Bike Family

Bike Family is a program of Propel ATL’s Shifting Gears initiative. We developed this program in 2018 to get more students, their caregivers, and school staff to experience the joy of bicycling, and to support schools to adopt practices and enact policies that result in more Atlantans choosing sustainable transportation.

Bike Family equips people of all ages to bike safely and easily to the places they need to go. Each participating family member receives a bicycle and bike safety supplies, and completes a series of bike safety classes. At the end of the program, participants will practice their skills at a celebration bike event in the community.

Who can participate?

Bike Family works with communities near Atlanta's High-Injury Network. The High-Injury Network includes streets where most of Atlanta's serious traffic injuries and fatalities occur. In Spring 2022, we partnered with Andrew & Walter Young Family YMCA and Atlanta SMART Academy for our third Bike Family cohort! Participants are usually Atlanta Public School students and their parents - specific criteria will be released ahead of each cohort.

*Propel ATL is officially recognized as an Atlanta Public Schools partner.

Past Bike Family Cohorts

Fall 2020: Tuskegee Airmen Global Academy

Spring 2021: Finch Elementary School

Spring 2022: Andrew & Walter Young Family YMCA

Spring 2022: Atlanta SMART Academy

How do we enroll?

Enrollment will vary by group - either a paper signup sheet will be distributed by school staff or a Google Form will be distributed by email for interested participants to sign up.

Class Structure

Class: 2 hours, Group introductions and classroom-based instruction where we will discuss bike safety and the different types of bikes and riding.

Bike Family community instructional ride: 3-4 hours, Participants will receive their bikes and safety gear and ride together with our instructors for a 30-45 minute group ride.

* We will follow regularly updated CDC guidelines and those recommended by A/C Clutch Bicycle Shop during all in-person rides and events.

Partners

Free classes, bicycles, and equipment are provided with support from the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority, the Mary Alice and Bennett Brown Foundation, the David, Helen & Marian Woodward Fund, the Mary Allen Lindsey Branan Foundation, and the Women's Sports Foundation.