Cyclists push for safety following hit-and-run in South Austin

After a cyclist was injured in a hit-and-run in South Austin, other cyclists are pushing for the city to make safety improvements.

AUSTIN, Texas - It's a video that shook the Austin cycling community. The video shows a cyclist get hit by a car on Riverside Drive in South Austin. The cyclist, in pain, crawls off to the side of the road while the car kept on driving.

"It's horrifying to watch. It's a nightmare situation for anybody that spends any amount of time on the road," said Cycling Coach Sean Ahmabi.

Ahmabi said this video highlights just how dangerous certain Austin areas are to bike in.

"There's a lot of drivers that drive extremely fast, and it's gotten worse in the last year or two. I try to take side streets and neighborhood streets as much as I can just to avoid that scenario," he said.

With how aggressive drivers are in the city, Ahmabi felt it has turned people away from cycling.

"I know a lot of people who would like to do that, but they would not like to be in danger, like in that specific situation."

The cyclist hit in this video, Nicolas Gardiner, spoke with FOX 7 earlier this week. He said the driver was acting strange about half a mile before the crash.

"I was passing him, and he started screaming at me. I kind of waved my hand and said whatever, I went past him, he let me get in front of him, and then he angled and hit me," Gardiner said.

Caught on camera: Austin bicyclist hit by car in hit-and-run

WARNING: The following video contains graphic content. A bicyclist was hit by a driver while riding his bike on Riverside Drive in South Austin. Credit: Scott Thigpen

While his heart goes out to the cyclist hit, Ahmabi is hopeful drivers see this as an educational lesson on just how terrifying a crash on a bike can be with a car.

"It's terrifying, you can break bones, lose a lot of skin, and it takes a long time to get back from so yeah, I’d like to see more education around that," Ahmabi said.

In recent years, the city has added separate bike lanes on roads like Congress and Shoal Creek. Ahmabi feels more of these will not only make it safer but also encourage more people to ditch the car and take a bike instead.

"I would think that would be great to see along main corridors that are great for commuting or for cyclists to get into and out of town," he said.

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Caught on camera: Austin bicyclist hit by car in hit-and-run
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