A small victory in the war of perception
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:54 pm
The BTA's Government Affairs Director Karl Rohde and I have something in common; we can't stand the outdated perception (held by all too many legislators and decision makers) that bikes are simply a means of recreation and that funding bike infrastructure is some sort of frivolous, non-essential expenditure.
Mr. Rohde is on a crusade of sorts to rid politicians of that notion. Part of the legislative package he'll fight for in Salem next session will be a resolution that tries to re-frame "bike funding" and "bike trails" as "non-motorized transportation funding" and "non-motorized transportation corridors" respectively.
Another front in his campaign is simple propaganda.
When he noticed my recent report and photos on Portland's bike traffic, he swung into action. He asked if I would lend a photo for the cause and then he worked a bit of magic...
Here's the old cover of a draft report for Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski's Sustainable Transportation Initiative; notice the photo of a lone, lycra-clad rider on a country road in the upper left...
And here's the new cover; notice how the photo now shows bikes as transportation, on equal footing with motor vehicles (larger version of that photo here)...
Language and photos may seem like a small thing, but often, especially when it comes to politics, perception matters.
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Nice work.
RecommendedI love the change...
Now if we could only get rid of most of the cars in that picture... ;)
RecommendedIs that one of your photos on the new cover!?
Recommended"Is that one of your photos on the new cover!?"
yes. the one from this post.
RecommendedThat's a subtle victory, not a "small victory." I'd say it's a rather significant victory. Kudos!
RecommendedNicely done! Replace what appears to be a pleasure/recreation ride with a solid line of commuting bikes.
RecommendedHere here. Unfortunately, almost all of my bike riding lately has been “non-motorized transportation” instead of recreation. (But I won't tell anyone in Salem how much fun it still is to commute that way.)
RecommendedNice catch Karl! Subtle and significant is right!
RecommendedVery nice!!
RecommendedI have a road bike and a commuting bike. I agree with John (#5) that the change to the cover is significant, and more in line with what Oregon's transportation vision should focus on.
RecommendedThat cover work is excellent. It really drives home the point. Sometimes subtle imagery is able to make it through the barriers when direct confrontation just results in stonewalling.
RecommendedThis is the single most important perception change we have to address. What a huge difference the two photos make! Great work, Jonathan.
RecommendedThis is the kind of propaganda that I can get behind and it actually tells the truth better.
A picture tells 1000 words and this may be the only page of the report people look at.
Good work, men!
RecommendedDan's right on the money - the cover is the only page of the report that EVERYONE looks at. 90% will read the Executive Summary, and the rest of the report, it's a crap shoot - you don't know how many will actually read any of it.
Recommended[...] had a neat post a couple of months ago about this: a small victory in the war of perception. You say bikes and, depending who you’re talking to, you may get a mental image of commuters [...]
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