North Florida Bicycle Club Advocacy Program

Advocacy - what is it?

noun: advocacy - active support of an idea or cause etc.; especially the act of pleading or arguing for something. In this case, improving conditions and attitudes affecting bicyclists.

Definition: Assertiveness is a form of communication in which needs or wishes are stated clearly with respect for oneself and the other person in the interaction. Assertive communication is distinguished from passive communication (in which needs or wishes go unstated) and aggressive communication (in which needs or wishes are stated in a hostile or demanding manner).

Cooperation  Mayors Proclamation

The goal of the Bicyclists' Advocacy program at the North Florida Bicycle Club is to improve bicycling safety, access and respect for Club members, by advocating for bicyclists' rights in North Florida.

All of our *advocacy * efforts begin with the *Bicyclists' Bill of Rights*, officially endorsed by the Board of Directors of the North Florida Bicycle Club. We apply these rights to everyday situations affecting our members as they ride in North Florida. It was due to our efforts that the copyright owners of the Bicyclists' Bill of Rights amended the document to meet Florida requirements and to allow us to use it officially. 

What we do:

• We make every effort to use *assertive communication* skills to secure these rights in an effective manner.
• We report and follow up on road hazards.
• We represent NFBC on the City of Jacksonville Bicycle Advisory Committee
• We meet with the Cyclists' Representative of the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office to improve issues affecting members, such as equal enforcement accident reporting and officer training in cycling law.
• We work with local Florida Dept. of Transportation engineers to assure legally required access on State Highways and Roads.
• We secure the *cooperation*of public officials in our cause.
•  We educate our members and the public on bicyclists' rights and responsibilities.
•  We provide a “New Rider” package for participating bike shops to educate new riders on safety, legal, group riding and club issues.

 We join with and support other cycling organizations, such as the Florida Bicycle Association and the Jacksonville Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory committee to affect meaningful and lasting change.

What we have accomplished:

We have been able to establish positive relationships with the City of Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) We convinced JSO to address the problem of officer bias against bicyclists with an accident reporting system and officer education program. JSO has appointed Chief John Lamb as liaison with the bicycling community and Chief Lamb scrutinizes all Duval County bicycle crash reports. Chief Lamb represents the JSO on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

City of Jacksonville  (COJ) We persuaded previous mayor John Peyton to issue a *Proclamation* noting equality for bicycling with other transportation modes and to consider the use of sharrows. We have successfully had a number of hazards to cyclists such as potholes, debris, glass, etc, corrected promptly and continue to have cooperation from COJ public works and FDOT maintenance. We also provide support for the COJ Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. We represent the NFBC at the City of Jacksonville Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Council, which is functioning as an informal advocacy group.

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Our relationship with FDOT resulted in an internal education program for the rights of cyclists to access in construction zones; improved warning signs at the intersection of I-95 and Old St. Augustine Rd. where a motorist killed Chastity Rettiger and injured her cycling companion.

Upcoming is the placement of bicycling signs in the “gap” on Atlantic Blvd. between San Pablo Rd and Florida Blvd to provide greater motorist and cyclist awareness. FDOT has installed sharrows on Park in front of the Kummer Museum and will soon install them on the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine.  We have participated in internal safety programs at FDOT and the Jacksonville Transit Authority.

We have successfully advocated for signal timing changes on several popular routes so cyclists can safely cross major intersections without getting caught facing a red light.

One of our unfulfilled goals is the wide placement of the NFBC “Same Rights, Same Roads, Same Rules” campaign. We have many vehicle signs waiting to be placed and will continue to seek placement of these signs in our community.

We have successfully addressed numerous commercial firms that have violated bicyclists' rights of way and placed our riders in jeopardy, and in all cases our efforts have been met with appreciation by the firms involved. No company wants its drivers disobeying the law and placing cyclists in jeopardy.