Like many Americans, Tara Collins hadn`t bicycled much since middle school. That changed this year when she started paying $50 to fill up her gas tank.

Since early July Ms. Collins has been biking to her job in San Francisco. Now she`s sitting in Bert Hill`s bicycle safety course – along with 31 others – after a close shave with a van.

"When that happened I thought, `Wow, there probably are things I could learn about safety,` " says Ms. Collins. "I haven`t been on a bike in years, and even when I did, it wasn`t in traffic."

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. 
www.csmonitor.com/2008/0825/p01s01-usec.html