Cyclist 'turned in front of bus'

An elderly cyclist appeared to have turned in front of a tourist bus before he was struck and killed near Ngaruawahia, police said yesterday.

The 65-year-old Hamilton man was the sixth cyclist to die on New Zealand roads since the beginning of the year.

He was struck just before 11am on Tuesday while cycling on State Highway 1 between Ngaruawahia and Taupiri. Police are expected to name the man later today.

The bus driver, who was transporting 30 Korean tourists from Auckland to Waitomo and then on to Rotorua, would not face any charges, Waikato police said.

"The cyclist and the bus were both travelling south when it appears the cyclist turned in front of the bus as he moved across the southbound lane to get to a right-turn bay. Initial indications are that the cyclist moved out into the lane without looking," police said.

The accident was the third serious cycling incident in a week and followed injury accidents involving a 17-year-old in West Auckland last week and a 52-year-old man at Gulf Harbour on Monday night.

The teenager was left paralysed when he swerved away from a vehicle that police believe deliberately tried to force him off Glengarry Rd in Glen Eden on Tuesday, September 19. He has undergone surgery for serious spinal injuries suffered when he hit a concrete wall.

Police are still hunting for the white people-mover type vehicle involved and the teen is in hospital with paralysis from the chest down.

The Gulf Harbour cyclist almost had his leg severed and suffered other multiple fractures when his racing bike was involved in a collision with a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

He was yesterday in a serious but stable condition in Auckland City Hospital.