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Advocates who attended the Alliance Leadership Retreat already know that Ali Mangkang can sing a mean rendition of “Proud Mary.” Well, the outreach manager for the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition has a great radio voice, too.

Earlier this month, the Georgia advocates wrapped production on a series of new public service announcements that emphasize motorists’ shared responsibility to keep streets safe for bicyclists.

“The concept of the PSAs really grew out of a desire to educate a broader audience with simple, non-confrontational messages about operating bikes and vehicles on shared roadways,” Mangkang says. “We were very fortunate to enlist the pro-bono services of a professional studio who helped us fine tune the messages, record, edit and find the talent. They were amazing and kept putting resources in front of us. (It probably helped that the producer and audio engineer are both avid cyclists!)”

The short spots, produced by Soapbox Studios, cover the safety basics for bikes and automobiles, including not texting while driving, giving three feet when passing, and preventing right-hook collisions.

But ABC didn’t want to confine their message to one segment of the Atlanta community. Mangkang says ABC found several translators within their own network and got hooked up with prime voice talent from Soapbox Studios.

“We wanted to produce the messages in Spanish because we just wanted to get the word out to a large part of our metropolitan population we aren’t reaching on a daily basis,” she says. “We want to continue to reach out to organizations, stations and community groups who can help us widen our reach to Hispanic populations throughout Atlanta.”

“We absolutely would love to share these clips and make them available for anyone’s use,” Mangkang adds. “We only ask that members contact us should they wish to edit the content in any way.” (Click here to find the PSAs in the Alliance Resource Library.)

Learn more about the campaign on the ABC website.

One ad educates motorists about the Maine law requiring them to give at least three feet of clearance when passing cyclists. The other ad stresses the importance of cyclists wearing bicycle helmets.

The PSAs will appear on WCSH6 throughout the month of May. In addition to the purchased airtime, the station donated airtime valued at $4,200 for additional spots on WCSH6 and WLBZ2 in Bangor later in the summer.

The ads also will be shown on public access stations in Maine. They are posted on the coalition’s Web site (http://www.BikeMaine.org) and social networking sites such as Youtube and Facebook.

“Part of making Maine a better place to bicycle is creating an environment where drivers know that bikes belong on our roads and that extra care should be used when driving around bicyclists,” said Allison Vogt, the coalition’s executive director. “We also want to ensure that cyclists follow basic safety rules such as wearing helmets to protect against head injuries.”

The coalition partnered with a service learning class at the University of Southern Maine to produce the PSA about Maine’s three-foot law. The ad opens with lyrical footage showing how many cue balls, dock planks and fishing bobbers equate to three feet.

The scene switches to bicyclists navigating in traffic, and the ad notes that “three feet could make the difference between life and death” for a cyclist. USM students Malcolm Tevanian and Israel Jasmin produced the ad using a script written by the coalition.

Oliver Chase, a Portland five-year-old, and his mother, Ellie Chase, appear in the bicycle helmet PSA. Callie Banks, a Portland fourth grader, narrates the ad. Shoshana Hoose, the coalition’s communications coordinator, wrote the script and edited it. The PSA notes that Maine law requires children under 16 to wear helmets, and that all cyclists should do so.

Both ads may be viewed at http://www.bikemaine.org/news-room/share-the-road-media-campaign.

The Bicycle Coalition of Maine has been working since 1992 to make Maine a better place to bicycle. The coalition advocates for Maine cyclists at the Legislature and in Washington, D.C., teaches bicycle safety to thousands of Maine schoolchildren each year, partners with state agencies on a Share the Road media campaign and serves as a resource on local bicycling issues."