2009 Year End Report 2009 Bicycle Ambassadors with Mayor Michael Nutter
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2009 YEAR END REPORT 2009 Bicycle Ambassadors with Mayor Michael Nutter The Bicycle Ambassadors are a program of For additional information please contact: Breen Goodwin Education Director 215.242.9253 ext.5 [email protected] Bicycle Ambassadors 2009 Report » 2 WHO ARE BICYCLE AMBASSADORS? The Bicycle Ambassadors are a team of adult safety educators working to make bicycling better in the City of Philadelphia. The Bicycle Ambassadors are an education and outreach program of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Ambassadors work in teams and travel to each event by bicycle (many times with cargo trailers full of information in tow). The full time Bicycle Ambassadors work from May through September. During the 2009 inaugural season, the Bicycle Ambassadors program employed 6 full time seasonal employees. WHAT DO BICYCLE AMBASSADORS DO? Bicycle Ambassadors encourage adult bicyclists to ride more often and ride more safely as well as educate motorists on the rules of the road and provide tips for sharing the road. Ambassadors attend community eventsand create our own events to teach bike safety, sharing the road, bike lane and bike path etiquette and how to bike to work and school. Our message is conveyed through face-to-face interaction, allowing for an organic conversation targeting the specific interests, questions and needs of each individual. Ambassadors work in the neighborhoods of Center City, University City and Fairmount Park. DESCRIPTION OF Outreach—PRIMARY The 2009 Bicycle Ambassadors program relied on three primary types of outreach: event outreach, classroom outreach, and on-street outreach. For event outreach, Ambassadors attended community events such as a farmers’ market, trans- portation fairs and block parties. Additionally, they hosted their own events for the community. With event based outreach, Ambassadors could be found towing a cargo trailer with a table, 10’ x 10’ pop-up tent, banners and education materials. At these events, passersby’s chose to come and talk to the Ambassadors. The tent and banners gave Ambassadors a presence and helped to draw people to the table. Conversations were generally brief and targeted to the specific interests of the individual. Event outreach was the most straight forward style of outreach—set up the display and talk to people as they walk by. Ambassadors were trained on many different topics and were prepared for a wide range of questions and comments. As the season pro- gressed Ambassadors honed their event skills. They learned they should stand as much as possible at events as it was easier to engage in conversation while standing. Ambassadors also learned that when they were able to attract one person over to the table other people were more likely to approach the table as well. The second primary type of outreach took place in a classroom or presentation setting. The program developed three classes—Basics of Bike Commuting & Urban Riding, a Fix-A-Flat clinic and Bike Cleaning 101. These successful classes were commonly referred to as Brown Bag Lunches or Lunch & Learn sessions. The “Basics” class turned out to be the most popular option. The 60 minute presentation covered many topics including proper helmet and bicycle fitting, rules of the road, route selection, urban hazards, locking a bicycle, packing/carrying strategies and more. Different from the other types of outreach, participants chose to be involved and were highly motivated to learn about safe bicycling. Our two Spanish-speaking Ambassadors were even able to give an entire class in Spanish. As the Bicycle Ambassadors were a new program, it was initially challenging to get classes scheduled. Law firms, plan- ning firms, small to medium sized companies and non-profit organizations were targeted for scheduling. It took quite a while to explain the program and class details. Scheduling did get a bit easier once a few classes had been taught and Bicycle Ambassadors 2009 Report » 3 the scheduler was able to say “We have had successful classes at Pennoni Associates, Cozen O’Conner and Thompson Reuters.” Scheduling Lunch & Learn sessions should be more straightforward next year. We are now primed with a history of success and have a better understanding of the scheduling process. In addition to the standard outreach evaluation (explained in detail below) completed by Ambassadors after each event, class participants were asked to complete a short presentation evaluation. Here are a few excerpts from these forms: How has your perception of biking changed as a result of this presentation? w It’s not as terrifying—knowing the laws/rules (are) helpful for both riders and drivers. w Not as intimidated to ride in center city. w More excited to use my new bike. w I am looking into biking and had questions and