Across the country, cities are trying to figure out how to handle the rising tide of cyclists riding through their streets. A common reaction is to offer classes on safe cycling.
"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."
FULL STORY: New bike commuters hit the classroom, then the road
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions