[This is an EXCERPT: read the whole article here. -Ed.]

The high price of gas is creating a surge in bicycle commuting across the country, not just in West Coast cities but in places like Louisville, Ky., and Charlotte, N.C. The rush of newbies has triggered tensions with drivers unaccustomed to sharing the road, and driven cyclists to seek out traffic training.

"I'm getting hammered by mayors asking, 'What are you doing about all these new bikers on the street and nobody knows the rules of the road?'" says Robert Raburn, executive director of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition in Oakland. When the organization started classes in 2003, it offered maybe two a year. Now, it has six slated for September with two more to be announced.

Some cities are making substantial investments in bike infrastructure. The Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) last month approved $1 billion in long-range funding for a regional bike network. Louisville is building a 100-mile hiking and biking trail called the Louisville Loop.

The MTC is also studying whether to adopt the so-called "Idaho stop" rule. This would allow cyclists to treat red lights like stop signs, and stop signs like yield signs. Idaho adopted these changes years ago, apparently with no incident.

Photo credit: Richard Masoner