hesitations. I am more relaxed to get started. w I need to be more careful while riding. w Makes me more enthusiastic to commute regularly. w Did not know that front and rear lighting was required by law. w I would now consider biking to work. w I am very excited and feel more confident knowing and understanding rules. I also didn’t know the importance/need of bike locks and the kind of lock I need. w I can appreciate a bike as a vehicle better. w Changed my perception as a motorist. w It makes me want to bike more. w Excellent refresher on safety. One class participant sent an email the day after a Basics of Bike Commuting and Urban Riding class was held at her company. This email speaks volumes to the immediate impact the classes can have both in terms of safety education and encouragement. Yesterday Diana and Joshua gave a great presentation on Basics of Urban Biking at my office. I commute to work every day, and was aware of most of the “rules of the road” information, but it was also a great refresher! However, the presentation on how to correctly fit a bike helmet was very helpful as I learned that my helmet was not adjusted correctly. Before I rode into work this morning, I adjusted my helmet to a better fit. Then . on my commute, as I approached an intersection of two one-way streets, I communicated to the driver stopped on the other road to proceed through the intersection (she was already stopped, and waiting to see if I was going to fly through the intersection like some bikers). As I waved to her through the intersection with right hand, I braked with my left hand (i.e. the break for my front tire). Then, I proceeded to fly over my handle bars as my bike swung underneath me. My head hit the ground pretty hard, but luckily my helmet was well adjusted and I only suffered some minor scrapes and bruises. So, I just wanted to thank you for the great presentation. I might have been hurting a lot more right now if it weren’t for my well adjusted helmet! Also, one of my co-workers started to bike to work today! He comes in via Patco and today, rather than transfer to SEPTA, he rode his bike the last 1.5 miles into work! Bicycle Ambassadors 2009 Report » 4 The third primary type of outreach utilized during the 2009 season was on-street outreach. With on-street outreach, Ambassadors actively tried to speak to any person who would give them a few moments. This meant Ambassadors were able to spend time talking to folks who personally identified as pedestrians, bicyclists and/or motorists (or some combination thereof). Not surprisingly, on-street outreach turned out to be the most challenging type of outreach. Ambassadors did not have a “home base,” such as a tent or table, and they were approaching people with a wide range of opinions on bicyclists and bicycling in Philadelphia. Conversations were typically short and twofold. First, an Ambassador asked questions to discover what type of road user the individual identified as being. Second, the Ambassador engaged in a conversation, from the correct perspective, on the fact that a bicycle is a legal vehicle. For example, if a person identified as being a motorist, Ambassadors would talk about keeping a lookout for bicyclists on the road and provided tips for sharing the road. If a person identified as a cyclist, Ambassadors would talk about the rules of the road and why a bicyclist should follow them. If a person identified as a pedestrian, Ambassadors would talk about looking out for bicycles before they crossed the street—since bikes are “quiet” vehicles pedestrians need to look out for bicycles, not just listen for a motor. With all interactions, Ambassadors also played the much needed role of active listeners, fielding the concerns and feedback each person had about bicyclists’ behavior. As the season progressed, Ambassadors began to set goals for each on-street outreach session—i.e. targeting sidewalk riding, teaching folks how to fit a helmet, or teaching people how to use a bus bike rack. Ambassadors even sought out conversations with people who had poor interactions with bicyclists in the past. Ambassadors came up with many strategies to get the conversation started including using opening lines such as: “Free information on bike safety”, “Do you ride a bicycle?”, “Did you know it’s illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk?” and “What do you find frustrating about biking in Philadelphia?” Although this was the most challenging type of outreach, two Ambassadors in particular excelled. They were not discouraged by being rejected and in fact, enjoyed engaging in conversations with people who were very upset with bicyclists and worked to bridge the gap between anger and understanding through education. As the summer progressed, Ambassadors also figured out that if they walked a block with a person (rather than standing planted on a corner) they were more likely to get into good conversations.