After I-85 collapse, group teaches people how to navigate city on bikes

ATLANTA — With spring break coming to an end, the I-85 collapse could cause a traffic nightmare on Monday.

The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition hopes some people will leave the car behind and ride a bike instead.

The group held its first in a series of classes Friday to teach riders how to navigate busy city streets.

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"I came out to the class because I want to gain a little more confidence while I'm on the road," Lacey Brown said.

Organizers said now is the perfect time to consider bikes and they want to teach people how to ride then safely.

"I think it's poised to look at these challenges that we have and say, hey, it might be a good time for me to rethink my driving options," said Stephen King, Atlanta Bicycle Coalition education coordinator.

The group hopes people taking the class will consider their bicycle as a potentially faster way to get to and from work.

"Since spring break is this week, it's hard to say what traffic will look like next week," Brown said.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed doesn't think traffic will look good.

"You need to have a full tank of gas. We are really concerned about people being stranded on the highways and not having access to their air conditioning because they aren't carrying fuel loads," he said in a news conference on Friday.

Some say this could be a new era in Atlanta commuting.

"This could turn out to be a positive thing for the city of Atlanta," Brown said.

Cox Media Group