Awareness Raising Spoke Cards Campaign Project?

**AlexB

**• Can you repost your letters and add some paragraph
breaks and perhaps bullet points?

•There are some useful points in there but obviously
few people are going to read so much dense text.

Sorry about that, for some reason I could not cut and paste the text from the browser window on the Just Write to Them website, not from Word at home. I've reformatted it now. Didn't have time last night.

Based on adoubletap's comment on the most recent 'rider down' thread:

***Spoke cards?
"Don't fuck with trucks" "If his wheels are bigger than your wheels, wait" etc. etc.
Some stats + bullet points and the diagram of the blind spots from a lorry cab at a junction.

Hundreds/thousands of them attached to every bike we see locked up on the street wherever we go.***

I'm not suggesting spoke cards are a panacea, but they're easy to disseminate, and work at street level (a bottom-up solution, if you will).

There's a graphic of HGV blindspots on Moving Target somewhere, which could go on one side, and a slogan (as suggested by adoubletap or similar) on the other side.

Anyone want to start knocking up ideas? Paypal donations for printing costs?

Over to you (all).

This is the gayest idea I have ever heard. If you are stupid enough to fuck around with a truck and take the chance then you run the risk of getting hit. Spoke cards / stickers will have about as much impact as the Stop The War coalition

This is the gayest idea I have ever heard. If you are stupid enough to fuck around with a truck and take the chance then you run the risk of getting hit. Spoke cards / stickers will have about as much impact as the Stop The War coalition

Thanks for your input Steve. Now that's out of the way, please let us get on with it.

All - we have a campaign proposal which will be posted onto this forum in the not too distant future. Keep an eye on the thread, we have a lot of work to do.

Sorry about that, for some reason I could not cut and paste the text from the browser window on the Just Write to Them website, not from Word at home. I've reformatted it now. Didn't have time last night.

Thanks.

This is the gayest idea I have ever heard. If you are stupid enough to fuck around with a truck and take the chance then you run the risk of getting hit. Spoke cards / stickers will have about as much impact as the Stop The War coalition

Damn, yup he's right. Let's all pack up and go home.

@STEVE: you missed 11 pages of comments. Or you just failed to read them and felt that your input would be useful. Amazing.

Also, fuck off with your homophobic idea descriptors.

Reply from Valerie Shawcross:

Dear Alex

Thanks for this information. In fact yesterday I submitted a motion to our next Mayors Question Time meeting on October 15th. I hope we can
get cross party support for this. We will give an airing to all the
issues you raise and do what we can to demand more action from TfL.

It reads

Cyclist safety

In light of the continuing number of serious accidents involving cyclists and HGVs, this Assembly seeks urgent preventative action.
Unofficial figures collected by the London Cycling Campaign suggest that
9 cyclists have died so far this year in London as the result of collisions with lorries. Consequently the LCC is lobbying for the implementation of the European Union directive on full safety mirrors for all HGVs. This Assembly supports the use of 'safety mirrors' by HGVs which increases the ability of lorry drivers to be aware of cyclists. The Department for Transport estimates that a year's delay in putting these measures in place could cost 18 lives in the UK. This Assembly calls upon the Mayor of London to promote the use of these mirrors and fresnel lenses in London through publicity campaigns and also urges the Department for Transport to implement this legislation without delay and to require that all lorries are fitted with EU standard safety mirrors, not just HGVs built since 2,000.

Best wishes

Val

Correcting this list:

1 - Upper Thames St eastbound past junction Queen Street (????) - Nick Wright (Sep 08)

2 - Blackfriars bridge northbound south end (just past bus stop) - Vicki McCreery (2004)
**** this was a collision with a BUS NOT a lorry****

3 - Vernon Place eastbound jnct Southampton Row - Wan-Chen McGuiness (2008)

4 - Russell Square eastbound junction Woburn Place - Amelia Zollner

5 - Oxford St eastbound junction with Holles Street - Ed Newstead (1992)

6 - Grays Inn Road sounthbound meets Theobalds Road - Paul Ellis (1989)

7 - Clerkenwell Rd wstbnd jnct St John Street - Harriet Tory (2005)

8 - Pentonville Road westbound jnct Penton Rise - Madeline Wright

9 - Pentonville Road - Joe Cooper (1988)
exact location not known*

10 - Streatham Hill sthbnd jnct Christchurch Rd - Kate Charles (Dec 07)

11 - Holloway Road (bicycle crossing) - Lisa Pontecorvo (Sep 08)

1. Westbourne Grove westbound jnct Chepstow Road - Danny Reidar Farr (Oct 1999)

2. East Smithfield eastbound nr jnct Tower Bridge - Mark Francis (June 1999)

3. Stamford Street - Calvin Simpson (1990)
   exact location not known

4. Upper Thames Street westbound jnct Queen Street Place - Seb Lukomski (2003)

5. Stamford Hill sthbnd jnct Manor Road - 2008

6. Camley Street sthbnd jnct Goods Way - Emma Foa (2006)

There's a few more - how many do you want to do?

