Thought I’d share the latest bike safety marketing campaign from those creative and innovative advocates in San Francisco.
A reader passed along this series of ad graphics which touch on several recurring issues we’ve been discussing a lot lately here in Portland like: blind spots, crossing streetcar tracks, using lights at night, and respecting bike lanes.
These ads were the result of a partnership between the San Francisco Bike Coalition and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
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Woah, nice graphics!
As much as i like the sentiment of the \”share the road\” message, it really doesn\’t give you or me or anyone much of a clue as to what it really means.
The SF ads deal with actual behaviors –i like it.
I agree. These are fantastic. I\’d love to see them stratigically located where bikes stop in traffic. Trimet busses would be good, too.
-Ian
Great Jonathan, but we also need:
\’Trucks – Yield to Pedestrians and Cyclists\’
&
\’Trucks – Check your Blind Spot\’
I agree with bikieboy that the \”share the road\” message is very abstract. These messages are much more concrete and can therefore influence actions.
These are very cool and well put together! It is too bad we can\’t implement them here in Portland. A lot of those ads are specific and would really make bicyclists AND motorists think.
maybe a \”look right before you turn\”, too.
Great graphics. The only one I have any issues with is the \”Bikes: Beware of the Wheels\” one. Since the message is aimed at cyclists, it implies that it is our responsibility to stay 5 ft away from vehicles.
Thanks for putting these up Jonathan
I love it. I am all for educating drivers on how to more safely drive around bicyclists, but in my opinion since we are the ones that are going to pay the higher price in the case of a collision I think that educating bikes is also a good idea. I guess what I\’m saying is I think that this might work better in the short term and is a great idea. I think the \”bikes pass on left\” one should be on the back of all the buses or at least the ones that go through downtown. That was one area of confusion for me when I first started bike commuting (I used to wait behind the busses for them to go)
– Dour
Sorry, they seem kinda corny. As daily bike commuters, you better know this stuff before seeing it on a sticker.
Moo — As a daily bike commuter don\’t you see people break all these basic rules everyday? People clearly need to be taught.
I like the idea of a \”check your blind spot\” one too.
If they\’re crossing tracks wrong I see them sprawled out on the ground. Riders can\’t always pass buses on the left- because you usually impede traffic dangerously…buses rarely move all the way over at their stops. The 5 feet from the truck tire issue is on the truck driver, because they\’re usually passing the bike. The blind spot thing is about the only one that makes sense.
Hmmm… great idea, except that all but one of them puts all the responsibility on the cyclists, and none on the motorists. We need education all around, and I\’m still rather font of the \’Wanted\’ poster idea.
Hmmm responsibility for cyclists, the nerve. What are we to do if not have it all on anyone that drives a couple thousand pound machine that is far less maneuverable and has a braking distance of about 40\’ to 75\’ from 20 to 30 mph and may honestly not see me at times.
I rode both a bike and a motor scooter in SF when I lived there. The part above about keeping far enough away to be able to watch the wheels at all times is excellent advice and I can\’t understand why it\’s not pushed more here. When I bought my scooter I took a motorcycle safety course and what I learned from that helped me become a better cyclist. The thing that helped the most was the concept of always being in a position to be able to watch the front wheels of the cars around you. Making eye contact and watching for cars is great, but monitering the front wheels of the cars closest to you is the best bet to keeping yourself safe. You may not be able to see signals or the driver may not signal at all, but if you\’re keeping enough distance to watch the front wheels you\’ll be able to tell what the car around you is planning before you can see the car physically move or turn, etc. Many people on here keep acting like only drivers are responsible for seeing cyclists and while yes, they in theory should see cyclists and drive safely, many don\’t (although I can say the same for cyclists) so cyclists need to step up and stop worrying about being right all the time. Motorcycle or bike we\’re smaller on the road and have more to lose. Drivers need to take responsibility but cyclists also need to grasp the concept of how to keep safe and follow the rules of the road. Just passing the buck to the other guy, right or not, is childish and foolish. I\’m alive and have never had a close call after years of scooter/bike riding because I always have my eyes on the front wheels and it\’s helped me more times than I can count. If the rider at Burnside had watched the front wheels of the cement truck rather than feeling safe by being in a bike lane she\’d be alive today. I also recommend a motocycle safety course or the creation of one for cyclists–it really helped although I rolled my eyes initially upon the idea of taking it. Learning how to ride a scooter or motorcycle safely, minus all the self righteous stuff cyclists constantly spew, taught me how to respect cars in terms of if I want to be alive, I need to recognize the size difference and keep myself safe rather than obsess over my \”rights\” at all times. I also couldn\’t run lights at a whim and decide I\’m exempt from traffic laws when riding my scooter. I\’m a much better cyclist from the experience because I consider myself part of the road traffic, not a specific entity exempt from all rules and having special rights.
As a side note, I don\’t own a car, no longer have a scooter and get around via bike and public transport. I\’m not anti-cyclist I just get tired of the attitudes some people have.