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Rider 'forced on to footpaths'

A Bassendean cyclist says he has resorted to riding along footpaths after too many heart-stopping near-misses with reckless motorists.

Les Dal Passo, a 43-year-old father-of-two who rides to and from work, has captured dozens of images which he believes support his claims.

One of the photographs appears to show a Transperth driver leaving him next-to-no space to continue along the road.

"That was last year on Beaufort Street in Inglewood," he said. "I'd taken off and I heard this bus coming from behind and there was nothing I could do.

"I just had to stop and let it go past me. I was a sitting duck for a few moments after that."

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Mr Dal Passo said he knew Perth was home to bad cyclists as well as bad drivers, but one group was far more vulnerable.

He said "punishment passes", complete with verbal abuse, had become a regular occurrence.

"With some of those trucks, I was actually praying thinking, 'Oh God, don't get me'," he said.

"I just want to get from A to B like everyone else but using my bike instead of a car - I don't know why that makes me a criminal."

He said police could have the biggest impact, by pulling over motorists who drove dangerously near cyclists.