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Entries tagged: Palmetto Cycling Coalition

By Lisa Seyfried

Drawing inspiration from a national initiative, the Palmetto Cycling Coalition (PCC) is developing a new way for state stakeholders to discuss best practices for introducing and maintaining bicycle programs in South Carolina.

Cities for Cycling: South Carolina will bring bicycle advocates together with planning and engineering departments of cities and towns across the state to identify core issues relating to bicycle transportation challenges and opportunities. Through peer-to-peer collaboration among these various departments statewide, the PCC hopes to establish a forum for the exchange of bicycle transportation innovation, insights, and recommendations.

“The catalyst was a three-day visit with Mia Birk in South Carolina,” Rachael Bronson, PCC’s Executive Director, explains. “As we visited three cities in the state — trips that I often take on regular PCC business — I had a different perspective on the role that the PCC can play in local bicycle advancements across the state. Somewhere around that time, I received an email from Jeff (Miller) asking advocacy groups like the PCC to encourage cities to sign-on to Cities for Cycling.”

The National Association for City Transportation Officials (NACTO) created its Cities for Cycling program to provide a resource and venue for best practices in developing and implementing bicycle-friendly policies and projects in cities across the nation. Bronson saw the merit of the national initiative, but knew it could play an even more important role at the state level. “Cities and towns in South Carolina just cannot relate to cities like Pittsburgh and San Francisco and others,” she says. “And, problems that cities face in South Carolina are state-specific. Really, these thoughts were the genesis of our forum.”

In developing the concept for the state forum, Bronson was mindful that an advocate-led initiative could alienate some potential participants. Luckily, the city of Charleston was already blazing away at some innovative bike-ped projects and willingly took a leadership role in circulating the idea and bringing folks to the table. Thus far, even in the forum’s infant stages, the response has been resoundingly positive.

“Leaders from all over the state are chomping at the bit to get involved,” Bronson says. And the PCC is excited to serve as the forum’s facilitator, overseeing the group’s activities, and ensuring its long-term vitality and relevance to South Carolina public policy.

Last month, the forum held its first meeting and identified the need for an action plan and implementation of the statewide bicycle design specifications. Bronson hopes that the forum will be a resource for future planning and that this effort will serve as a model for other states to create similar forums.

To learn more, visit the PCC website or download the Cities for Cycling: South Carolina narrative here.

This past weekend, pedestrian and bicycle advocacy leaders gathered in Columbia, South Carolina, for the Alliance’s final Winning Campaigns Training of 2011. The 13 participants — from universities, government agencies, and traditional and non-traditional advocacy organizations — created six campaigns that affirmed their commitment to dramatically improve walking, biking, and livability in their local communities.

“This training has been life-changing for me, giving me the courage to actively engage in change,” Valerie Marcil, from the Columbia Bike / Ped Advisory Committee, said.

Three campaigns created at the training will focus on projects in South Carolina, including:

• A statewide design guidance change to improve accommodations for bicycles and pedestrians
• A plan to improve standards and policies at the South Carolina Department of Transportation
• The implementation of a city art/bike rack program in Columbia

Maryland participants will work to close the gaps in their trail network, while Georgia advocates will push for a state-wide complete streets policy and the establishment of a community bike shop in Savannah. According to Brent Buice, Executive Director of Georgia Bikes: “This training gave us not only an actionable plan for a specific advocacy goal, but also the knowledge for achieving future goals.”

The workshop helped participants learn the process and planning necessary to win campaigns, and it also offered opportunities for attendees to connect and build peer relationships. Some chose to go on a walking tour through the city, while others chose to take a bike ride through Columbia’s beautiful neighborhoods. Whether having dinner with some great discussion, or even kicking back to take in some local football on Saturday night, there were plenty of opportunities for leaders to get to know each other and share their experiences.

“We often talk about the power of partnerships, and this weekend was no exception,” Rachael Bronson, the Executive Director of the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, wrote on her organization’s blog. “The training truly would not have been possible without the many partners and sponsors involved — and the projects developed will not be a success without such future collaboration.”

Click here for a few photos from the event.

