Any ideas??

[Urlea]

Okay, first some back story. I'll keep it short.

Several of my commuter friends have been annoyed by the lack of awareness and adherence to the "rules of the road" amongst cyclists and motorists not realizing that it is indeed legal for we commuters to be on the road.

Since this area isn't exactly known for having a lot of commuters on bicycles we thought we would seize the opportunity to raise awareness of what the rules are as well as encourage those who are not yet commuting via bicycle to consider it.

This week we got approval from the cycling shop downtown to have a booth outside of their building during the street fair that attracts anywhere from 100,000-150,000 people over the course of three days. So the likelihood of spreading such awareness is exciting.

Anyway, we need some ideas of what to have in our booth.

I would like to put together some brochures that list just the basics on what cyclists & motorists need to know. Including hand signals and easy route planning tools like MapMyRide.com.

Another commuter will be teaching general bike repair at the booth. Like replacing flats & tune-ups.

We are hoping to get some samples from various health product distributers for things like hair ties, wipes, deodorant & powder. A lot of complaints were hear, especially from the ladies, is that they don't want to go to work feeling grungy so we want to show them that there are options out there.

Okay, I failed to keep it short. Sorry!

Any suggestions you may have on slogans, general information the public should have, etc would be awesome!!

Thanks!

[Ciao]

Sounds like you've got a lot of great content and support. This may not be what you're looking for, but for events I always start with 2 things in mind: (a) the target audience's position = "why should I care?!"; and (b) a picture is worth a thousand words... So...

1. Getting those non-cyclists to the booth: You might find creating a large sign that's a visual play on the current gas prices (or money saved/month) will get even non-cyclists' attention first - and then transition them into "the rules of the road" and "how to make it work for you". In that order, of course, because it's more effective to educate than to convert this group. The saving gas/$ concept might also make drivers more accepting of cyclists.

2. Adults w/ kids: Theme "How to be safe on your bike." Have some quick games and prizes for young kids. "Test" the kids on hand signals (with a big sign in front of everyone) - and give them all something little/fun, or better yet a cycling "dog tag" for emergency information that works for kids and adults. The goal of course is it keeps the adults at the booth and paying attention/ learning as well. Do the same with the rules/laws of the road.

3. Take-aways that cyclists would use: Make a little 1 page cheat sheet of hand signals and road laws - that also has a "dog tag" that can be cut out where they can fill in information (name, who to call in an emergency, insurance, blood type... etc.) and slip into their cycling bag/ Jimi wallet, etc. -- or if you have the budget to give away (or sell) Jimi wallets with the information (signals/rules) inside.

Honestly, 1 or more *big* full color signs with the rules and hand signals - will do the heavy lifting for you and get the eyeballs. Just make it fun.

Good luck!!

[hipersons]

I'd contact the League of American Bicyclists', any area Bicycling groups (in my area it would be MassBike.org), and state department of transportation and possibly the department of conservation and recreation and ask them if they would be willing to provide some brochures for you. They most likely have a stash already printed up and would love to help your cause. Who knows what else they might be able to help you out with!

[Urlea]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Ciao, 1. 2. & 3. were all great ideas. I will definitely be passing them along to our group and see what we can do. The "cut-out" dog tag is brilliant.

I'm a photographer/graphic artist so coming up with signs and banners will be a breeze. Not to mention something I actually enjoy doing.

I agree that color definitely draws people. Hopefully I can find some cost effective materials to work with. We aren't exactly funded at this point so that's a definite concern.

We are working on getting support from the park district and a few other resources.

Hipersons: Thank you for the info. I didn't realize american Bicyclists' had a league. Good to know!

[PscyclePath]

Plenty of good stuff right here: http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/.../commuters.php

and here:

http://www.bikeleague.org/cogs/resou...15&submit.y=13

Tom

[Tri Girl]

No ideas (although I love the ones already mentioned), but wanted to say "Yippee" to you for doing this booth. I think it'll be a great way to advocate for cyclists, while making it fun. And drawing the kids in to get the parents to stick around and listen: brilliant!

