Atlanta, a potential death trap for cyclists.

I have lived in the metropolitan Atlanta area since February 1996. In all of those years, I have never really bothered to acculturate to this place. I don't really want to. I like who I am. I say the word "pop" instead of coke when referring to carbonated soft drinks. I say "you guys" instead of "y'all". Also, I am a cyclist. Being a college student, it is a life filled with expenses. Getting a car in this part of my life isn't worth it to me. Gas prices are rising. Insurance rates are not something I want to deal with. And oh yes, getting the car itself. I don't want to put money down for a car and then make car payments for a long time. I pay rent and tuition, that is as much as I want to pay. I would be under tremendous stress if I were to add car payment, car insurance, gasoline, and potential repairs to that list of bills I must pay. For this reason, I use a bicycle. One of the reasons I am so fed up with the Atlanta area is that it isn't really a bicycle friendly place. I look at places like Portland,OR;New York City;Chicago;San Francisco. In places like San Francisco, cyclists have alot of political clout. Same thing for Portland,OR. With Atlanta, cyclists are basically some "fringe group" in an automobile addicted city. This city has had it wrong from day one. Atlanta wasn't even meant to be a city. It was the railroad terminus, and then it was burned down and rebuilt. It industrialized later than many cities. I industrialized AFTER the automobile was made and therefore, is built for automobiles. The metropolitan  Atlanta area doesn't have as much of a bicycle friendly vibe. I get this feeling whenever I try to ride my bicycle. I literally feel like I am going to get hit every time I'm on the road. There aren't enough bicycle lanes in the area. The trails aren't enough. What Atlanta metropolitan area needs is an extensive network of bicycle lanes. I sent a petition to the Student Government Association at Kennesaw State University. My goal is to get the students involved. What the students need to do is get their collective derrieres up and ban together to get things done. The students need to get together and get some things done right. The problem is that the powers that exist pander to those with the most money. Basically, this is how it works. "Soccer moms", "NASCAR dads", limousine conservatives, and good old boys hold the political power in Georgia. Basically, anyone with a car will have more political power than those without one. Kind of ironic considering the state of Georgia has no oil reserves to speak of and gasoline is getting more expensive. It is these kinds of politics that hold the state of Georgia, and specifically metro Atlanta back. Riding a bicycle in the Atlanta area is dangerous because it isn't built for the cyclist. Not enough bicycle lanes. Sometimes drivers speed by and harass cyclists. It has happened to me. I was nearly hit by a motorist. By the law, a bicycle is considered a vehicle and belongs on the street. Unfortunately, this means sharing the road with motorists, and in automobile-dominated Atlanta, there are not enough safe places to ride. What cyclists need is more of their own lanes, reserved for bicycles and scooters. It needs to be safer. This is why cyclists in the Atlanta area need to ban together and get some political clout in. It is happening in Portland and San Francisco, why not Atlanta?