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CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Date: |
February 23, 2005 | |
Author: |
Jim Hall | |
Phone No.: |
604-873-7130 | |
RTS No.: |
04912 | |
CC File No.: |
2005 | |
Meeting Date: |
March 29, 2005 |
TO: |
Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic |
FROM: |
General Manager of Engineering Services |
SUBJECT: |
Grant to Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (B.E.S.T.) for Cycling Education and Encouragement |
RECOMMENDATION
THAT a grant of $20,000 be approved for Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (B.E.S.T.) to produce and distribute a cycling information package in Vancouver local papers. The $20,000 grant can be provided from 2004 Streets Basic Capital for Bicycle Network (SCA2E).
COUNCIL POLICY
Council approved the 1988 Vancouver Comprehensive Bicycle Plan that listed the four fundamental approaches in providing a safe and convenient cycling environment in Vancouver to include Engineering, Education, Enforcement and Encouragement.
Council approved the 2003-2005 Capital Plan which identified funding for education initiatives.
Approval of a grant requires 8 affirmative votes.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to seek Council’s approval of a $20,000 grant to Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (B.E.S.T.) to produce and distribute a cycling information package in Vancouver local papers.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to seek Council’s approval of a $20,000 grant to Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (B.E.S.T.) to produce and distribute a cycling information package in Vancouver local papers.
DISCUSSION
Cycling is an important, sustainable transportation mode. Engineering has been working and will continue to work on developing an infrastructure of cycling routes which has already resulted in an increased cycling modal share. Besides Engineering, encouragement and education are also important initiatives for promoting cycling.
Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (B.E.S.T.) is seeking cost-sharing to produce and distribute a comprehensive cycling guide to households in Vancouver. The purpose of the guide is to be a broad, highly informative communication piece that aims to reach and motivate those who have not integrated cycling into their daily lives and to help them shift to cycling as a sustainable mode of transportation. Details on the proposal are attached.
The major portion of the funding for the cycling guide comes from Transport Canada and TransLink. B.E.S.T. is requesting a $20,000 contribution from the City of Vancouver. This encouragement and education initiative will benefit the City by encouraging more trips via a sustainable transportation mode: cycling.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
The $20,000 grant can be provided from 2004 Streets Basic Capital for Bicycle Network (SCA2E).
Project Description
BEST plans to coordinate the production of a comprehensive cycling guide, and distribute it to the majority of households in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland. The Cycling Guide is intended to be a broad, highly informative communication piece that aims to reach and motivate those who have not integrated cycling into their daily lives and to help them shift to cycling as a sustainable mode of transportation. The Cycling Guide will promote existing cycling information such as municipal and regional cycling maps to a large, new audience. The Cycling Guide will also include educational and safety components to assist new or infrequent cyclists in becoming safer and more assured commuters. The Guide will highlight the opportunities to and benefits of integrating cycling with transit. The Guide will be a magazine style publication with a glossy cover and 16 pages printed on recycled newsprint for a total of 20 pages.
As the majority of cycling trips are of a local nature, we are proposing to produce 137,000 copies of a customized edition of the Guide for Vancouver residents with information specific to the City of Vancouver. The Vancouver specific content will include recent cycling improvements in Vancouver, information on the Bikeway’s Network and a message from mayor and council. This content will be developed in consultation with City staff, the Bicycle Advisory Committee and local cyclists. In addition, a map of cycling routes in Vancouver will be included in the centre pages of the guide. This 10.5 by 16 inch map can be pulled out of the guide and used for location and directional purposes. While not a substitute for the regional or City of Vancouver cycling maps (which are not sent directly to people’s homes), it will be of immediate use to everyone because they will be receiving the Guides sent to their place of residence. Of the 137,000 copies of the Vancouver edition, 132,000 will be distributed directly to residents while the remaining 5000 will be distributed through venues such as venues such as libraries, community centres, retail outlets and community events.
The Guide will also seek to decrease conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians and motorists. Instructions on riding on paths shared with pedestrians will be included and of course, cyclists will be encouraged not to ride on sidewalks as recommended by the Sidewalk Task Force.
A recent poll published in the Vancouver Sun showed that 47% of Lower Mainland citizens felt that transportation was ‘the most important issue facing local residents’ - well ahead of crime (17%), health care and education (12% each). This poll reflects the genuine public recognition that transportation is a central force shaping the current livability of the region; clearly, sustainable transportation has become one of the most common citizen concerns.
