Everybody Get a Bike
Recently there was a report how to sell people on biking. Turns out that even though safety is a real concern, dwelling on safety messages kind of turns people off.
Is this really that surprising? Any salesperson would understand why.
(That’s why fine print was invented.)
So this got me thinking about advertising bicycling. What kind of messages would sell people on it? Probably the same things that sold me.
First of all, it’s easier to get things done:
While saving time on errands you also get exercise:
Oh, and if you are looking to make friends bikes can help with that too.
And if you found that you have one too many “friends” you can bike away from them.
So for positive bike messages that’s: exercise, quick errands, more time, less stress, enjoying time with friends, space when you need it, and more cake. That’s an easy sell, right? Now I just need some TV air time so I can make everybody get a bike.
I normally love your drawings and messages. But I am definitely not a big fan of comics that dis on public transit and sexual harassment. I mean come on! I love bicycling. And I love buses and trains. In the same way we need to work hard to make bicycling safe, we need advocacy and security to make public transit safe. How would we as bikers feel if a bus/train company or advocacy group ran an ad/image of a person comfortable on a bus watching a biker out in the rain get dangerously cut off by a car and the tagline saying “Sure is nice to not have to bike anymore.”
Unfortunately, people who live in the mid and high latitudes need a car no matter what, especially during the winter. Also, there are certain areas of many cities that are just way too violent with crime to ride into/through on a bicycle.
I live close to the 56th parallel (pretty far north) and I can cycle almost every day snow or shine. I am lucky that the city provides many bike lanes and is good about snow removal. I don’t even own a car. Life can be lived with a bike as the main transport means even in the winter even in the snow.
While you may need a car, you don’t speak for me, and I don’t need one.
I also suspect your FUD about crime violence is over blown.
I also ride my bike during the winter. http://matrehs.alfahosting.org/wordpress/archives/527
Fortunately, the bike industry has all you need to ride comfortable and save when it is getting cold (http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/studded for instance).
I also do not own a car. And if I am in a situation, where driving by car is essential, there is always a car rental or a car-sharing.
@Cyclist, I’d say that the need for a car is not the weather but the length of one’s daily travels. If I had to commute 30+ miles per day to work, then I might drive, but fortunately, I live 2.5 miles from work, so I bike 5 days a week, including through winter. See Bikeyface’s recent post on winter biking. I do have a car but I don’t use it much during the week. I haven’t even cleaned it off after the most recent snowstorm. Snow doesn’t dissuade me, either, as the roads are generally cleared very soon after a snowfall (sidewalks are another matter).
I agree that crime is not really an issue — especially in American cities, any more. Yes, crime still happens, but unless you’re trying to make a drug transaction you really don’t have a lot to fear from it on a bicycle. Inattentive or drunk motorists are far more of a danger to a cyclist than crime in any American neighborhood.
I’m another of the high latitude no car people (I live in Canada’s capital). I cycle about 9 months of the year and bus/walk the other 3 months as my city only clear some of the bike lanes in winter and uses the most dangerous spots to pile up the snow. Granted, I only live 5 km (3 miles) from work and my city is pretty safe and it does take some sacrifice. I haven’t seen a movie since they closed down the downtown movie theatre because I refuse to spend an hour on the bus to see a movie, but I find that these are sacrifices I’m willing to make.
Two more for the PSA: being able to smell the flowers; always getting to park right in front of your destination (and sometimes inside!)
That’s right. I also get the perfect parking place when I come home from the grocery.
Usually, I go there once a week with my trailer, which fits perfectly into the elevator.
So I get all that stuff right in front of my apartment’s door.
Search for “trailer” on my website to get a look at it. There you will also find instructions how to build your own trailer.
http://www.liquid-center.de
If you want to show cycling as save, why the plastic hats? In place where cycling is,/i> safe no one wears them. Real mixed messages there.
Um…what? You wear a seatbelt in your car, don’t you? Cycling is very safe in my city, and I wear a helmet every time I go out. I can think of at least three times that I was glad to be wearing it.
I wouldn’t ride my bike if I didn’t enjoy it. All the other benefits are side effects. But it is really, really nice at middle age not to have to worry about putting on pounds. Dessert is so delicious.