Autauga County to proclaim May as Bike Month, joins Selma in statewide push

Autauga County was set to add its name to Alabama’s early Bike Month 2026 push, but the bigger question for Prattville and the rest of the county is whether the proclamation will lead to anything beyond ceremony on paper.

The Autauga County Commission agenda for its April 21 meeting included an item to approve a proclamation recognizing May as Bike Month in Autauga County. That move would place Autauga among the first Alabama government entities to do so this year, alongside Selma, as local officials and cycling advocates look to turn a familiar spring observance into a public safety message.

National Bike Month has been promoted by the League of American Bicyclists since 1956, and the group says May is a chance to highlight the benefits of bicycling and encourage more people to ride. In central Alabama, the Montgomery Bicycle Club has been helping carry that message for decades. Formed in 1980, the club says it promotes recreational and competitive cycling while also working to increase bicycle safety and awareness.

That matters in Autauga County because the club’s service area includes portions of Autauga, Elmore and Montgomery counties, including Prattville. Its 2026 Bike Month calendar lists Bike & Roll to School Day for Wednesday, May 6, and Bike to Work Week from May 11 through 17, two events that could draw attention to the roads children and commuters use every day.

The accountability question is whether the proclamation will bring any concrete county action, such as safer crossings, better signage, school-based bike education or stronger driver awareness campaigns on local roads. Autauga County has already taken a step in that direction. In 2023, along with Elmore, Chambers and Perry counties, it received a Safe Streets and Roads for All grant to prepare a Safety Action Plan aimed at reducing transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries on county-maintained roads.

That broader safety effort gives the Bike Month proclamation added weight. A county that says it wants more residents to ride safely will ultimately be judged not by the calendar item itself, but by whether its roads become more understandable and less dangerous for cyclists, drivers and schoolchildren moving through Prattville and the rural corridors beyond it.

Selma’s participation also underscores the statewide nature of the push. The city’s official profile highlights its historic role as home to the largest contiguous historic district in Alabama and as a centerpiece of the Selma to Montgomery Marches, giving this year’s Bike Month observance a strong civic and cultural backdrop.