A big shout out to our host, Palmetto Cycling Coalition, our national training sponsors, and local sponsor champions: Hawley, Earth Fare, Abacus Planning Group, Outspokin Bicycles, and Cycle Center.

The Alliance already has our Winning Campaigns Trainings mapped out for 2012. Be sure to check them out and reserve your spot today.

After a year in the making, the Safe Streets Save Lives collaboration launched last week with a series of new, educational PSAs and the stories of lives cut tragically short by bicycle crashes.

The South Carolina initiative was the result of an innovative partnership between the advocates at Palmetto Cycling Coalition and the attorneys at MyBikeLaw.com.

The Safe Streets concept got its start back in 2008, after the PCC successfully campaigned for the reform to SC’s bicycle traffic laws. That victory led the advocates to partner with Charleston-based attorney, Peter Wilborn, of MyBikeLaw.com, in leading more than a dozen bicycle safety workshops for law enforcement and implementing other efforts around the state. In 2010, the two organizations set their sights on a long-term strategic bicycle safety campaign for South Carolina.

Safe Streets Save Lives is the tangible result of a simple visionary goal: reducing the number of automobile / bicycle crashes and deaths on South Carolina roads.

“No innovative partnership is a piece of cake,” Wilborn says. “There were bumps in the road, mostly in the early going.  But we were able to do something together we couldn’t do apart. Together, we’re proud of what we produced, and we love that South Carolina can be a model of something great for a change.”

The SSSL campaign produced four video PSAs, each emphasizing the responsibility of cyclists to obey the rules of the road and the requirement of motorists to safely navigate and treat bicyclists with respect.

“We are excited to finally present these videos to the public,” Rachael Kefalos Bronson, PCC Executive Director, says. “Too many people are killed in this state each year in accidents that could be easily prevented. These videos are a wonderful tool to reach more bicyclists and drivers and improve experiences on the road for both groups. It takes cooperation from all sides to improve safety; let’s get there together.”

In addition to the videos, the website compiles helpful (and humorous) tips for cyclists, including “Lights aren’t just Christmas decorations” and “Helmet hair is all the rage.” On a serious note, the initiative also highlights eight South Carolinians who lost their lives in bicycle crashes, including Matthew Burke (whose story we included on the blog back in February).

Watch the videos and read the narratives on the Safe Streets Save Lives website.

On October 1, a driver struck Dr. Matthew Burke while he was bicycling with a group in Augusta, South Carolina. After months in a coma, Burke died Sunday.

The circumstances of his death were both tragic and disturbing. The group ride was a regular Friday night social that departed from Outspokin’ Bicycles in Augusta. At 6:40 p.m. that October evening, a driver collided with a pack of 15 cyclists. Some of the riders reported hearing the motorist rev his engine before the crash, which sent Burke to the hospital with severe head injuries.

Burke (pictured) was a model citizen. An Army major, he had been home from Iraq for less than a year. Stateside, he worked as an orthopedic surgeon at the Dwight D Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon. He had a wife, Bonnie, and 11-month old daughter, Anna. This week, they will say goodbye to the husband, father and cyclist during a funeral at St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church. Burke was 38 years old.

On Tuesday, the man alleged to have crashed into the group of cyclists was charged with reckless homicide, which brings a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a mandatory five-year revocation of his driver’s license. During the investigation, Daniel Johnson suggested he didn’t see the bicyclists because he was reaching down for something in his car.

After months of working with law enforcement and Peter Wilborn of mybikelaw.com, the advocates at the Palmetto Cycling Coalition commended the charge. “Although we are terribly saddened by the loss of such an honorable individual, husband, father, soldier, doctor and friend to many, we are hopeful for what the charge will mean for bicycle safety in South Carolina,” Rachael Kefalos, PCC’s executive director, wrote on the group’s blog yesterday.

“The charge of reckless homicide is a correct choice for this case, and the Palmetto Cycling Coalition is grateful for the work that the Department of Public Safety and Solicitor Strom Thurmond Jr. have done to ensure Dr. Burke’s family sees justice,” Kefalos explained in the group’s press release. “It is a tragedy to lose someone so young and with so much potential to offer the world.”

