Heads Up (and Helmet On!)

Heads up and helmet on! It's Bike to Work Week, and that means you may see more cyclists on the streets this week, including those who are brand new to it.

If you are in a car trying to pass them:

* Give them at least three feet.

* Please learn hand signals so you recognize when they are trying to tell you they are making a left or right.

* Realize they are expected to follow the same rules of the road as automobile drivers (that means stopping at stop signs and red lights, for instance), and they have the right to "take the lane" when they make left hand turns and whenever they feel they need to do so to be safe.

Most importantly, please know that is hard out there and they are fighting a car culture, uphills, lack of designated space for cycling, and most likely a work environment that does not provide adequate or safe bicycle parking or showers for freshening up. They are literally blazing a path for our city, showing us a little glimpse of what is possible if we were to truly become a bikable, walkable community.

Find out more about Bike to Work Week here.

Wanna give it a shot but don't feel quite confident yet out there on the streets? Take it easy somewhere close to home, and consider signing up for the Confident Cycling Class on May 30 right here in Dunwoody, hosted by the Perimeter Transportation Coalition and REI. It costs ten bucks if you live or work in the Perimeter Area (or if you recently lost your job).

Also, with this wonderful police force we have, let's give some thought to "safety on the roads" education, starting with our children. Some municipalities include these lessons each year as part of health or P.E. Here's a FoodShed Planet post about what the police did with schoolchildren where I grew up.

And whether you put pedal power to work or just observe the "men and women in lycra," shout it out about your Bike to Work experience on our social networking site!

Don't want to ride, or don't go to a separate workplace? Join Kingsley in its final formal Walk to School Day Wednesday and fill our city's sidewalks with children as pedestrians.