Building more bridges Bicycle Ambassador Program revised to recruit more volunteers Kim Sharpe
Launched in spring 2012, the Bicycle Ambassador Program (BAP), which operates in Fort Collins and Loveland, has provided encouragement and education about safe cycling to hundreds of people. Two years later, there are about 30 trained Bicycle Ambassadors giving “Lunch & Learn” presentations, staffing informational booths at community events and serving as courtesy patrol ambassadors while out riding. And while the BAP is helping educate cyclists and motorists about rules of the road and how to share them safely, the program isn’t attracting as many volunteers as it could. “The training we provide to Bicycle Ambassador volunteers, while thorough, may be causing a bottleneck and not getting as many people through the program as possible,” says Clay Young, Poudre Valley Hospital paramedic, EMS volunteer and special events coordinator, and a Bicycle Ambassador serving on a committee to revise BAP’s structure. “Another challenge we’ve had is attracting volunteers of all ages, especially older teens and young adults.” So the program is being revised to address these issues.
IT just got easier Rather than having all Bicycle Ambassadors go through an interview process and receive a minimum of 12 hours of training as originally required, the revised program now has three tiers: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Everyone enters at the Bronze Level, which is easy to achieve. Volunteers can go to BAP’s new website (www.bicycle ambassadorprogram.org) and its “Be a Bike Ambassador” page where they’ll be instructed to complete an application and agree to a Code of Conduct (basically a statement that they’ll practice safe riding behavior), read the “Colorado Bicycling Manual: A Guide to Safe Cycling” (which they can do online) and then take a 20-question quiz over that material.
PHOTO COURTESY OF: Bicycle Ambassador PROGRAM
“At the very least, we’ll be educating many more people about safe cycling just by having them read and reflect on the Colorado Bicycling Manual,” explains Bruce Henderson, another Bicycle Ambassador and member of the BAP’s revision committee. More extensive training (like successfully completing a Traffic Skills 101 course) and a commitment to volunteer at least 20 hours per year begins at the Silver level. Gold level ambassadors must complete even more training, such as a League of American Bicyclists League Cycling Instructor course or Safe Routes to School instructor course. With each level of training comes more responsibility and volunteer options.
Reaching out In an effort to expand BAP membership by recruiting teens, Bicycle Ambassadors will be conducting focus groups with high school students to find out what would make the program attractive to them. “Our vision for this new High School Bicycle Ambassador program is that it will give teenagers attending Fort Collins high schools an opportunity to learn about
defensive cycling and then help us teach younger students how to bike and walk to school safely,” City of Fort Collins Safe Routes to School Coordinator and Bicycle Ambassador Nancy Nichols says. High School Bicycle Ambassadors will be required to complete training similar to all other ambassadors. With the skills gained from the training, students will help Safe Routes instructors with in-school educational programs, as well as bike clubs and bike rodeos at elementary schools. “As the program develops, we also hope to create an opportunity for interested students to earn a free local bike tour over the summer,” says Nichols. Focus group participants will be asked to weigh in on these ideas and about additional incentives that would attract them to the program. The BAP leaders also are working with CSU staff to promote the program on campus as a way to educate more college students about safe cycling. To learn more about the BAP and how to become a Bicycle Ambassador, visit www.bicycleambassadorprogram.org. Bicycling guide to northern Colorado
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