THREE fatal bus crashes in five days have sparked fresh calls for a 40km/h speed limit in Sydney’s CBD.

The first death was on May 1 when a cyclist was hit by a bus in Neutral Bay, in Sydney’s north.

On Sunday a street artist died after being hit by 42-seater coach in Chinatown and on Monday a pedestrian was struck and killed by a bus at the junction of George and Liverpool streets, in the CBD.

The Pedestrian Council of Australia has long campaigned for a 40km/h speed limit in Sydney CBD and renewed its call after Monday’s accident.

media_camera Emergency services attend the first fatal accident at the corner of Ben Boyd and Military Roads in Neutral Bay.

media_camera CCTV of the cyclist’s last moments before he hit the bus.

“The danger arises especially in the evenings when people may be drunk, when people are hurrying home from work and when the light is bad,” pedestrian council chairman Harold Scruby told AAP.

“And then you get motorists speeding up to try and beat the next set of traffic lights.

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“There’s no doubt a 40km/h limit would lessen the danger.”

Pedestrians distracted by mobile phones or other devices and those trying to cross the road while the lights are red are said to be the other key causes of accidents involving pedestrians.

A witness to Monday’s accident said the man stepped in front of the bus while the pedestrian crossing lights were red.

media_camera The bus crash on the corner of Dixon Street and Hay Street in Haymarket that killed a local sketch artist. Picture: Damian Shaw

media_camera Inspector Malcolm Searle talks to the media at the scene of the second fatal accident. Picture: Damian Shaw

Inspector Phillip Brooks, operations manager of NSW’s traffic and highway patrol, was unapologetic about recent police operations targeting jaywalkers, issuing them with $67 fines.

“People don’t like to receive it, particularly those that are in suits and they hold high office jobs and to receive an infringement is probably an issue for them,” he told Fairfax Radio Network on Tuesday.

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“And we have had that negative feedback in the media.

“But I’d like to think effectively we’ve saved their lives. They wake up for work in the morning and their family expect them to come home.”

media_camera The scene of the third fatal accident between a bus and pedestrian on the corner of George and Liverpool Street in the CBD. Picture: Daniel Aarons