The man was cycling westbound on King’s Road in North Point, near the State Theatre, when he crossed the tram track, catching his front wheel in the track and flipping the bike. He fell under the bus, and appeared to be crushed by the front wheel of the bus. But moments later, as the bus driver jumped out to see what happened, the man re-appeared, apparently unhurt and his road bike undamaged. He had a brief exchange with the bus driver, waved and cycled off.

Martin Turner, chairman of Hong Kong Cycling Alliance, warns that tram tracks can be deadly. “They look alluring for cyclists but they have hidden risks, including oil and loose surface debris, unsuspecting tram users and also those tracks, which must be crossed at a steep angle and therefore limit lateral movement. Perhaps above all is that with junctions not designed for non-tram traffic, other road users are not expecting a bike, and so there is a risk of a bad collision.”

Turner advised cyclists using the tram tracks to plan ahead. “Anticipate any squeeze point with other traffic, because moving laterally is so much trickier than normal.”

Cycle casualties were up 60% in 2020 compared to 2019, a statistic causing concern in government road safety circles, but which Turner says is likely because so many more people are using bicycles, either for commuting or food delivery, under the pandemic.