Michael Cosgrove​ was cycling home when a passenger in a car that got too close jumped out and punched him, breaking his nose.

The cycle commuter said he was crowded into the kerb of Hamilton's Anglesea Street by a passing car, around 4.30pm on Tuesday.

He protested, and a passenger jumped out to sock him one.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF The car almost brushed Cosgrove's leg as he cycled along Anglesea Street, heading for a red light. He slapped on the side of the car to say, you can't do that.

The incident was reported to the police and Cosgrove has been ringing around to find a specialist who can re-set his nose as soon as possible after the holiday period.

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It's a shame, the Cycle Action Waikato member said, because Hamilton is generally good to cycle in.

But Anglesea Street - between his work and the Western Rail Trail he uses to get home - is a pinch point with no shoulder for bikes, something he hopes Hamilton City Council can change.

On Tuesday afternoon, Cosgrove was cruising to a red light in front of the Waikato Institute of Technology when a dark-coloured car almost brushed his leg as it came past.

"He's come in and basically closed me out of the road, so much so that I could quite easily touch the side of the car without having to extend my hand," Cosgrove said.

He slapped the car door to say, you can't do that, and said he had equal right to be on the road.

The front-seat passenger seemed apologetic, then a young guy got out of the back and punched him.

The car drove away before Cosgrove - in "a very bloody mess" - could get the number plate.

"Some very nice bystanders got a big wad of tissues and tried to staunch the flow of blood," he said.

One walked him back to work, where a concierge called the police, and Cosgrove then went to Anglesea Clinic.

His nose will have to be re-set in about a week's time, he said, but finding an appointment over the holiday season is tricky.

Police received a report of a road rage incident in which one man punched another, and will make enquiries.

The incident was "way across the line", Cycling Action Network spokesman Patrick Morgan said.

"Our advice for everyone is pretty simple. It's, follow the rules and don't be an idiot. That applies to everyone on the roads."

Lack of provision for cyclists can add to frustration on both sides, he said, though Hamilton generally measures up well as a cycling city.

For example, it has cycleways around the ring road, and council has adopted Vision Zero - aiming for no road deaths and serious injuries.

But it still has "turbo roundabouts" that are difficult for cyclists to get through, he said, and has urban roads where there is little or no space for cyclists.

Hamilton City Council has cycling plans in a $220m transport improvement package proposed under its draft long-term plan.

They include joining up cycleways, a university-CBD cycle route, and work on the Hamilton section of Te Awa - The Great New Zealand River Ride.