Originally Posted by
Roody
I thought the casserole thing was interesting. Maybe an effective PSA campaign would feature people doing very difficult things with their commuter bikes. Like carrying casseroles, buying kitty litter or taking the cat to the vet, and getting a pizza and a 12 pack home.
I think featuring difficult chores might be effective for a couple reasons:
- When you see riders doing hard stuff, it makes you think that plain riding to work is very doable.
- It brings in that shame element that can be very motivating: "Jeeze, these people are hauling heavy loads, and I can't even haul just myself to work on a bike. I feel uncomfortable with this, so maybe I'd feel better if I at least rode my bike to work sometimes."
- People will feel cool if they think they could haul 100 pounds of groceries--even if they never actually do it. (This is similar to SUV owners who feel cool because they could go off-reading, even if they never actually do.)
I think this is absolutely right.
To add to this, I think it is important for such a PSA campaign to feature normal-looking people in normal-looking clothes doing difficult tasks on bikes. If you're just hauling 100 pounds of groceries, you really don't need a fancy bike or technical cycling gear. Most of us understand this, I think, but it can be a difficult concept for people who are new to the bike lifestyle (including some riders who do have fancy bikes and technical gear.)