CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Some drivers apparently don't like sharing the road with cyclists.
“People pull up next to me and say, ‘Hey idiot, get on the sidewalk," cyclist Lee Pradia said. "But I’m in the bike lane."
Pradia says Corpus Christi needs more bike lanes, and that the city needs to better maintain those it has.
But he says the biggest issue he and other cyclists face is that lots of drivers simply don't know the rules when encountering bicycles.
“I feel safer riding way out Weber or way out Staples than I do around our city," Pradia said. "Because our people, they just — they have no concern about us whatsoever."
The videos he shared with KRIS 6 News from cameras mounted on his bike seem to show that.
Cars whoosh by very close to Pradia and his bike even though he's hugging the shoulder of the road.
Other videos show incoming cars drifting into the lane Pradia is riding in, only to miss a collision by mere inches.
City Manager Peter Zanoni, a fellow cyclist, says the city is doing what it can to improve safety for cyclists.
“In all of our capital projects — the ones that the voters approve and our bond packages — we evaluate adding bike lanes or improving, widening bike lanes and acquiring right-of-way if we need to," Zanoni said.
By doing so, he says Corpus Christi will be better for bikes and their many benefits.
“Cycling is a great way to stay healthy," Zanoni said. "It’s also a great means of transportation. Not everybody can afford a car. They may not even want a car."
For Pradia, it's all about the health benefits.
He weighed in at 325 pounds a year and a half ago.
Today he's down to 260.
“We don’t ride to anger the motorists," Pradia said. "For me personally, I ride for my health."
