Shifting Gears

It was once the norm for children to bike around their neighborhoods and to school. Biking provided independence for growing kids while giving them physical activity and access to social networks. In 1969, 50% of kids walked or biked to school. But by 2009, just 13% did.

Inspired by the work of the District of Columbia Public Schools, in 2019, we piloted our Shifting Gears program to change that. Shifting Gears worked by providing second graders in Atlanta Public Schools (APS) with bicycle safety training during the school day.

During our pilot year, we reached 5% of second graders with the training. In year two, we more than doubled the number of schools, from five to nine, reaching 13% of second graders. Also in the second year, we connected our Bike Champions program with Shifting Gears, in order to expand the circle of influence of Shifting Gears beyond school walls and into surrounding communities.

Recognizing the need to serve students beyond second grade and a mutual goal of promoting well-being through movement, Propel ATL partnered with the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation beginning in 2024 to educate its newest cohort of young cycling enthusiast. Shifting Gears now provides bicycle safety education and skills instruction to students in the city’s Centers of Hope after-school program. While our programming partners have shifted, we remain committed to addressing communities near Atlanta’s High-Injury Network (HIN) and those serving students from Title I schools.

During these classes, students learn critical skills and knowledge about bike maintenance and parts, rules of the road, cycling as a healthy lifestyle, and empowerment as a new, young rider. As new biking ambassadors, these students go home ready to share their knowledge, explore their surroundings in an exciting new way, travel to new destinations with their guardians, and connect more deeply with their community.

Cars and trucks are one of the leading causes of air pollution. Parents driving to school represent approximately 15% of rush hour traffic. By equipping kids with bike safety skills, more children can participate in sustainable, carbon-neutral commutes, whether independently or alongside their families.

Air pollution from cars is detrimental to community health, contributing to asthma, heart disease, and even birth defects. What's more, car emissions add to the levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Oil and gasoline runoff from roads harms our natural waterways.

Shifting Gears is helping to create the next generation of bike riders, to have a positive effect on the environment over their lifetimes.

All children benefit from increased levels of physical activity. According to the Safe Routes to School Partnership, exercise increases learning and memory in children, and those who face the greatest barriers to learning are those who stand to achieve the most. Recent studies are also finding that students diagnosed with ADHD can benefit from bicycling, as riding shifts brain activity patterns, resulting in longer attention spans.

Through Shifting Gears, we've discovered that once children begin biking, parents are increasingly interested in how they can improve the safety of streets in their communities. From 2020-2024, 64 percent of bicycle crashes and 62 percent of pedestrian crashes occurred within 0.5 miles of a school in Atlanta.

In addition, pedestrian injuries and fatalities across Georgia are on the rise, with a 40 percent increase in the past two years. Programs supporting safe routes to schools have been shown to significantly improve safety through measures such as traffic-calming, student education, and infrastructure improvements.

As an after-school program, Shifting Gears aligns with the National Physical Education Standards to maintain health standards and goals for our cycling community.

Standard 1: The physically literate individual demonstrates competency in a variety of motor skills and movement patterns.

Standard 2: The physically literate individual applies knowledge of concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics related to movement and performance.

Standard 3: The physically literate individual demonstrates the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness.

Standard 4: The physically literate individual exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others.

Standard 5: The physically literate individual recognizes the value of physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and/or social interaction.