A woman cyclist was hit by a bendy bus that kept going “full speed ahead” in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq yesterday afternoon, prompting calls for more safety on the roads.

The bus hit the bike and flung me on to the pavement

Nanette Farrugia, 38, told The Times of her ordeal from the emergency department at Mater Dei Hospital.

“I was riding down the Coast Road towards the gelateria of Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq and the Arriva bus came up from behind me, leaving me with no room to manoeuvre... The bus hit the bike and flung me on to the pavement.

“The bus kept going... it didn’t even take notice. It kept going full speed ahead,” she added.

She was assisted by three drivers who pulled up when they saw she had been hit.

Still in shock, Ms Farrugia said she was waiting for the doctors to tell her if she had any broken limbs. “But I cannot move my fingers.”

She said this was not the first time a cyclist had been injured by Arriva’s bendy buses, which trap cyclists in a field of suction when they turn corners.

“I have several friends who have been hit by buses. I am not the first. Since Arriva took over, we’ve been having one accident after another,” she said.

The Times was informed that Ms Farrugia’s injuries were not serious but the police are investigating the hit-and-run incident.

When contacted, an Arriva spokesman confirmed the police had contacted the company about “an alleged accident involving an Arriva vehicle and a person on a bike”.

“Arriva is collaborating fully with the police and conducting its own internal investigation in parallel to determine all established facts,” the spokesman said, refusing to comment further at this stage.

Nanette Farrugia. Photo: Facebook

Ms Farrugia’s ordeal immediately found its way to Facebook where cyclists and other road users called for better protection on the road.

The incident comes three weeks after 66-year-old cyclist Emanuel Inguanez landed in hospital with a broken pelvis after he was hit by a car in St Paul’s Bay. It also comes six days before the third anniversary of Life Cycle member Clifford Micallef’s death.

Mr Micallef, 45, died on the Coast Road at around 5 a.m. after he was hit by a car which also drove off but was later tracked down by the police. His death had also sparked public outrage and prompted calls for better road safety.

The calls seem to have been in vain, however. The Bicycle Advocacy Group recently reported an average of about 240 near-misses per 1,000 kilometres on Maltese roads in the first quarter of this year.

About 43 of these were defined as incursions, similar to Mr Inguanez’s incident.