From: Dave Snyder <davesnyder@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.soc
Date: 26 Aug 92 22:41 PDT
Subject: Ask candidates NOW: R U 4 Bikes?
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1702500001:000:9624
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!davesnyder    Aug 26 22:41:00 1992


From: Dave Snyder <davesnyder>
Subject: Ask candidates NOW: R U 4 Bikes?

/* Written  7:34 pm  Aug 26, 1992 by davesnyder in cdp:transport */
/* ---------- "Ask candidates NOW: R U 4 Bikes?" ---------- */
Bike Advocates: Pigeonhole your politicians NOW. Elections SOON.

from the August issue of BICYCLING Magazine

Election Strategy -- Why the '92 Campaign is a Huge Opportunity for 
Cyclists

By Nelson Pena

You probably won't believe this. It's almost un-American to even suggest 
it. But it's true, and until we recognize it, we'll never get the 
bicycle accepted as a transportation mode. 

Politicians listen.

This has nothing to do with their civic responsibility. It's a survival 
instinct. Especially at the local level, the official who doesn't listen 
is like the waitress who forgets your table. Eventually, they both lose 
their job. Politicians can be a dense lot, but this is one thing they 
understand. In fact, between now and November 3, they'll listen a lot.

If you want your community to be more bicycle friendly, use this to your 
advantage. Our latest reader survey says 83% of you wish local 
government would support cycling more. Maybe the other 17% live in 
Seattle. But as riders in BICYCLING'S best city for cycling know, 
wishing won't create a good riding environment. Influencing officials 
will. And the best time to do it is now, during the campaign, while 
you've got the candidates' attention.

"Before an election is when public officials are most vulnerable," says 
Noel Weyrich, president of the Bicycle Coalition of the Delaware Valley 
(PA) and unsuccessful candidate for Philadelphia City Council in '91. 
"The candidate is scared to offend anyone, so he or she is receptive to 
all ideas. The power of a . group such as ours is its negative 
potential. As far as the candidate knows, if we turned against him we 
could protest at every rally. Or maybe somebody in the group is related 
to his biggest funder. He doesn't know. We have that advantage."

Weyrich suggest canvassing all the candidates on specific cycling 
issues. The goal isn't necessarily to decide whom to vote for, but to 
use the responses to elicit actin when the winners take office. this is 
best done through a group. If there isn't a local bike advocacy 
organization, start one. Don't worry if it's small. "A group of three 
committed people can do more than a hundred without the same 
commitment," he says.

His group's technique is to draft a list of simple, reasonable questions 
about local cycling issues (see sidebar, at bottom). The questions 
should be worded so that a "yes" is easy to give, and they should be 
specific so that you can follow up when the person gets elected. They 
might concern parallel-bar sewer grates on a well-used route, access to 
public transportation, or an off-road trail dispute -- whatever local 
cyclists are griping about.

To learn where to direct the questionnaire, Weyrich calls campaign 
manager and tells them his organization is conducting a public education 
effort to discover where the candidates stand on cycling issues.

He publishes their answers in the group newsletter, but it doesn't end 
here. In Philadelphia's mayoral election last year, Weyrich's first 
question proved especially useful after the vote. "Do you support the 
creation of an unfunded citizen bicycle advisory board to provide 
traffic design feedback to the Streets Department? Candidate Ed Rendell 
said yes. Within a month after he was elected, Weyrich was meeting one 
of his deputies,. "I started by saying, 'Your boss promised...' " Now 
the city is consulting cyclists about street projects. What's more, 
Weyrich had a telemarketing firm call each of his groups' 700 members 
with the news of this achievement and raised $4,000.

AIM HIGH

Roger Herz has had similar success. He's the executive director of New 
York's Bicycle Transportation Action, a decade-old advocacy group. He 
teaches seminars on how to fight city hall and has seen thousands of 
letters to politicians.

During the '82 campaign, he got gubernatorial candidate Mario Cuomo to 
publicly support cycling, a response Herz parlayed into a meeting with 
the governor's staff soon after the election. Within 2 months, Cuomo had 
agreed to establish a state bicycle advisory council to work with the 
department of transportation. Two years later it was reality.

