NATIONAL BIKE MONTH

May is National Bike Month, promoted by the League of American Bicyclists and celebrated in communities from coast to coast. Established in 1956, National Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling and encourage more folks to give biking a try.

In 2024, we'll be celebrating all the ways people bike during National Bike Month. There are so many ways to celebrate Bike Month: with a commute during Bike to Work Week (and Bike to Work Day), biking to coffee or around the block, or riding for National Ride A Bike Day.

This Bike Month, make every ride count by logging each ride with the Love to Ride app. #MakeEveryRideCount. This new app has the power to make biking better for everyone by generating anonymous data that helps planners make infrastructure decisions based on real-time, crowd-sourced information. 

There are many reasons to ride a bike:

• To get more physical activity.
• To reduce air pollution*
• To save money.
• To get to places faster.
• To have fun!

   *a recent study found that when an individual replaces one car trip per day with a bike trip, that person reduces their carbon emissions from transportation by 67 percent. Just one small change in your daily life can mean you are contributing to a healthier future for our planet and nation. 

ATLANTA CELEBRATES NATIONAL BIKE MONTH

Below are some of the local events happening this month: 

May 13-19: Bike to Work Week

Friday, May 17: Bike to Work Day

May 11-18: The Atlanta Cycling Festival
Atlanta’s own weeklong festival dedicated to all things biking was launched in 2014 and is chock-a-block with group rides at all levels, bike classes, and parties! 

Sunday, May 19: Atlanta Streets Alive
Atlanta Streets Alive closes down three miles of Peachtree Street to car traffic and opens it up to people on foot, skates, bikes, wheelchairs, and skateboards. Come join the party!

The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is a nonprofit public-benefit corporation established to "create a healthier, more sustainable Atlanta by making it safer, easier, and more attractive to bicycle for fun, fitness, and transportation." Founded in 1991, the ABC has a dues-paying membership. The ABC organizes or promotes cycling-related events such as Atlanta Streets Alive and Bike Month.  

NATIONAL BIKE SAFETY MONTH

May is also National Bike Safety Month, with safety advocates and police offering safety tips and advocating for more safety measures. Police are using the month to update drivers and cyclists on the latest road rules such as: Keep as far to the right as practicable, riding in a single-file line, but know you are legally allowed to take the lane when it is necessary or safer. Bicycles are considered motor vehicles in traffic, meaning stop signs, red lights, and other traffic signals and devices always apply. On multi-use paths, cyclists are required to yield to pedestrians. Riding on the sidewalk is illegal; when you ride on the sidewalk and through crosswalks, you may come too quickly for drivers to see you and from a different direction than is expected. See https://bikeleague.org/ridesmart/ for more information on riding safely.

SAFETY TIPS

• Helmet: While not required by law, this will protect your brain in a fall or collision.
• Pump: Keeping tires filled at their designated pressure level can help prevent flats.
• Repair kit: Even so, flats will happen, but with a travel repair kit and pump, they can be an easy fix.
• Lights: Having lights on the front and rear of your bike makes you more visible to cars and is required by law when riding at night.



CONTACT A PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY

If you or someone you know is involved in an accident with a bicycle, contact Dave Thomas at The Thomas Law Firm for a free evaluation of your legal rights. Dave Thomas is an experienced personal injury attorney and will help you recover the medical costs, lost wages, and damages for pain and suffering to which you are entitled.