Learning the rules of the road on a bicycle
If you’ve been downtown recently, then you’ve noticed that bike lanes are popping up, and that’s a good thing because bicycle commuting is becoming quite popular in Chattanooga. If you’re interested in learning more about biking on the street, then you’ll want to check out Outdoor Chattanooga’s monthly Bike Commuting 101 class, which will be held this Monday.
The goal of the class is to teach participants smart and safe ways to commute via bicycle, which is why the class will be taught by certified instructors from the League of American Bicyclists.
“We’re just trying to encourage safe bike commuting [and] learning how to drive your bike in traffic,” said Sunshine Loveless, an employee at Outdoor Chattanooga. “We’re teaching people how to ride their bikes in traffic on the road, not utilizing sidewalks.”
Loveless said they’re trying to change the culture of infrastructure (most city roads are set up primarily for cars) by encouraging more people to commute via bicycle.
She also said she hopes some people will take Bike Commuting 101 as a prerequisite to becoming a League Certified Instructor so they can teach bicycling classes.
After the instructional portion of Bike Commuting 101, participants will go out on the city’s streets to practice what they’ve learned, making Bike Commuting 101 a great way to learn to bike in the city.