unfortunately people take risks that the need not. It is tragic that incidents like this occur at all.
This will continue to occur whilst casual/utility bicycle riders are excluded from street design. Thoughts to all involved in this nasty incident.
Imagine if we restricted a particular demographic from say trains? There would be outrage. If you restrict a busy thoroughfare from inexperienced cyclists – nothing.
Sadly, some people need to be protected from themselves.
Thanks for finally talking about >Tragedies waiting to
happen | Carbon Addiction <Liked it!