Tourist buses have returned to Swanston Street, five years after they were banned following the death of a cyclist.

Coaches have been seen on Swanston Street in the city centre in recent weeks, illegally parked in the bike lane to pick up and drop off overseas tourists.

Tight squeeze ... A tourist bus parked illegally on Swanston Street, now Melbourne's busiest bike route.

Robert Reeve, a Telstra employee who rides along Swanston Street, said the coaches' presence forced cyclists to veer towards the tram tracks in the busy morning traffic peak.

Garry Brennan, spokesman for Bicycle Network Victoria, said a white, unmarked coach regularly parked on Swanston Street.