Hi Folks,

This came my way by way of the Cycling Promotion Fund (CPF) and I
thought some of you might be interested in providing input and/or
attending. I look forward to seeing some of you in future star roles!

Cheers
D

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

Great opportunity to have input into improving road safety for
bicycle riders

The good news is that the number of people cycling on our roads has
been increasing considerably over the last year, which could be a
response to higher petrol prices, congested roads and greater
awareness of the many benefits of cycling. This is terrific and
hopefully puts pressure on Governments to create more supportive
environments and culture on our roads.

The bad news is that road safety statistics are telling us that
bicycle injury rates have been increasing at a greater rate than
cycling participation. One factor is that many people who have taken
up cycle commuting have limited experience of riding in traffic,
resulting in reduced hazard detection skills, putting them at
increased risk of injury.

The Cycling Promotion Fund has been successful in gaining a grant
from the TAC to develop some video clips addressing the four key road
safety risks for cyclists riding in traffic:

* Car doors opening in the path of cyclist
* Left turning vehicles not giving way to cyclists
* Heavy vehicles and cyclists
* Cyclist visibility

We are going to work with advertising company O'Keefe Murphy Gaff to
develop the clips. We are keen to get input from BUG and Club members
and other bicycle riders to develop the key messages for the script
and the supporting material. We are also looking for people who are
interested in being "actors" in the video clips.

We strongly believe that resources developed by bicycle riders for
bicycle riders are the most effective to assist people to become more
confident riders with good traffic hazard detection skills.

Please let us know if any of your members are interested in having
input into this exciting project.

We have organised a workshop on Saturday 23rd of August 2008 at the
Augustine Centre, 2 Minona Street, Hawthorn from 2pm to 5pm. It will
be great to see a good response - the more input we have, the better
the outcome will be.

We are very much aware that we also need an education campaign for
motorists, but unfortunately this did not fit the TAC funding
criteria. If this project is successful we may have a better chance
to make the case for a campaign to target motorists. If you have any
questions or suggestions or would like to have input but cannot
attend the workshop, please contact us anytime.

To assist with catering please register if you are able to attend the
workshop. To contact the CPF Office, email Kathy or Chris:
office@... or call: (03) 9818 5400