Hopefully, though, this tragedy will be a touchstone for a mutually respectful environment for both motorists and cyclists on South Carolina’s roads, Kefalos added. “As a state, we have some of the best bike laws in the country,” she said, “and we need to uphold these laws and continue to ride our bicycles for all the good that they bring.”

Peter Wilborn also took heart that law enforcement acted diligently. “We work for the day South Carolina roads are truly safe for cyclists,” Wilborn said. “The hard work of the South Carolina Highway Patrol in this case is getting us closer to reaching that goal. Cycling’s time has come, and South Carolina will be a wonderful place to ride.”

“Please join us in keeping Dr. Burke’s family close to your hearts and in your thoughts, and stand resolute alongside other bicycle advocates as we all strive for a safer and more bicycle friendly South Carolina,” Kefalos wrote on the PCC blog. “Bicycling is indeed good for ourselves, for our communities, for our businesses and for our government. Lets keep that in mind and, of course, keep on riding.”

Read more from the PCC.

It’s impossible to capture even a hint of the energy and inspiration of an Alliance Winning Campaigns Training in a newsletter or blog post. Over the past few months, as we wrapped up our 2010 series, we tried to give you a taste, by sharing the rave reviews of amped-up participants. But short testimonials don’t do the workshop justice. You’ve got to experience it yourself to understand the impact.

In 2011, we’re giving you six opportunities to jumpstart your next winning campaign with the guidance of our expert facilitators and the assistance of your bike-ped peers.

In 2010, the Alliance hosted its three-day trainings in six cities across North America. In total, the workshops drew 117 advocates from a wide array of organizations. By working through the workshop’s curriculum, those participants tweaked or launched 59 different campaigns to boost biking and walking in their communities.

Now that it’s a new year, it’s time for a new round of trainings. So save the date for a 2011 Winning Campaigns Training in your area:

• April 1-3: Hosted by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, Davenport, IA
• May 20-22: Hosted by Bike Maryland, in Baltimore, MD
• June 3-5: Hosted by the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, in Seattle, WA
• August 26-28: Hosted by the League of Michigan Bicyclists, in Lansing, MI
• October 14-16: Hosted by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, in Los Angeles, CA
• November 4-6: Hosted by the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, in Columbia, SC

Registration for each training is already open; click here to reserve your spot.

Like 2010, we’re happy to announce a measure of friendly regional competition for 2011, too. The host organization that draws the MOST participants to its training in 2011 will win a free international getaway from VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations that they can raffle off or use as a fundraiser.

In 2010, Local Motion in Burlington, Vermont, packed their Winning Campaign Training with attendees and narrowly edged out the good folks in Oakland for the free bicycling trip to Italy valued at $3,500. “This goes to show that small communities can make BIG impacts,” Adele Dienno, Local Motion’s event’s coordinator, says of the organization’s win. “Thanks to all those who came from as far away as Nova Scotia; to VBT and its president, Gregg Martson; and to the Alliance and our presenters, Jeremy Grandstaff and Ron Milam.”

Who will take home the 2011 prize? Register now for a training near you.

Blogs are on the rise, print is in decline and the line between who’s a journalist and who’s just blowing smoke has become razor thin. So how do you get your message out in a constantly shifting media landscape? The Alliance hosted a Mutual Aid Call this week to tackle the topic.

As panelists, we hosted Tanya Snyder, a longtime radio reporter, print writer and the new editor of Streetsblog Capitol Hill, and Rachael Kefalos, the executive director of the Palmetto Cycling Coalition in South Carolina. For folks who couldn’t make the call, here are some of the tips from these media-savvy ladies.

Tips from Rachael…

Make sure your story is newsworthy.

• Special events and organized rides are one possibility. “This time last year we moved office by bicycle,” she says. “Because it had an interesting spin to it, it really caught the attention of local media, and, from that, grew several volunteers and partnerships.”

• Whenever the PCC holds bicycle education classes, Rachael makes sure she gets the listing in local calendars and after any training certifications she sends out a release congratulating the new League Cycling Instructors. The same goes for leadership changes on the PCC’s board — a press release to the state’s business journals might snag some coverage, especially if a newcomer has some name recognition.

