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AEP Texas honors employee whose death prompted action to make cycling safe in Corpus Christi

AEP Texas named a substation at Holly and Ennis Joslin after the late Andy Heines, who was killed by a hit-and-run driving while riding his bike back in 2016.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The July 2016 cycling death of former American Electric Power Texas spokesperson Andy Heines began a real push for safety that reached Corpus Christi's City Hall.

Councilmembers took up the issue and demanded that bike lanes be installed to give riders some protective distance from vehicles.

Heines had been riding his bicycle down SPID near Paul Jones Avenue when he was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. The accident sparked a call for new safety measures, and former Councilman Mark Scott was one of the individuals who took the issue and ran with it.

"That was the event, I think, where the community said, 'We’re done. We need to provide protective bike lanes for bicyclists,'" Scott said. "And I think Andy was the cause of that."

Heines was remembered for his avid love of cycling on Friday. AEP Texas named a substation at Holly and Ennis Joslin after Heines. They even installed a racing bike memorial for him. Family, friends and former coworkers were present to see the unveiling of what they referred to as the "ghost bicycle."

The substation has existed for some time, but efforts to dedicate it to the late AEP Texas spokesman were delayed due to COVID-19.

AEP Texas Communications Manager Omar Lopez was proud to honor Heines, and said he feels Heines would have loved the token of appreciation.

"I think Andy would be really happy, and he was a friend of this community," Lopez said. "Whether it was AEP Texas, or the Corpus Christi Cathedral, or public broadcasting, or the Food Bank of Corpus Christi -- he made a huge impact wherever he volunteered his time.”

His loving wife, Vivienne Heines, understood just how special the monument would have been to her husband. 

"He took a lot of pleasure in it, and biked all of the time," Heines said. "But, there was a concern. There was a concern always that, you know, sometimes the drivers around weren’t super aware of bicyclist, and not as safe as they could be. So I think it’s lovely to hear that they’ve got more bike lanes now.”

That does not mean there are bike lanes everywhere, however. On Friday, avid cyclist Robert Seymore decided to take a scenic bike ride along Ocean Drive, but since he’s from out of town, he did not know that part of it is under construction and there is no bike lane.

"Obviously the cars are right there. It wouldn’t take much if somebody wasn’t paying attention, or for me to have to try to avoid a rock or a pothole or something," Seymore said.

Seymore said he would like to see more bike lanes around town, and even all across the state of Texas.

"You know with the bike lanes, that would just make it safer because obviously that keeps a lot of people back from riding bikes and getting out because of the danger of getting hit," Seymore said.

Now, the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Planning Organization is keeping track of the number of bike lanes we have and need for more of them in the future. It also has an entire plan to promote the use of bikes for work and pleasure.

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