Cape Town - The cycling community of Cape Town is shocked at the death of a cyclist killed in a collision with a bus near Muizenberg.
The cyclist, who has not been identified, was riding on Main Road at St James beach when he came into contact with a Golden Arrow bus.
On a popular cycling chat site, The Hub, rookie cyclist Bruce Retief, said he was “pretty shaken” after he witnessed the incident.
Retief was among several motorists queuing to get to Fish Hoek at about 7am when he saw the young man dressed in cycling gear, heading in the direction of Muizenberg.
A Golden Arrow bus approached the cyclist from behind and hooted at him. “I saw the bus overtake the cyclist, and when the bus had passed I saw the cyclist lying on the ground. I jumped out of my car, thinking maybe he was still alive,” he said. “But as I got closer, I saw that he was dead: his helmet was completely crushed,” he said.
He said that the bus stopped and the driver alerted authorities. According to Retief, it appeared as if the cyclist had died instantly.
Cycling enthusiast, Peter Holloway, using the chat name “pholloway” said: “Very sad… I passed the scene on my bike, cycling to work this morning. Reminded me once again how vulnerable we are out there.”
Provincial police spokesman Captain Frederick van Wyk said Muizenberg police responded to the scene at about 7am.
The cyclist appeared to be in his early thirties but his identity and particulars were not yet confirmed by yesterday afternoon, Van Wyk said.
A case of culpable homicide was registered at the police station but no arrests were made.
Golden Arrow Bus Services’ spokeswoman Bronwen Dyke said on Wednesday the bus driver had been suspended in order to deal with the shock and while the investigation was pending.
The Pedal Power Association said it was “extremely saddened” that another cyclist has been killed.
The association said that since last year it had spent R500 000 on a safety awareness campaign and had allocated nearly R1 million to expand the campaign in the next year, on a national level.
Organisations advocating for safe cycling - Future Cape Town, Open Streets and Ride your City - called on authorities to ensure cyclists’ safety.
“We will continue to advocate the introduction of cycle lanes. In doing so, we support infrastructure for all forms of non-motorised transport,” said Rashiq Fataar, MD of Future Cape Town.
Cape Argus