Bus driver
arrested over bike death at
Olympics

Mr Harris, 28, was killed last night outside the Olympic Park when he was hit by the bus ferrying journalists between venues.

The bus driver was arrested and bailed on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, police said.

An inquest into Mr Harris’s death was opened and adjourned at a brief hearing at Poplar Coroner’s Court yesterday.

None of Mr Harris’s family were present and the hearing was adjourned until August 31.

Mr Harris was from Ilford, Essex and was reportedly a web specialist who had only begun recently using his bike to commute into London.

His was the 10th death involving bikes in the capital this year.

Scotland Yard said Mr Harris, from Waterloo Road, Ilford, was involved in the crash at 7.42pm yesterday at the junction of Ruckholt Road (A106) and the East Cross Route (A12) on the edge of the Olympic Park.

He was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.14pm. A post mortem will take place tomorrow.

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman added: “A man aged 65 was arrested at the scene at 9.28pm on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and was taken to an east London police station. He has been bailed pending further inquiries to a date in late August.”

Another cyclist, who claimed he was behind Mr Harris when he was killed, wrote in an internet posting: “The lights changed just as he was in the bus’s blind spot and as he was attempting to go straight the bus turned left. He didn’t really have anywhere to go.

“I crawled up to him and tried to talk to him. I did my best to look him straight in the eyes and tell him he was going to be OK. Maybe a minute later, I could tell he’d passed.”

Friends spoke of their shock at Mr Harris’s death and paid tribute to him, on what appeared to be his Twitter account, at @gecko84, and his online blog.

Tributes included “top bloke” and “life of the party” from friends and colleagues.

Mr Harris’s online profile said he was a freelance community manager with an online printing firm who, as well as cycling, also enjoyed kayaking and rock climbing.

In his last tweet he spoke of how much he was enjoying the Games, saying: “Very impressed with the BBC’s coverage of the Olympics. Seems like they spent my TV licence fee wisely!”

The route from his home to his office took him around the edge of the Olympic Park.

Safety campaigners said Mr Harris was the 10th cyclist to die in London since January, the same number as in the whole of 2010 and fear at this rate the death toll will exceed last year’s total of 16.

Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Bradley Wiggins said he would like to see the introduction of a law making it compulsory to wear cycling helmets.

“It’s dangerous and London is a busy city and a lot of traffic,” he said. “I think we have to help ourselves sometimes.

“I haven’t lived in London for 10 to 15 years now and it’s got a lot busier since I was riding a bike as a kid round here, and I got knocked off several times.

“But I think things are improving to a degree – there are organisations out there who are attempting to make the roads safer for both parties.”

London Mayor Boris Johnson said there were no plans to require cyclists to wear helmets or to provide them for “Boris bikes”.