Intro
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance creates healthy, sustainable communities by making bicycling safe, convenient, and accessible.
Our conversation today is going to be focused on the community based advocacy efforts required to get a bicycle project from the drawing board onto the street.
So what’s your problem?
Remember, “There needs to be a stop sign at 162nd and Clay” isn’t a problem. That’s a proscribed solution. What’s the problem? Speeding? Difficulty crossing? Poor visibility?
[GO AROUND AND SHARE, IN ONE SENTENCE, A PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED]
For today we’re going to focus on a problem with which many of you are familiar: safety downtown.
Step one, building community based support.
Talk to people.
Email people.
Lead a ride or host an event to bring attention to the issue.
Be sure to take down names and contact information.
If your community support efforts are going well, folks may start to notice.
ANY IDEAS FOR OTHER WAYS OF GENERATING COMMUNITY INTEREST AND SUPPORT?
When doing this it’s important to think about the people who are impacted by the problem and empower them as messengers.
Who do you have telling your story?
Who could benefit from safe streets in downtown Portland?
It’s not a homogenous group.
Families, business owners, elderly people, wheelchair users…they don’t have to ride a bike to benefit from a better Hawthorne Bridge. As you develop community support, try to diversify your support group.
WHO WOULD BE SOME GOOD MESSENGERS FOR SAFER STREETS DOWNTOWN?
Step two, building political support among decision makers.
Who has power to change the thing you want to see changed?
It might be one person, it might be multiple entities. Start with whatever seems like your best shot.
Just make sure that you’re going after the right decision maker.
In the case of safer streets downtown, it is City Hall and the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
What is likely to make your target accept your idea? Find out what you can about them. Get to know them. A personal relationship with your decision maker, their staff, and those who influence them will go a long way.
There are lots of tools you can use to get political support and there are two basic approaches: Persuasion and pressure. You’ll need both.
Here’s an example of a persuasive approach: A blog post focusing on the dangers of traffic speed, the benefits of increased street safety and calling for change.”
Here’s an example of a pressure approach: A short letter addressed to your target, signed by eight prominent business people expressing support for more space for walking and biking downtown.
LETS NAME SOME PRESSURE TACTICS AND SOME PURSUASION TACTICS.
Top three image results for “cyclist” and “bicyclist”
Top three image results for “Person on a bike”
It is important to avoid self-serving or entitled language. The best messages are natural and flow from personal stories. Choosing
WHAT ARE SOME BETTER REASONS FOR THEM TO CARE?
People want transportation options.
Streets that are safer for bikes are safer for ALL modes, including driving.
People who arrive at businesses by bike tend to spend more. Bikes mean business.
You probably have friends, family, and neighbors who get around by bike.
Bikes help reduce traffic congestion.
Step three, leveraging community and political support into dedications of public and private funding.
This is where it gets tricky and full of acronyms. If you’ve gotten to know municipal staff, they probably have a good idea of what their options are for funding. In downtown, it would be beneficial to be involved with their “Bridge CIP (Capitol Improvement Program)” process. It is not a source of funding but rather a project prioritization system. It always helps to have your project near the top of a prioritized list so that, when funding comes around, you’re an obvious candidate.
To get your project prioritized for funding and then funded, you’ll probably have to do more of that political work to drum up support.
Step four, once funding is secure we have to work to make sure the project(s) are planned to achieve our desired outcomes.
Now’s the fun part. Coming up with solutions. Make sure you stay connected with those community supporters and get them in the room for the planning process. And keep an open mind.
Remember: You may not know what’s best. Stop signs aren’t used for slowing down traffic, for instance. Be open minded when speed bumps or curb extensions are suggested.
LETS HEAR THREE IDEAS ABOUT HOW DOWNTOWN COULD BE IMPROVED FOR WALKING AND BIKING.
What will you be satisfied with? Where will you compromise?
In the 90s, Phil Goff worked with the BTA to envision huge improvements to the Morrison Bridge. He envisioned gardens, seating, and, most of all, a physically-protected bike route. Was the project that ultimately happened a failure?
WOULD THE MORRISON BRIDGE HAVE BEEN IMPROVED AS MUCH AS IT HAS IF SOMEONE HADN’T PUSHED FOR SOMETHING FAR BIGGER?
During the construction phase of a successful effort to build a new bicycle project, it is important to stay in touch with project planners and engineers to ensure that the agreed-upon plan is being built. Sometimes, in the name of new neighborhood controversy or as a cost saving measure, you may see the plans change and degrade the bicycle safety element of the project. Staying involved throughout construction will help ensure the best possible outcome.
A victory is made up of many little wins and losses along the way. As you build support, be sure to celebrate even the little steps with your allies. This will help maintain momentum and can even attract more attention and power to your cause.
WHAT ARE SOME SMART GOALS FOR THIS PROJECT?
An email, a simple card, whatever. There are lots of opportunities to thank people along the way. Be sure to take them!
Talk about importance of speaking up during the downtown multimodal safety project
