|
JSTS Advocacy Talking Points
We hope that you will attend an upcoming town council meeting in your local town to disseminate our message among other elected town officials as well as members of your local community. To assist you, we have prepared the following talking points that you may use at those meetings. Please copy/paste text into your favorite document editor (MS Word, Google Docs, etc.) if you want to modify before printing.
I live at [xxxxxxxxxx] and have been a resident of the town for [xx] years. I also am an avid bicyclist and a member of the Jersey Shore Touring Society, one of the largest bike clubs in the state.
Observations
- 1. Motorists continue to act as though they own the road, and they are not aware of or follow New Jersey’s Safe Passing Law.
- 2. There are many hazardous potholes and pieces of debris on the roadways.
- 3. There are (no, few or not enough) bike lanes in town.
- 4. (The speaker should add other observations that may be pertinent to his/her community. For example, in some Shore towns, teenagers frequently ride their bikes in large groups down the center of our busy roadways, especially during the summertime.)
- 5. Some bicyclists ride on the wrong side of the road.
Recommendations
Before someone else is unnecessarily injured or killed, my fellow cyclists and I urge you to take action, including:
- Installing road signs on town roads instructing motorists to move over 4 feet, where appropriate. Guidance for these and other bicycle safety signs can be found in the new version of the “Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways” from the Federal Highway Administration;
- Passing an ordinance requesting that the county also installs these signs on its roadways;
- Using electronic signage around town to convey information about the Safe Passing Law;
- Posting information on road user safety, including the Safe Passing Law, on municipal websites and convey such information to local residents through municipal newsletters and other existing communication channels. Links to videos from various road safety organizations such as EZ Ride on the safe passing law, riding too close to parked vehicles and other safety-related issues can be included; and
- Considering the creation of a comprehensive safety action plan that identifies the most significant roadway safety concerns in our community, including bicyclist safety. The cost of developing and implementing this plan may be paid for through a U.S. Department of Transportation Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant. Monmouth County has been awarded a grant in partnership with Bradley Beach, Highlands and Holmdel.
The Jersey Shore Touring Society would like to help the town educate residents on safe cycling. Among other things, our members, along with representatives from EZ Ride and local bike shops, can work with the town’s recreation department to help create and run an annual community bike ride. During this event, or existing community fair and festivals, Night Out and other events, we can conduct free bicycle safety checks and provide safety-related information.
I hope you will give this issue some serious thought. Please let me know how my bike club and I can help.