Dan Harris cyclist death: Cyclist killed outside new Olympic Park velodrome was only riding his bike to try and beat jams caused by the Games

• 28-year-old man killed in collision with coach close to Olympic Velodrome, named this afternoon as Dan Harris from Ilford
  
• Bus driver, 65, bailed after being arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving
• Post-mortem examination due to take place on Friday
  
• Olympic gold medallist Wiggins wants helmets to be made compulsory
• More than 60 cyclists killed on UK roads this year alone
  

By Chris Greenwood and Keith Gladdis

PUBLISHED: 19:51 EST, 1 August 2012 | UPDATED: 18:58 EST, 2 August 2012

Dan Harris: The cyclist was described as having a 'warmth and passion for life'

A cyclist killed by an Olympic bus took to the roads only because he feared the Games would cause public transport chaos.

Dan Harris, 28, was dragged under the wheels of a double-decker at a notorious junction in the shadow of the velodrome at the Olympic Park.

The internet consultant began commuting on his racing bike a week earlier after telling friends he was fed up with delayed trains.

He was the tenth cyclist to die in the capital this year despite millions of pounds being ploughed into making the roads safer.

The tragedy came just hours after Bradley Wiggins raced to victory and said he hoped his achievement would encourage more to take up the sport.

But after learning of the death, the gold medallist reignited the debate over the safety of cycling in cities. He said the Government should make helmets compulsory and road users should ‘give and take’.

He added: ‘London is a busy city and there’s a lot of traffic. It’s got a lot busier since I was riding a bike as a kid round here, and I got knocked off several times.’

Yesterday an emotional account emerged from a fellow cyclist who was riding alongside Mr Harris, seconds before he was dragged under the bus in Hackney, close to the Olympic Park Velodrome.

The eyewitness, who has not revealed their name, posted a message on the Reddit community blog detailing the tragic moment they saw the accident.

The post read: 'The lights changed as he was in the buses blind spot and as he was attempting to go straight the bus turned left. He didn't really have anywhere to go and no time to do anything anyway.'

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Probe: The bus driver, in his sixties, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a 28-year-old cyclist died in this fatal collision

'Make helmets compulsory': Bradley Wiggins calls for an overhaul of road safety laws after a cyclist was killed by an Olympics coach close to the Velodrome just hours after he won gold in the time trials yesterday

Shocking: The accident occurred outside the Olympic Park, in Hackney, close to the Games' Velodrome, hockey pitch and Paralympics' tennis arena, as foreign journalists were being transported to another venue

The message continues: 'As soon as the bus was definitely stopped i crawled under to him from the other side and i was immediately aware that i didn't think he'd make it.'

The poster then describes how they crawled up to the collision victim and comforted him, adding: 'I asked him his name and told him he was going to be alright. He didn't say anything because i don't think he could, but he looked straight at me.

'I did my best to look him straight in the eyes and tell him he was going to be ok. He was so afraid. Maybe half a minute later i could tell he'd passed.'

Mr Harris was on his way home to Wanstead, East London, when he was crushed by an official bus ferrying media around the outskirts of the Olympic Park on Wednesday evening.

Another cyclist rushed to his aid, but the IT worker, who had recently moved in with his long-term girlfriend, died at the scene.

Campaigners said the junction on the A12, in Stratford, was ‘badly designed’ and criticised the closure of a safer canal towpath during the Games for ‘security reasons’. The bus driver, a 65-year-old man, was arrested and questioned on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving before being released on bail.

Mr Harris’s Italian girlfriend, advertising worker Cecilia Dominici, was too upset to speak as she was comforted by friends yesterday.

She posted a picture of herself with her boyfriend online with the words: ‘More than anything in this world.’

Damaged: The man's bike lies mangled next to the Olympic bus which hi collided with

Tragedy: An officer stands watch near the scene of the crash, which happened as Wiggins was preparing to speak at a press conference at the Olympic Park

Safety call: Wiggins said the Government should be 'legalising helmets to make them the law to wear' as he he admitted he had been knocked off his bike on London¿s 'dangerous' streets

Mr Harris’s employer, Moo.com, said: ‘There are no words to express how much we’ll all miss him, and his infectious enthusiasm, warmth and passion for life.’

It is not known if Mr Harris was wearing a helmet, but last night David Cameron said making them compulsory was under review. He said: ‘It’s a difficult issue.

'There is a strong case for making them compulsory but when this was last looked at the decision was made not to do that because there are some who take a different view, that it would discourage cycling and it wouldn’t reduce the level of accidents.’

Rescuers and police stand at the scene after Dan Harris was killed after colliding with the bus

There was a heavy police presence after the accident

Winner: Wiggins took gold yesterday in the cycling time trial event, becoming Great Britain's most successful ever Olympian

VIDEO: Bradley Wiggins talks about road safety...

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