"SELFISH irresponsible morons" is how cyclists caught on camera risking their lives on the conurbation's busy roads have been described.
The shocking footage, captured by chance by the dashboard camera of a Daily Echo staff photographer, shows two near misses.
The first, shot at Cemetery Junction in Bournemouth, shows a cyclist heading from Lansdowne Road towards the junction, initially with no hands on the handlebars.
The cyclist then weaves between cars, continues through a red light and crosses the path of an oncoming bus before going up Charminster Road.
Commenting on the video, Cllr Mike Greene, Bournemouth Borough Council's cabinet member for transport, said: "Unfortunately, no matter how safe you try to make the streets for cyclists and other users, there will still be a few selfish, irresponsible morons like this one who risk their lives and others to save a few seconds."
A second video captured by the same camera at the junction of Canford Heath Road and the A3049 shows two cyclists enter the roundabout. One appears to lose a light from the bike and both stop.
The cyclist then walks up the verge and dashes into the road to grab the light, narrowly escaping being hit by a truck going round the roundabout.
Inspector Colin Bell, of Dorset Police’s Traffic Unit, said: "If anything falls from your cycle or vehicle, only stop to collect it if the road is clear of traffic. Do not risk your life or that of other road users to recover something if there are other vehicles around. It is simply just not worth it."
He added: "All road users, including cyclists, are duty bound in law to comply with red traffic lights when directed to do so. Cyclists who ignore this direction and continue through a red light are putting both themselves and other motorists in danger of serious injury.
“Dorset Police will take positive action if an officer witnesses this course of action and it may result in a cyclist receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice or facing prosecution.”
Angela Pooley, secretary of Bournemouth Cycling Forum, which meets quarterly at the town hall with councillors and council officers and other organisations, including the police, to discuss and promote cycling, added: "The Bournemouth Cycling Forum does not condone in any way this type of irresponsible behaviour and actively promotes safe and respectful cycling.
"All road users must show consideration for others and the law irrespective of whether they’re cyclists, motorists or pedestrians."
A spokesman for CTC, the national cycling charity, added: “As the national cycling charity, CTC encourages all road users to share the roads with respect and due regard for each other. This means respecting the law. We do not condone jumping red lights, as this cyclist did in the video clip.”
The Echo also contacted road safety charity Brake, but the organisation said that it could not comment.
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