Video shows dangers of cyclist's commute

A video filmed from the handlebars of a bicycle during a daily commute has exposed the dangers of cycling in Christchurch.

Christchurch teacher Josh Campbell shot the film over two months using a miniature camera clipped to his handlebars.

He posted it on the YouTube website.

The three-minute compilation video features a host of near-misses involving cars cutting across his path, and cars and buses pulling out or stopping abruptly in front of him.

Campbell first strapped the camera to his bike to prove to workmates how dangerous his daily ride could be.

"I was always getting to work angry because of a close call and people did not believe it.

"The film is all the stuff that happened in front of the bike. There is a lot of stuff happening behind and to the side that you do not see."

The most dangerous encounter features an SUV cutting across his path towing another vehicle.

"I still remember the look on the guy's face as he was being towed. He had absolutely no control and you could see him thinking: `Oh my God'. It was almost funny," he said.

He hoped the video would make people drive more responsibly.

"Everyone using the roads should show a little more consideration and indicate what they are going to do. Just give people more space and time."

Campbell said many cyclists were angry with motorists.

"There are a lot of cyclists that are very angry with drivers when they have a close call. You get angry if you have just had a close call. I have banged on my fair share of roofs or gestured angrily if people have not seen me."

He said mothers on the school run were the worst offenders.

"I try not to go anywhere near a school at about 3pm.

"SUVs are particularly nasty because of their size. It is quite nerve-wracking -- they are so big."

He said hair-raising incidents were surprisingly common during his daily commute.

"There is usually a fairly good one every couple of days."

An estimated 130,000 recreational cyclists regularly take to Christchurch's busy roads.

Nationally, an average of nine cyclists have been killed on the roads a year for the three years to 2007, according to cycling campaigner Glen Koorey.

- © Fairfax NZ News