Personally, I'd go for the last year, plus all the messengers.

The RoadPeace website says that the third Sunday in November is thwe world day of remembrance for victims of road crashes. Perhaps that would be the time to do it.

Also, is it worth trying to drum up support for a large memorial ride (similar to what was done for Sheldon Brown) on the same day?

I find those overhead illustrations really difficult to decipher. It's so hard to tell what's going on, where the truck is, where the road is, where the bike is, where you are safe.

The suicide / right side idea works best for me, but I think it could be improved by the simple addition of painting a road and pavement under the truck to give it some context.

In addition to spoke cards, I wondered if A2 posters stuck directly onto the surface of cycle lanes might be possible - sure they wouldn't last long, and they might themselves be a hazard, but it's worth asking the question.

Another idea might be fold-over cards on top bars, secured at the bottom with self adhesive strips. No idea if such things exist though.

Hi,
Today , Friday, at 12.30 radio 4 is doing a spot on the introduction of the new Euro mirror system onto older lorries, but not the very old ones on the road before 2000 (there are about 100,000 of those out there.)

Hey, I don't know if this is useful, but via my job I have links to some parts of the Olympic build and some of the (plant) training that is taking place for it in and around London. I could happily speak to the guys that run these centres/sites and ask if they would dish out some leaflets/info/stick up a poster so that any HGV drivers coming on site get to read some of this stuff. Let me know.

Hey, I don't know if this is useful, but via my job I have links to some parts of the Olympic build and some of the (plant) training that is taking place for it in and around London. I could happily speak to the guys that run these centres/sites and ask if they would dish out some leaflets/info/stick up a poster so that any HGV drivers coming on site get to read some of this stuff. Let me know.

Donut - we do want to engage with the HGV drivers. I'll PM you about this shortly. Thanks for the offer.

Countdown begins....

OK, before you can say it's 1 pm, I'll post up the campaign plan.

Hey, I don't know if this is useful, but via my job I have links to some parts of the Olympic build and some of the (plant) training that is taking place for it in and around London. I could happily speak to the guys that run these centres/sites and ask if they would dish out some leaflets/info/stick up a poster so that any HGV drivers coming on site get to read some of this stuff. Let me know.

Even better if the olympics could push their sub-contractors to fit modern mirrors on all their big vehicles, regardless of age.

News Flash!!! LGFSS Cyclist / HGV campaign plan has been proposed!
We have a plan and it includes these elements, summarised as:

• A campaign message: action must be taken to prevent the death of cyclists due to HGV collisions
  
• An edgy theme which will apply to all campaign elements
  
• Viral Video to spread the message
  
• A campaign-specific website
  
• Engagement with the media to draw wide attention to the campaign
  
• Direct action (peaceful) targeting one HGV opperator involved in the recent death of a cyclist. We want them to lift their saftey standards.
  
• Flyers to hand out during our direct action
  
• All of this we will achieve within October
  
  

Full details: See next post.

We’ve come up with a campaign strategy (plan of attack) which we would like to use as a working brief for all of the million creatives on this forum.

While we’re not looking to dictate, we feel that it’s easier and faster to put a specific idea out there and have you guys come up with the actual ideas for it, than keep things completely open and vague.

We would like treatments for each particular part of the campaign. So if you are a film maker please have a brain storm and come up with an awesome idea for the viral. If you are a website designer and can facilitate this end of things please let us know how you see it and so on.

We will have each part of the campaign tie in with all the others through the use of the logo, theme, and perhaps a tag line.

The Decision
On Tuesday October 7th we are holding a vote for best viral, best logo, best website name, and best direct action plan. You must vote in person on this date. We will not accept any online voting. The job will be award Wednesday the 8th, with approximately 10 days to complete it.

Meeting details:
7pm
Tuesday 7th October
El Paso on Old Street

Central Message
Cyclists are dying under lorries, this has to stop, both cyclists and HGV’s play an important role in this.

Theme
We would like to use watermelons throughout the campaign. We see the watermelon as a quirky media-friendly tool that is able to easily show how vulnerable cyclists are. While being very graphic and even perhaps haunting, seeing a watermelon run over is light enough to keep media, families, and drivers happy with us. We also see the watermelon as a theme that is easy to carry on, build on, and evolve into new campaign strategies.

Strategy
We will be carrying out the campaign through the following methods.

1. A 30-90 second viral film.
   
   

Our current treatment is that we will line a cycle lane with watermelons in a sort of guerilla manner. Each watermelon has a lifesize photograph of someone’s face. We then film what happens to them as HGV’s turn left.

However we would like to open this up for ideas from all of you. What is the most “viral” viral you can thinking of depicting our message.

