Cities React as Drivers Become Cyclists

"The high price of gas is creating a surge in bicycle commuting across the country, not just in West Coast cities but in places like Louisville, Ky., and Charlotte, N.C. The rush of newbies has triggered tensions with drivers unaccustomed to sharing the road, and driven cyclists to seek out traffic training."

"'I'm getting hammered by mayors asking, 'What are you doing about all these new bikers on the street and nobody knows the rules of the road?' ' says Robert Raburn, executive director of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition in Oakland. When the organization started classes in 2003, it offered maybe two a year. Now, it has six slated for September with two more to be announced."

"In the Bay State, MassBike reports offering two dozen classes this year, compared with three the year before."

"To be sure, $4 gas isn't going to turn America into Amsterdam. The latest US census figures from 2006 offer perspective: Only one half of one percent of Americans commuted by bike."

"But the rise, even if it's a small number, is affecting cities in everything from transportation funding to traffic safety."