CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — School is back in session across the Coastal Bend which means the roadways are busy with drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
“We know a big part of the population, they like to walk and they like to use their bikes,” says Corpus Christi Metropolitan Planning Organization planning director, Robert MacDonald.
Some bike lanes on Ocean Drive are closed due to road construction. Other bike lanes have not changed in years says bicyclist Jason Buseman.
Coastal Bend in Motion shows most homes in the urbanized area of Nueces and San Patricio counties are within a 2 to 5-minute bike ride from a designated bike lane.
The bike club Team Life Cyclers ride almost every day for sport, they say they do face some challenges.
“Occasionally there will be walkers or runners and those new green sidewalk bike lanes are a no-go,” says Buseman.
According to data from Coastal Bend in Motion last updated 5 years ago, the network of bike lanes in the area will have 89% of cyclists within a 5-minute walk from schools and daycare centers.
This is why Dorothy Atkins is a meeting sport for team life cyclers.
“You can’t be riding on the sidewalk doing 15-20 miles per hour with people walking 2 feet from you,” says Buseman.
New numbers from TXDOT shows that in Corpus Christi there were 51 traffic crashes involving bicyclist and 99 crashes involving pedestrians.
“We have 5 years' worth of money including money right now plus the next 4 years. It adds up to about a 4 million call for projects,” says planning director, Robert MacDonald.
The Corpus Christi Metropolitan Planning Organization says it has federal funding that will allow them to identify the area that need the most work in the next 5 to 6 weeks.
“We’re looking to add more users, like the disabled community and anyone else who wants to get around,” says MacDonald.
In the meantime, cyclists ask drivers for one thing.
“Let us have fun and let us enjoy our ride. If you see us slow down or move over,” says bicyclist, Mala Garcia.
You can join the discussion along with the different agencies that contribute to the transportation projects, visit https://www.corpuschristi-mpo.org.