When I spoke with Herz, he had recently been at the White House, meeting 
with staff and trying to organize a bicycle event involving the 
president. Earlier this year he cornered Bill Clinton at a campaign stop 
long enough to learn he owns a bike. As always, Herz followed up with a 
letter. As always, Herz followed up with a letter.

"You have to aim high," he says. "Cyclists tend to contact the lowest 
level of bureaucrat with their problems. But you have the right to talk 
to the mayor, governor, senator, even president -- or at least their 
staff. If the person is already in office, send the letter to him and a 
copy to the underlings, as well as the press and others in the cycling 
community -- and let the official know you're publicizing his answers. 
Try to start the letter with praise or thanks, and always follow up. Ask 
for a specific response by a certain date, then if you don't get it, 
immediately send another letter."

Weyrich agrees. "During the campaign you're not going lo get a magical 
promise that changes everything. The promise is just the beginning. If 
the candidate gets elected, you have to follow up with him and his 
subordinates. The time after an election is busy. All the groups that 
got promises from the candidate suddenly approach him. Politicians 
develop their policy agenda on how badly the different groups want them 
to live up to their promises. They generally don't like to break a 
campaign promise, but they will if you let them. And if you complain 
later, the staff will actually blame you for not pestering them enough. 
I've seen it happen."

MAKING FRIENDS

When Weyrich sends his questionnaire, he mentions that if the candidate 
wants to get a cyclist's perspective on any issue, please call -- an 
offer that's often accepted. This has twofold value. First, you get to 
shape the cycling sensibilities of a potential policy maker. And your 
assistance in doing so is a favor the official may someday repay.

"Politicians remember who their friends were before the election, and 
who came calling later," says Charlie Gandy, a former Texas state 
legislator who is the executive director of the Texas Bicycle Coalition. 
"That's always an important difference in their minds."

In fact, if the answers help identify a favorable candidate, "why not 
spend a few hours working for that person's campaign?" Gandy suggests. 
"In terms of achieving your long-term goals, it could be a good 
investment of time. Being right isn't enough. If you want the political 
system to work for you, you have to think politically."

There are lots of other ways to do this Write a cycling-related letter 
or op-ed column in your local paper. Ask a question when a candidate is 
on a radio or TV call-in show. Talk to the candidate privately before an 
appearance (it's usually possible in local races).

"People have more power than they think," says Jim Nelson, government 3 
relations director of the League of American Wheelmen and a former 
legislative assistant on Capitol Hill. "Because of the general apathy of 
the population, those who do get involved have that much more 
influence."

Let's use the power. While you're canvassing candidates in your area, 
we'll do the same on the national level. Bush, Perot, and Clinton can 
expect a questionnaire from BICYCLING. We'll expect an answer. In the 
November issue, we'll examine their cycling-related records and publish 
their responses. It might help you decide how to cast your vote. Then, 
after election day, we'll schedule a meeting with the winner to make 
sure he turns his promises into action.

-----------------------------------------------------------

SAMPLE CANDIDATE QUESTIONS

From the Bicycle Coalition of the Delaware Valley:

 1. Do you support the creation of an unfunded citizen bicycle advisory 
board to provide traffic-design feedback to the Streets Department? 

2. Do you support a requirement for the Streets Department that one of 
its traffic engineers be designated to develop expertise in bicycle and 
pedestrian transportation?

3. Do you support the creation of designated bicycle routes for travel 
into and within the city? 

4. Zoning ordinances currently require developers and building managers 
to provide a certain amount of automobile parking at apartments and 
workplaces. Would you support extending these regulations to include 
bicycle parking?

5. Do you own a bicycle? Do you use it for recreation, occasional 
errands, or commuting?

From the Washington, D.C. Area Bicyclists' Association's newsletter:

 Do you think current transportation policy provides the proper balance 
between autos, public transportation, and nonmotorized transportation?

From the League of American Wheelmen

 Do you believe the city transit systems should adopt aggressive 
programs to encourage commuters to bicycle to the subway, bus or train, 
instead of driving?

-----------------------------------------------------------

BTW, many of the organizations mentioned above are online.

Bicycle Coalition of the Delaware Valley
	EcoNet: bcdv
	InterNet: bcdv@igc.org

League of American Wheelmen
	InterNet: bikeleague@aol.com

Washington Area Bicyclists' Association
	EcoNet: waba
	InterNet: waba@igc.org

Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.soc