[Melalvai]

There may be a group in Portland that has materials you could use. I know our local GetAbout booklet says "Adapted from somethingorother Portland, OR". (If I had one handy I'd tell you what exactly it was adapted from.)

[TahoeDirtGirl]

You gotta say something about GAS ....that will get their attention. Then teach them the rules of the road. I'm finding more and more people that I would of never thought would get on a bike are now entertaining or DOING it because of gas prices. One thing I thought of was $24 bucks can buy you 3 gallons of gas or ...and list what else they could buy with X amount of dollars. That at least would get them thinkin' .

I think one of the big commuter 'sellers' is calculating your miles per dollar. It's your miles per gallon divided by the cost of gas. SO my Jeep gets 20 mpg and let's say (probably not say for much longer...will be!) gas is $4. Then my miles per dollar is 20/4= 5 miles per dollar. Now that really gets them thinking.

[shootingstar]

Have a map hung up of good bike routes in your area. A real map does help you also answer questions in this area.

You could use coloured pins to allow people to position pin on a fav. route or destination.

Teach, but make it fun., interactive...'cuz we all know here, that's why, in the end, we are all still on our bikes.

Of course, if you have a creative soul in your cycling circles, they make something for you also. People forget there's a whole artsy side to THE BIKE and how you create haiku about cycling, decorate a bike, etc.

[Urlea]

More great ideas, thank you so much!!! You guys are fantastic.

We really want to emphasize the savings on fuel costs these days. I agree that, that fact alone should get more minds contemplating the idea of commuting. I will probably put together a list of the three most common vehicles in the USA and what they average per mile and go from there. Just to give people a general overview of what they are spending and where they could be saving.

Pscyclepath- I appreciate the links you posted. They are a great resource.

Now off to brainstorming fun & appealing ideas for teaching the basics.

[Trek420]

We really want to emphasize the savings on fuel costs these days. I agree that, that fact alone should get more minds contemplating the idea of commuting. I will probably put together a list of the three most common vehicles in the USA and what they average per mile and go from there. Just to give people a general overview of what they are spending and where they could be saving.

I think people already know how much they pay and how much more than before. Many just don't know the basics of how to do things on a bike. They have the bike in the garage, out on the porch but don't know the basics.

Lesson one: think off streets, side streets, less used roads. These newbies are mostly driving their bikes on the same d@ng blasted busy streets they'd drive

Do you have bike clubs in your area? Can they be enlisted to do a "novice rider series"? That's what most people need, low pressure, fun, learn all they need to know.

www.511.org check their ride mentoring program. Anonymously matches up experienced bike commuters with veterans.

[Geonz]

http://www.bikelib.org has some great brochures as pdf's that you can print out.. or print out your favorite pages for.

Don't be discouraged if you get some negative feedback. It takes **time** - and the people thinking positive things or slightly shifting their positions aren't too liekly to come up and tell you about it.

[Melalvai]

I got a copy of the pamplet "A Guide to Your Ride" and on the back it says "This material was used and modified with the permission of the Portland, Oregon Office of Transportation".

I don't know exactly who to contact to modify it but the guide is on this site:
http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/

[TahoeDirtGirl]

Do you have a bike map of your area? Carson City, Nevada had a great one- not only showed you the 'bike routes' but also hilighted what was considered dangerous routes that had no shoulder or were too busy with numerous intersections or had previous accidents. I loved this map because it gave you a route through town that avoided traffic and hilighted the bike trails and roads with bike lanes.

[Kimmyt]

Definitely the gas thing! Maybe a big faux-gas station sign with 0.00 for a price instead of 4.xx? You could have Ours vs. Theirs at the top or not. That might be attention getting. Would just take a piece of posterboard and some spray paint and construction paper for letter forms. You could model it after a local wellknown gas chain (without the name, so you don't get in trouble) but so that people know.

Thanks so much for doing this, you guys rock!

K.