Cyclists create safety info card for motorists
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on December 6th, 2006 at 8:44 am
A group of Portland cyclists have created a new safety information card as part of a campaign to educate motorists about bicycles and increase traffic safety. The new cards will debut tomorrow night at BikeCraft.
“So far I think the only money spent on this project was for the food we ate at meetings.”
–Brian Scrivner
The grassroots effort to make the cards started a year ago when Jacque Authier — inspired by a similar effort from New York City — posted to the Shift email list looking for volunteers to make a Portland version. Four people responded and the group met to discuss the idea.
The project languished for a year until recently, when the group re-formed and tapped graphic designer Gabriel Amadeus Tiller to complete the design. The initial printing of 5,000 postcard-sized cards was donated by Portland-based American Imaging.
Here’s more from Jacque,
“We’d like to make these cards available to bicyclists, so that they can give them to a driver when something happens…if they’ve cut you off, parked in the bike lane, passed too close for comfort etc…in the hopes that they can avoid an argument or a scene. Just hand them the card and be on your way.
Our hope is to educate drivers and increase their awareness of bicyclist’s needs and our rights on the road. We hope to start a positive dialogue with drivers, providing a space on our website (in progress) for them to ask questions and voice their own concerns.
We look at the card as a beginning, and hope to expand on this outreach to drivers, with the objective of making our streets safer for all users of the road.”
The group plans to distribute the cards (and posters eventually) at events, businesses and public places like DMVs, post offices, and libraries.
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December 6th, 2006 09:50
wow, wow, wowwie, wow!
awesome job, see you at the crafty gathering...
December 6th, 2006 10:34
Definetly post the posters at the DMV!! Any chance of getting the online version on the DMV's website? That would be a great place to put it, too.
:) Kt
December 6th, 2006 11:20
Love it! I can't wait to start passing them out! It would also be great if we could find funding somewhere to distribute the posters (or at least the cards) to every work place, with a request to post in the same area as the government required wage & hour postings . . .
December 6th, 2006 12:07
Sweeeeeeet!
December 6th, 2006 13:57
i'm impressed. a good, positive approach.
December 6th, 2006 16:32
Oh yeah, we plan to involve the Oregon DMV and find other venues for distributing the images. Also, if you have ideas for the website or future versions of the card, please write to safety at shift2bikes dawt org with your comments.
If anyone has any ideas about free or very cheap poster or future card printing, please also write us about that.
So far I think the only money spent on this project was for the food we ate at meetings.
December 6th, 2006 17:08
Maybe they could do another batch that were 'business card' size, then I could carry a few in my pockets while riding at all times...
December 6th, 2006 17:17
I know the cards are too large for a wallet w/out folding, though probably a card folded once would fit just fine in most wallets. As it is, some painful sacrifices of text had to be made to get the card down to this size.
December 6th, 2006 22:55
Good job, I like them!
December 7th, 2006 01:31
Great idea and finished product!
December 7th, 2006 07:28
I wish they'd use a patriotism angle--even go as far as "starve a raghead, ride a bike." We have to quit preaching to the choir. Americans don't listen to "high road" arguments. The "low road" usually gets the attention.
December 7th, 2006 11:25
Well done!! This is a great approach.
December 7th, 2006 13:04
This message should be on TV at night during the nightly news or between reality shows. That is the audience that needs to be reached.
December 8th, 2006 11:24
Great work! Another idea would be to convince the DEQ to hand them out to all drivers who are getting a Vehicle Emissions Test.
December 8th, 2006 16:07
I like the idea of handing them out with DEQ tests. Could drive through restaurants be persuaded to participate? How about Burgerville with their regional accent?
December 9th, 2006 11:47
Great idea. Can't wait to get a few and hand them out. Although, I'm not sure about the "hand it to someone who just cut you off" angle. Once you race up to that next light, pull up beside them, and get them to roll down their window, I am skeptical about making a convincing argument and getting them to consider the card. At that point, most of the motorists I've approached have been more like: "What the f*ck do you want!?" and "If you don't shut the f*ck up, I'll run your *ss over". (those are real quotes :)). I've never quite heard, "Wow, I'm a moron, could you please educate me!?".
December 10th, 2006 23:14
Fred: I for one would really like to see a statewide TV / Radio / billboard campaign (as much as I detest billboards) on sharing the road. Anyone with any ideas (the obvious local bikey organizations are already being approached about this) please post here.
Mark: that is a great idea!
Caleb: I just today had a driver apologize to me after I caught up to him, he sincerely regretted taking a corner too fast and ending up on the wrong side of the road right in front of me. This happens from time to time, and I've succeeded in educating drivers about turning across bike lanes / passing / opening doors / etc. They don't respond favorably every single time, but I sure hope you don't stop playing a sport or game because you don't win every time. I believe the worst thing you can do is to just let incidents pass as though it is OK.