We want your treatments, the idea doesn't have to be the above, but unless you have an entirely new whole campaign for us, if does have to involve the watermelon.

You will have 10 days from approval of your treatment to complete the viral. Also we only have whatever budget can be raised here so count the budget as close to zero as possible for now.

2. Logo.

This logo will be on all aspects of the campaign (website, flyer, spokecard, whatever)

Currently we are thinking that this will be a watermelon with a tyre track through it. But that is just a working brief and could totally change.

We need this designed! Please post ideas here!! Doesn't have to be the idea above, but again it has to be a watermelon theme unless you're coming up with a whole new campaign. Just to stress, you are proposing your ideas for the logo treatment and not submitting the final design (yet).

3. A website .

It will host:
a. the viral,
b. a list of different letters to MP’s, the mayor, etc,
c. links to different visuals.
d. Facts and figures

We need a great name for this site that’s available. We don’t wantwww.cyclesafelondon.com as it just seems too governmental in title*.
This site will have to be ready to go live in 10 days from the approval of the treatment. Would you like to make that happen?

*cyclesafelondon.com will still run in just the way it is running, the campaign website will be focussed on the campaign alone.

4. Flyers.

The text for this is currently being written. Obviously not much can be done on this right now but we’re including it so you can see all aspects. It will have the logo on it and direct people towards the website.

We will have about two weeks to design and print these. Let us know if you’re interested in assisting.

5. A Direct Action/Peaceful event

We are looking at Tuesday October 28th !! (TBC)

We are currently planning this for outside of a building site. The current plan is for Kings Cross, targeting one firm. Details a bit later on specifics.

The theme for the Direct Action will be a mass of people with their bikes outside a work site first thing in the morning. We will line the entrance with watermelons with photographs of people on them . As working HGVs drive through and squash them, it will create a silent peaceful but visually gripping protest .
We will also have spray paint and stencils of the watermelon logo at the site and will be spray painting cyclists with flouro jackets as they ride by.

Do you have additional ideas for this!?!?
We need all of you out in force for this morning.

By this point we will have the viral, website, and flyers ready and up and running.

It’s important to note that through all of this it is incredibly important that we are not blaming the cyclists nor the HGV’s as being the sole contributor to these deaths.

Your Ideas
So there you go!! Have a giant brainstorming party and start posting as many ideas as you may have to execute this brief.

** If you think of a better theme than us, great! But please realise that it will mean changing each aspect of the campaign, not just the one part. Meaning we can’t have a killer idea for the flyers but no idea how to tie it in with the viral. While we are completely open to the entire brief changing it would have to change as a whole. If you have a brief that fits all of the different aspects of the campaign that’s more kick-ass than this throw it in. HOWEVER - you have to think through the implications. We have to be able to deliver all of this on a very tight budget, and with 10 days to produce the final work.

This spoke cards should also be put in the windscreen wipers of trucks... I'll cycle along with someone on my shoulders to do this?

Thanks, JBCommuter, for all the effort your putting into this.

Peace

Hey, I don't know if this is useful, but via my job I have links to some parts of the Olympic build and some of the (plant) training that is taking place for it in and around London. I could happily speak to the guys that run these centres/sites and ask if they would dish out some leaflets/info/stick up a poster so that any HGV drivers coming on site get to read some of this stuff. Let me know.

Yes, really useful. Cynthia Barlow from RoadPeace (Alix McVittie's mum) and the LCC have been working on the Olympic people for a year or so. This week they had a press launch with the VOSA (trucking regulators) of a scheme to give out thousands of the plastic fresnel lenses that give truckers a better view of whats on their left side. I saw them fit loads of these to tipper drivers at the main Olympic site.
If your contacts work at other sites and with the plant training then we can get some info to them as well. pm coming

We would like to use watermelons throughout the campaign.

Racists

Seriously tho', great work... I'll help in whatever way I can...

This spoke cards should also be put in the windscreen wipers of trucks... I'll cycle along with someone on my shoulders to do this?

I am about 95% sure that this is a joke, but if it's not: - You damn fool, lorries are dangerous, huh!

Great work :D

I posted it up on Bike Radar Commuting to spread the word a bit further

But have you seen the price of watermelons recently??? joke

A photographer here if I can help and I'm not working

Everyone note, I need to change the voting venue. No time now but will post confirmation of the venue tomorrow (Sat 4th).

Personally, I'd go for the last year, plus all the messengers.

The RoadPeace website says that the third Sunday in November is thwe world day of remembrance for victims of road crashes. Perhaps that would be the time to do it.

Also, is it worth trying to drum up support for a large memorial ride (similar to what was done for Sheldon Brown) on the same day?

Let's do something public - media can be invited. Volunteers with ghost bikes?

I agree - let's do all the deaths 3rd week November 2007 - 3rd week November 2008. No need to do the messengers - it's not really going to be practical to drag 10+ bikes around.