NATIONAL CALL FOR SAFER BICYCLING

In 2000 a diverse group of bicycle advocates including government representatives and injury prevention specialists met at a conference to come up with a plan for short and long term goals to reduce bicycle accidents and injuries. Although that plan seems to have been neglected, there has been a recent reemergence of bicycle advocacy both in Wisconsin and at the National level. The past goals may serve as a guideline for current goals. Has any progress been made since 2000? You be the judge. Those goals were:

Goal #1 Motorists Will Share the Road
Create a coordinated "Share the Road" public education campaign that can be adapted at the state and local levels.
Amend the motor vehicle code to give precedence to bicyclists in the absence of overriding traffic rules.
Include components on safe bicycling and sharing the road in driver education programs.

Goal #2: Bicyclists Will Ride Safely
Create a national "Ride Safely" marketing campaign targeting bicycle riders.
Encourage statewide bicycle safety conferences to promote the National Strategies for Advancing Bicycle Safety.
Expand school-based and community-based programs that teach bicycle safety to children and adult bicyclists.
Educate community professionals on effective ways to promote safe bicycling.
Motivate decision makers at all levels to adopt policies that promote safe bicycling.

Goal #3 Bicyclists Will Wear Helmets
Create a national bicycle helmet safety campaign.
Create tools to promote and increase bicycle helmet use that can be adapted for use at the state and local levels.
Assist states and communities that decide to address bicycle helmet use through state and local laws and enforcement.

Goal #4 The Legal System Will Support Safe Bicycling
Improve the collection and quality of data concerning bicycle crash incidents, including both traffic and non-traffic sites.
Create tools that help law enforcement officers enforce bicycle-safety traffic laws aimed at bicyclists and motorists.
Promote the most promising enforcement efforts at those local sites where they are most likely to be effective.
Encourage the court system to follow through on bicycle safety enforcement by imposing meaningful penalties for both motorist and bicyclist violations.

Goal #5 Roads and Paths Will Safely Accommodate Bicyclists
Document and evaluate the safety and effectiveness of facility design options.
Improve 100,000 miles of existing streets and roadways to accommodate bicycle travel.
Train professionals responsible for the planning, design, and operation of the transportation system to better consider and accommodate bicycle travel.