How to Start a Bicycle Community
Why start/encourage/nurture user groups?
The virtuous cycles
Better accommodations (trails, routes, bike lanes, etc.) encourage more users
More users build political/community support for more/better accommodations
These better accommodations encourage yet more users, building more community support, etc.
More people bicycling & walking greatly increases safety of bicyclists & pedestrians--the single greatest factor increasing bike/ped safety (a 100% increase in bicycling & walking leads to only 25% increase in injuries/fatalities)
Greater safety/social acceptance leads to more users
In Missouri we have been following the 'vicious' version of this cycle for about the past 50 years. Examples: Percentage of children walking/biking to school has dropped from 66% to 10% in about 30 years. The amount of walking and bicycling in Missouri is less than half the national average. Yet MO's bicycle/pedestrian injury/fatality rate (expressed as a percentage of all traffic injuries) is at or above the national average.
Encouraging user groups is a relatively easy, inexpensive way to jump-start the virtuous cycle.
Clubs & Group Rides educate bicyclists
Safety skills are learned from other group members
Clubs/rides can include organized traffic skills education and practice
Education is the 2nd most effective way to improve bicycle safety
Why do people participate in group rides?
Bicyclists like to ride--it's fun!
Social aspect--people like to ride in groups with their friends, more fun than riding alone
Bicycling consists of many skills--these are learned from other members of the group
Training/racing--riding in a group encourages regular participation, challenges riders to build fitness to stay with faster riders
Don't forget food/beer/sociality etc. afterwards--an important aspect of many long-standing rides
Accommodate all levels of users
Rides are usually rated (slow, medium, fast; A B C; "welcome ride" etc.)
New/developing riders are often underserved; transition from "ordinary person" to "skilled group rider"
Examples of good welcome rides: Longview Lake; Turtles; Bicycle Fun Club
Starting a regular ride
Look for "hole in the market"--an underserved:
type (road, trail, mountain biking)
time/day
speed (slow, medium, fast, welcome)
Seasonal or all year?
Increase mileage as year progresses?
Set time or changeable (7-8-9AM depending on season)
Goal or reason (ride to breakfast?)
Set route or show-n-go?
If you don't bicycle regularly you don't know how to choose a good route. Talk to avid cyclists, bike shops, other ride leaders. Different levels of users will prefer different routes.
Need about two "anchors"--people who will commit to be there all or most weeks and serve as ride leaders
Please regularly emphasize traffic safety instruction and safe group ride techniques
http://mobikefed.org/2006/08/safe-and-courteous-group-riding.php
Attracting riders
Regular calendar listings in local newspapers, TV, newsletters
Flyers in local bike shops, restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops. 1/4 page or business card good.
Riders will want to know time/day, distance, typical average speed, other characteristics
Ride email list invaluable--announcement 1-2 days before each ride; ride wrapup after (yahoogroups.com)
Have consistent time/place--and patience!
Starting an organization?
Instead of a starting a new organization, how about starting a new ride/event
Then the organization can grow out of the event (rides attract people; meetings don't)
If regular rides already exist, but no club, how about helping the rides organize into a club
If a club already exists, how about starting a new ride or event associated with that club rather than starting a whole new organization ("unite and conquer; divide and be conquered")
Local bike shops are usually focal points for area rides and/or clubs
One advantage of club--ride/event insurance (from BikeLeague.org)
If incorporating, sample bylaws & 501c3 apps at Thunderheadalliance.org
User groups and advocacy
User groups (clubs) exist for rides, races, and sociality
It is rare for a bike club to have a sustained interest in advocacy
Suggest a separate advocacy organization which then enlists area clubs as allies OR a separate advocacy committee (semi-independent; own budget) within bike club
How to find existing clubs, bike shops, rides, events
//moclubs-organizations (151 bicycling, walking, running, trails organizations)
/mo-bike-shops (133 bicycle shops/businesses in "greater Missouri")
http://go.away (please list new events here!)
Dr. Brent D. Hugh
Executive Director
Missouri Bicycle Federation, Inc.
< /p>
MoBikeFed.org
Director[at]MoBikeFed.org
816-695-6736
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