Thursday, February 3, 2011

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A local bike advocacy group is one of five Georgia organizations getting money to educate cyclists and drivers.

Wheel Movement is getting $1,500, which it plans to use for riding clinics, meeting with law enforcement and a media campaign to promote safe riding, Georgia Bikes! said Thursday.

The money comes through the Governor's Office of Highway Safety and is collected from drivers who pay for special "Share The Road" license plate tags. Winning organizations were selected based on their proposal, budget and evaluation plan.

The Wheel Movement, which was created only last year, will also set up bicycle safety classes for children. A committee meeting to finalize plans is set for next week.

Augusta and the CSRA have increasingly become a destination for cyclists. In 2010, the city hosted the International Mountain Bike Association World Summit along with the second ESi Ironman 70.3.

The Augusta-Richmond County Planning Commission is also working on a master plan for bike and pedestrian routes in Richmond, Columbia, Aiken and Edgefield counties. The group plans to ask for public input this spring.

This uptick in bike planning and advocacy comes amid a series of accidents involving bikes and cars in which cyclists were killed or seriously injured.

An Aiken County driver is facing hit and run charges after a January accident on Banks Mill Road that left a cyclist seriously injured.

An Augusta man was killed early Wednesday morning after being struck by an SUV on Peach Orchard Road. Deputies said the cyclist was riding in the left lane and did not have lights on his bike.