• Finally, Rachael says, research reports and studies can lead to a wider discussion about the issues. “At the Charleston paper the [Alliance] Benchmarking Report instigated a really interesting project,” she said. “The journalist ventured out on bike to ride across the county, which is 90 miles. He did in one day and along the way he tweeted and took video footage and kept up a blog after. Out of that came a lot of really interesting dialog and several other stories he wrote about bicycling.”

Write a great press release.

• Rachael still relies on the standard press release, making sure she answers the five Ws (who, what, when, where, why) and comes up with a punchy, eye-catching headline.

• Never send the press release as an e-mail attachment, Rachael suggests, but cut and paste the text into the body of the e-mail, as well.

• And if there’s one key aspect of a winning press release, she adds, it’s good quotes “from real people, not just the bike-ped coordinator from the DOT, but somebody on the ground, who’s relatable.”

Build relationships with local reporters.

• “The most important principle for me is not just working with reporters but forming a relationship with them, which, in my experience really allows you be become a reliable resource,” Rachael says.

• Be sure to include your direct phone line and cell number on your business card and, when you meet a reporter make sure you get their direct line or cell, too, because it’s tough to track down in individual in a busy newsroom.

• If you get coverage, make sure you show your gratitude. “I always follow up with a thank you letter and phone call if a story was written or ran on the six o’clock news,” she says. “And even if an article is written about something not necessarily related to biking, I’ll send an e-mail saying, ‘That was a great article about traffic congestion,’ or whatever, just to extend that olive branch and make sure they know, hey, I’m here and I care about these things — don’t forget about me!”

Tips from Tanya…

Identify your intent.

• Make sure you know why you’re trying to get coverage. What’s your message and who do you want to get that message? For instance, if you’re trying to pressure lawmakers, make sure you’re targeting media that they read. Use their name. That’s sure to get their attention.

• Make sure you pitch the right reporter. If you haven’t identified the reporter at your local paper or station who covers transportation issues, talk to the assignment editor. “They’re the person policing all the assignments in that organization,” Tanya says.

• Don’t confine yourself to the city and state news section. “Be creative about what kind of coverage you can get,” Tanya says. “Biking and walking can be a lifestyle story. It can go in the art section if you have a certain action or event you’re doing. Maybe it goes in the business section if you’re talking about boosting the local economy. It can be in the sports section. So don’t limit yourself to the news section. There are many other pieces of the paper or broadcast that people are paying attention to.”

Think like a reporter.

• When you’re pitching a story, consider your news peg. Why is this relevant today, this week, this month? Anniversaries can be helpful. If there was a tragedy in your community last year and the dangerous conditions or inadequate infrastructure still exist, call attention to that issue on the one-year anniversary.

• Piggy-back on major news. “If there’s a big issue out there, like a highway expansion, put out your response,” Tanya suggested. Reporters will be looking for new and different perspectives; take advantage!

Find the right voice.

• “Get reporters in touch with real life stories…  not talking heads,” Tanya says. “Talking heads are useful, too. If I want stats or history or background, I want to talk to experts as well. But it’s easy for me to Google a bike coalition and find an expert. It’s much harder for me to get in touch with someone who just had an experience that maybe didn’t make the news.” Find the individuals in your organization or community who can be a compelling face for your issue — and are willing to talk to reporters.

• Make your soundbytes stand out. “Make sure everyone who talks to the media ha a good soundbyte,” she says. “We have an infinite use for 10-second, witty remarks.” Don’t come up with quotes that sound bureaucratic. Sum up your issue in a couple of sentences that stick to your mission and message, but push the envelope in style and substance. (One call participant suggested the Alliance work up a resource of witty soundbytes to serve as inspiration. We’re on it!)

• Write your own story. “There’s a huge need to just feed the beast, as reporters say, and get more and more content on the website, on the newscast,” Tanya says. “So if you can help us feed the beast and write something that’s good and not completely party line, we might take it. If it sound s one-sided or a commercial for your organization, probably not, but if you’re doing analysis of an issue, we might take it.”

For more tips, check out the “Working with the Media” materials from Rachael’s presentation at the 2010 Alliance Leadership Retreat.