PSAs aimed at bicyclists - ideas?

[Helmet Head]

hows about requiring anyone that buys a bike to take a week long course, 8 hours a day, on proper cycling rules, technique, and laws applicable to your area......
I think that's more than necessary.

However, Forester's original Effective Cycling course was 10 3-hour sessions, or 30 hours.
I do think the current 9-hour Road 1 course is just an appetizer.

[genec]

how about a shot that starts in outerspace, then zooms into a city, and trafficgridlock for miles.... voiceover is discussing growing traffic congestion, pollution, and global climate change. also obesity and the lack of exercise causing virtually epidemic health problems.

as the zooming camera gets closer, brightly colored dots are shown moving between and around the cars, using bike lanes and also filtering thru traffic. as the camera continues to zoom, it shows the dots avoiding traffic congestion are BICYCLISTS. camera angles up at street level, and juxtaposes frustrated, bloated drivers' faces stuck in traffic with a string of bicyclists, all smiling and glowing as they pass traffic in the bike lane.

Voiceover finishes with a James Earl Jones type voice, "Don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution. The choice is clear: RIDE YOUR BIKE."


Nice.

Locally Kaiser Pemanente is promoting healthy lifestyles with ads that feature cycling.

I like the way your message works, but I can't help but wonder what the "frustrated motorist" might think.

[genec]

Interesting how some folks just seem to have a hard time getting their minds to think in terms of what the cyclist can and should do to avoid crashes, and continually seek to blame the motorist and hold the motorist responsible.

This is particularly illuminating in a forum that is read almost exclusively only by cyclists.

Perhaps other cyclists also observe things about motorists, that seem to be constantly missed by you...

[genec]

Regardless of the benefits that PSAs aimed at motorists you believe would bring, there is no message that cyclists would benefit from - no message that might make them be safer and less likely to be involved in a car/bike crash? You can't think of any message that might help with that?



I think emphasizing the equality in the use and responsibility of the use of the road would benefit both cyclists and motorists.

A simple PSA might flash between a cyclist checking their gear, clicking on their helmet, and a motorist checking their mirrors, and clicking on their seatbelt. A message of sharing the road and the shared responsibility should be in the voice over, with the end scenes showing full co-operation on the road, with perhaps the cyclist stopping at a stop sign, then the motorist freely "giving way" to the use of the cyclist taking the lane... with perhaps the motorist then turning on a turn signal and making a turn while not hooking the cyclist.

Finish with a voice over mentioning that we all have the same rights and responsibilities to use the road.

The message has to go beyond "share the road," it should indicate that the cyclist has the same rights as the motorist. There should be a feeling of equality in the message.