(ATLANTA) The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is pleased to announce it has received a $68,576.59 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS). The grant, which will continue through September of 2021, will support efforts to reduce bicycle crashes and injuries.

“Thanks to GOHS, we are able to provide quality bike safety and skills training to hundreds of Atlantans. Our goal is to support more people biking while reducing bike crashes to zero in Fulton and DeKalb counties” said Atlanta Bicycle Coalition Education & Outreach Program Manager Stephen Spring.

The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition’s education program includes frequent bike classes for a range of needs from people who are true beginners to those who are biking for transportation, with the goal of providing 500 Atlantans with training. Class types include City Cycling, Hack Your Essential Trip, True Beginners, and Ticket Diversion. 

In the state of Georgia, Fulton and DeKalb counties have among the highest total number of bicycle crashes, along with the highest rates of cycling, in the state. In Dekalb and Fulton counties combined, traffic fatalities increased from 132 in 2014 to 238 in 2018. Three of those killed in 2018 were people on bikes. By providing bike safety education, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition aims to reduce bicycle crashes and create safer streets for everyone. Our education classes center the person on a bike while providing safety education for users of all types of vehicles.

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Founded in 1991, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reclaiming Atlanta’s streets as safe, inclusive, and thriving spaces for people to ride, walk, and roll. We have always envisioned a day when biking is wholly integrated into Atlanta's daily life, culture, and infrastructure, and our mission was focused on making biking equitable, safe, and appealing. Now, our new plan responds to changes in our environment and work with an updated mission and vision, and expanded goals that include walking and transit. We envision an Atlanta where everyone moves safely, easily, and sustainably throughout the city. 

For more information on the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition’s award, contact Kathryn Curtis at 404.657.9079 or [email protected]. For more information on GOHS and its safety programs visit www.gahighwaysafety.org.