As you have probably seen, one of the problems we have here down under is a significant hatred from motorists towards cyclists. How ever irrational it may be, the fact is, it exists.
So the challenge for cycling promotion when there are so few cyclists is that it is the non-cyclists & motorists who will actually decide how much funding goes to cycling infrastructure. Ah, the joys of democracy!
We know how great cycling is but they don't and probably don't care. No matter how bad traffic & pollution get, there is always a bigger, quieter car to retreat back into.
So why aren't we answering the 'what's in it for me?' question that any non-cyclist will ask. Social goods like clean air and better cities are too 'left wing' for any individually minded consumer, so why don't we focus on how it benefits them individually.
Here are some ideas to explain....
'You may never ride but every extra cyclist is one more parking space for you'
'Support cycling to make your commute easier'
Perhaps some 'what would you prefer?' posters with 2 images, one of 20 full parking spaces vs another with 5 cars, 15 bikes and 10+ spare spaces.
Or another with 2 lanes of gridlocked traffic vs 1 car lane & 1 bike lane, both with plenty of space yet the same number of vehicles.
I reckon that if we can convince an anti-cycling loon like Alan Jones why cycling is good for him, then copenhagenizing Australia will be a breeze.
4 comments:
Fat tired of your city? Fix it with a bicycle!
G'day Mikael,
As you have probably seen, one of the problems we have here down under is a significant hatred from motorists towards cyclists. How ever irrational it may be, the fact is, it exists.
So the challenge for cycling promotion when there are so few cyclists is that it is the non-cyclists & motorists who will actually decide how much funding goes to cycling infrastructure. Ah, the joys of democracy!
We know how great cycling is but they don't and probably don't care. No matter how bad traffic & pollution get, there is always a bigger, quieter car to retreat back into.
So why aren't we answering the 'what's in it for me?' question that any non-cyclist will ask. Social goods like clean air and better cities are too 'left wing' for any individually minded consumer, so why don't we focus on how it benefits them individually.
Here are some ideas to explain....
'You may never ride but every extra cyclist is one more parking space for you'
'Support cycling to make your commute easier'
Perhaps some 'what would you prefer?' posters with 2 images, one of 20 full parking spaces vs another with 5 cars, 15 bikes and 10+ spare spaces.
Or another with 2 lanes of gridlocked traffic vs 1 car lane & 1 bike lane, both with plenty of space yet the same number of vehicles.
I reckon that if we can convince an anti-cycling loon like Alan Jones why cycling is good for him, then copenhagenizing Australia will be a breeze.
In Ur Lane Saving U $$
(to go along with a pic of cat riding a bike, perhaps :-)
I like the idea a lot, how about
Fixing Broken Cities
Thank-you, Bicycle
in the mold of
fighting for Truth and Justice
Thank-you Superman
Cheers, Alistair
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