B’ Spokes: This is a great idea and I would love to see some of the numerous bicycle organizations in the area take this up. (From the People Power Movement list serve.)
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Hi everyone:
I just wanted to share a really easy and fun way to celebrate new improvements on the streets — bike lanes, smooth pavement, or whatever — which was really successful last night, and doesn’t require much from staff or volunteers.
Basically, we just purchased a few foam hands (if it’s worth it, from foamhands.com — which can customize for a fee) — and we stood on a corner of our busiest bike street which just got some new pavement
(https://www.sfbike.org/main/why-your-market-street-ride-just-got-better/)
with a sign reading "High Fives for Smoother Pavement" and got some folks riding by to give us High Fives.
If I were to do it again, I’d change a few things:
– Have the sign and hand mid-block, and an outreach table to talk directly to folks at a long light cycle, that way you can make a direct pitch. Don’t want people focusing on you and taking hands off brakes near a stop light.
– Customize the hands or brand it a little better with our organization.
– Get DPW staff out there, as well, to help them see how much people appreciate it (instead, we’re printing out a photo and sending the photos to the DPW shop for them to share).
See some photos of the fun here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sfbike/sets/72157631684896646/with/8051335663/
— and please, use the idea! Really lightweight, fun, and effective —
9 memberships in two hours!
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
Biking in Baltimore