So the Urban Confidence class (offered for free by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition) with which I helped last night was pretty darn awesome (with the exception of the usual several drivers in bike lanes, and the surprising fact that none of the four Relay Bikeshare* bikes’ back lights worked — am grateful I tossed a red light in my bag before going and was the one riding sweep; however, I had specifically chosen to ride a bikeshare bike because its lights are so good). Here are 14 seconds or so on Peachtree Street between Downtown and Midtown, Atlanta. It was lovely riding side by side with new friends, negotiating our shared public space, and enjoying the crisp night.
Below is the requisite Jackson Street Bridge group photo and some more body camera screenshots from the class. If you live in metro Atlanta and would like to grow your road skills, Stephen Spring (the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition’s astounding educator) offers this class often as well as Bikeshare, True Beginner, Hack Your Commute, and school-based classes. A meager investment to become an Atlanta Bicycle Coalition member means our whole region benefits from classes and advocacy work from this extraordinary organization. (You also get discounts from Bicycle Friendly Businesses and other sponsors.) If you live elsewhere in the United States or world, check out who’s doing the heavy lifting for safe-access-for-all near you and consider getting involved.
Note to folks who live in my suburb-city and others in metro Atlanta — riding in the City of Atlanta is significantly easier than riding in the ‘burbs, including going just a quarter mile from my home to the supermarket (and the recently-adopted 20-year Master Transportation Plan for the City of Dunwoody does not alter that). If you would like to explore in the City of Atlanta on your own (and I strongly recommend metro Atlanta city leaders, planners, corporate recruiters, real estate agents, and those looking to live more active lifestyles do so), see my Bonus Resources — I’ve sketched out four of my fave City of Atlanta routes for you, with tips and more.
*Note: I LOVE Relay Bikeshare and am a proud member who uses it regularly as part of my multimodal mix. I do like to keep things honest here, however, and this critical detail was a fail last night. I reported the four bikes and am confident they will be fixed quickly.
Traveling at the Speed of Bike 