Cyclist narrowly avoids being smashed into a footpath by a turning courier van as she rode in a bus lane
- A cyclist narrowly avoided being smashed into the footpath by a turning van
- Dramatic on-bike footage captured the shocking near-miss moment on Tuesday
- The courier van company general manager said he is thankful no one was hurt
- The cyclist hopes the near-miss serves as a warning for other riders and drivers
Dramatic footage has captured the shocking moment a cyclist narrowly avoided being struck by a van.
The near-miss incident occurred at 5pm on Tuesday, as Kristen, from Auckland, rode in a bus lane commonly used by cyclists on Khyber Pass Road.
In the video, the 31-year-old cyclist can be seen travelling along the busy road, passing various cars, and though a set of traffic lights at an intersection.
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The near-miss incident occurred at 5pm on Tuesday, as Kristen, from Auckland, rode in a bus lane commonly used by cyclists on Khyber Pass Road (pictured)
In the video, the 31-year-old cyclist can be seen travelling along the busy road, passing various cars, and though a set of traffic lights at an intersection (pictured)
The cyclist then enters an empty bus lane on the other side of the intersection as a white van travelling in the middle lane merges over.
As Kristen tries to pass the white van, it swerves directly into her path.
Her on-bike camera wobbles as she narrowly misses being smashed by the van and regains her balance.
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Immediately after the near-miss, the white van speeds ahead of the cyclist and swerves into the bus lane again before driving off.
Speaking to the NZ Herald, Kristen said she thought she was definitely going to get hurt.
Kristen said because she was going downhill, she was travelling at a fast pace to keep up with the flow of traffic.
Immediately after the near-miss, the white van speeds off ahead of the cyclist and, as it approaches another car, it swerves into the bus lane again and drives off
‘The van was stopping and didn’t have any signals or indicators on. All of a sudden it pulled left right in front of me and I really thought I was going to get hit,’ Kristen said.
‘He was less than 10cm away from my handlebars. It was really close. I yelled at him but he just pulled back to the right and kept swerving between lanes.’
Deadline Express Couriers general manager Andrew Merrill told the publication he has seen the footage and is thankful no one was hurt.
He said he was aware of how dangerous it can be for cyclists on New Zealand roads and has since spoken to the driver and shown him the footage.
Mr Merrill said, given how many bikes are on the road and how congested cities are, incidents are inevitable – but he encouraged cyclists to report near-miss incidents.
Kristen, who has been a cyclist for more than a year, said she hopes the incident can serve as a warning for others.
She said while cyclists often get blamed for travelling too fast, it’s essential to keep up with the flow of traffic to ensure the safety of other road users.
‘It’s more about awareness. It could have been anyone not just a cyclist,’ she said.
Kristen, who has been a cyclist on city roads for more than a year, said she hopes the near-miss can serve as a warning for other riders and drivers who share the road
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