A YORK trader is calling for bus drivers to watch their speed when tackling a busy city centre bend.

Their concern comes two days after an elderly man was in collision with a bus at the bottom of Parliament Street at its junction with Coppergate.

The pedestrian sustained a head injury during the incident on Wednesday afternoon and was taken by ambulance to York Hospital.

Joel Ricketts, shop assistant at Jessops, said bus drivers should slow down as they approach a difficult bend at the corner of Piccadilly, near where several bus companies pick-up and drop-off passengers.

Mr Ricketts said he saw a bus hit a bicycle tied to the railings in Piccadilly, the same day the pedestrian was injured.

He urged drivers to watch their speed before there was another accident. "They need to be more careful when they're taking corners," he said. "They can't keep coming round them the way they're doing. Some of them don't even seem to slow down.

"Over the last couple of months we've had lots of problems with bikes and the one that was hit today is totally trashed now. Another worker had his bike completely written-off a while ago too.

"Bikes are expensive and we need them to get to work. We can't afford for them to get smashed up while they're parked there."

Peter Edwards, First operations manager, said: "I'm not aware of any of our drivers being involved in anything like that recently.

"There are occasionally minor bumps while doing manoeuvres down there as it's quite a tight junction. It's an acute bend and drivers are only ever able to drive round there slowly."

Chris Toop, manager at Cycle Heaven, in Bishopthorpe Road, said there were no particular cycle accident blackspots in York.

But he said junctions like those at Piccadilly and Skeldergate were more dangerous because of fast-moving traffic and poor visibility.

He said: "People are always rushing to squeeze through the green light. Cyclists themselves are not entirely blameless in this respect."

Updated: 10:48 Friday, May 21, 2004