Atlanta's cycling community needs some help
by Editorial Board
On the evening of June 25, Midtowners couldn't have missed more than 100 hipsters, graybeards and gearheads pedaling down Peachtree Street.
The monthly event — the leaderless, somewhat controversial Critical Mass that's become an urban staple around the world — offers a snapshot of how far Atlanta's cycling culture has come in a city defined by the automobile. In addition to Critical Mass, there are other signs that cycling in Atlanta is on the rise. Look around. A growing number of Atlantans now rely on bikes as their primary means of transportation.
The city's infrastructure, however, has a long way to go. And if Atlanta wants to nurture this community, which helps relieve pollution and congestion while improving the lives of those who participate, city officials need to make Atlanta more accommodating to cyclists.
In addition to no-brainers like filling potholes, sweeping debris from street shoulders, and getting rid of the clunky, slippery metal plates tossed over every road hazard, the city can step up its efforts by following other cities' leads.
Where do we start? Adopt a "complete streets" policy, as Decatur has done, and encourage the state to treat bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly streetscapes as a vital part of transportation projects. Take a cue from New York and convert automobile lanes on underperforming roads to bike lanes. Learn from Long Beach, Calif., and partner with public artists to install creative bike racks. Follow Nashville, Tenn.'s example and create a city cycling advisory committee that can suggest ways to make Atlanta's streets safer for two wheelers. Offer tax incentives to businesses that locate near bike lanes and employers who install showers for bike commuters in older buildings. And when revenues improve, consider hiring a cycling czar.
City officials should also ensure that police understand and adequately enforce cycling laws. (During the reporting of this week's cover story, one avid bike commuter recounted how a cop once told him the law required cyclists to wear a helmet and ride on the sidewalk — both of which are false.) Police should also aggressively ticket motorists who park in dedicated bike lanes. For cyclists, it's the equivalent of someone leaving his or her car in the middle of North Avenue.
One of the most important fixes, however, might be out of City Hall's hands. Motorists, some of whom drive as if the road is theirs alone, should exercise more patience. Courtesy and caution toward cyclists ultimately could help keep cars off the road and smog out of the air by encouraging more people to start pedaling.
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road bikers need to practice 'same road same rules'! when they do this ill give them more room
i'm in agreement with mtbiker. road cyclists should FOLLOW THE SAME LAWS as automobile drivers. SAME ROAD - SAME, SAME RULES!!! i see too many road bikers run lights and ride up lanes in between cars to avoid stopping. SAME ROAD - SAME RULES.
I completely agree that cyclists need to follow all traffic laws, and that's what our organization, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, teaches in our classes.
I am a daily bike commuter and I've started tracking the number of cars who run red lights versus bikes.
95% of those I see running red lights are drivers of cars.
And cars have a lot greater potential to really hurt or kill someone - whether a person walking, riding a bike, or in another car - when they run a red light, whereas cyclists are mostly endangering themselves (and drivers' respect...)
I will always share the road with a cyclist who is comuting with his bicycle. However, i will not share the road with some asshole in full spandex out exercising during rush hours. Fuck you!
how about some cheeze w/ your wine?
SAME ROAD---- SAME RULES!!!!
anything else is called 'breaking the law'
period.
"95% of those I see running red lights are drivers of cars." ....hmmmm - how convenient.
"whereas cyclists are mostly endangering themselves (and drivers' respect...)" ....then the cyclist want to SUE the auto driver who HITS them when the cyclist runs the light or stop sign!
I'm car-free and a daily bicycle commuter. I agree with all who say "same road, same rules," though without the vitriol and anger expressed above.
I get just as angry as anyone else when I see fellow bicyclists blow through stop signs and lights, or fail to signal turns. They give the rest of us a bad rep; however, I don't approach every motorist and chide them for others' mistakes. As Rebecca points out, and as you would be hard-pressed to deny, there are many more motorists showing dangerous disdain for road rules than bicyclists.
Please don't assume all bicyclists feel they are entitled to special privileges: we are not above the law; please don't treat us as straw men for your anger. More law-abiding cyclists exist than scofflaws. We have the same rights as other vehicles but we have the same responsibilities, too.
of course more motorist 'show disdain for road rules'... THERE ARE MORE OF THEM, how hard is that to add up?
i would like to know where the majority of the law abiding cyclist ride? cause it aint around decatur or midtown.
"i would like to know where the majority of the law abiding cyclist ride? cause it aint around decatur or midtown." ... TRU DAT! OR BUCKHEAD! i have yet to see a road cyclist in buckhead at rush hour who stops and waits for a light to change green. they just blow right through! it's shocking.
Are you all missing the point of this article? Your overly aggressive attitudes toward this issue are exactly the reason that these two groups have so much trouble coinciding in one shared space. You can accuse cyclists of breaking laws all day long, but motorists are no better at obeying these laws than cyclists are. There will always be two groups of people competing for shared use of our roads until we all drop the shitty attitudes, come together as a community, and make improvements to our infrastructure that benefit all.
Great comment, C-Note! Couldn't agree more.
I would like to add that we all are capable of making good and bad decisions, and we need streets that encourage safer decisions while discouraging dangerous choices.
ok community organizer, if the 'article' covered both sides of the issue, instead of just one, then their wouldn't be any shitty attitudes.
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