Cycling is the cleanest and least expensive form of transportation, and an education and outreach program focused on its promotion is an excellent way to address the excessive motor vehicle use we experience in Vancouver. In Canada, the average car makes 2,000 trips per year of 3 kilometres or less1. In fact, 50% of people in the Lower Mainland commute by car every day, mostly in autos by themselves2, and 28% of these journeys to work are under five kilometres in length.3 The encouraging news is that 30% of Vancouver residents reported using a bicycle for work, school, shopping or other personal business at least once during a six-month period.4 This is a positive indication that the willingness to cycle exists given the appropriate circumstances. From a social marketing perspective, residents in the region are “low hanging fruit” and are likely to make a significant shift to higher levels of cycling or other form of sustainable transportation if provided with the appropriate, comprehensive and practical information to do so. As 60% of the adults in the Lower Mainland own or have access to a bicycle5, broad-based campaigns such as the Cycling Guide are both warranted and stand a very strong likelihood of being successful.
We feel that the Guide will be an effective tool in the efforts encourage more people to cycle and do so in a safer manor. As you are aware, encouraging people to switch to cycling as a form of transportation is an very cost-effective way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions that also many other community, environmental and heath benefits.
AT BEST, we are well situated to coordinate and deliver the cycling guide; the need is apparent in the Lower Mainland, and there is no other organization (non-profit, government or other) undertaking such an effort. While a variety of cycling material exists this will be the first ever comprehensive cycling information and education guide available in the region. It will differ from the Bike Sense guide in that it will be actively distributed to a large audience, it will feature information specific to Vancouver and will contain more than just safety related material. It will also be the most inclusive, widely distributed communication piece about cycling as a form of sustainable transportation in the Lower Mainland to date as it will be distributed to the majority of households in the region (with individualized versions for each city/municipality). While information in the Guide will be of use to even experienced cyclists, the intention is to provide people that are considering cycling more for transportation purposes the information they need to conveniently and safely to incorporate cycling into their daily lives. The following are examples of what the Vancouver version of the Guide will include:
b A map of Vancouver bicycle routes that can be pulled out of the Guide
b Environmental, health and community benefits of cycling
b An extensive list of cycling resources and their links (such as cycling maps, bicycle hotlines, cycling organizations, TransLink and Bike Sense)
b Cycling safety information, including tips on driving safely around cyclists
b Information about cycling improvements in the City and the region
b Integrating cycling with public transit, including bike lockers, bike racks on buses and bikes on SkyTrain
b Information on cycling to work
b Information on cycling gear
b Cycling in wet and cold weather
b A message from the Mayor and Council
b Photograph of Mayor and Council
b A cycling safety quiz to be returned and entered to win a prize for a new bike
The cycling guide will be modeled on a similar guide produced by the City of Ottawa. Ottawa has the highest cycling commuter trips in North America, and Vancouver comes in second. We aim to be number one! Transportation studies (Travel Smart Perth, Portland) have shown that mode shifts are more likely to occur if people have access to more detailed information – like how to cycle in the rain or fix a flat tire. The major portion of the funding for the cycling guide comes from Transport Canada and TransLink, who are providing the seed money necessary for BEST to facilitate all local governments and coordinate the project.
Benefits to the City of Vancouver
b Help the City meet its goal of increasing the use of cycling as a form of transportation
b Highlight the Bikeway network
b Highlight recent improvements to cycling facilities
b Increase awareness of the City’s cycling map
b Logo recognition on the cover of the Guide
b Increased recognition of the City’s role in increasing the use of cycling as a form of transportation
b Increased awareness of ways to avoid conflicts between cyclists, motorists and pedestrians
b Increased awareness of the danger to pedestrians and cyclists of cycling on sidewalks
b The address of the City’s cycling web page, in the Guide and on the web site.
b The Bicycle Hotline number in the Guide and on the web site
Recognition of the City’s Contribution
b Logo recognition on the cover of the Guide
b A message from Mayor and Council in the Guide
b Photograph of Mayor and Council in the Guide
Requested Contribution from the City of Vancouver
We are requesting $20,000 in 2004-2005 towards the production, distribution and promotion of the Cycling Guide in the City of Vancouver.
We will be requesting a financial contribution from most local governments in the region, based primarily on the number of pieces being produced and distributed in their constituency. The amount we are requesting from City of Vancouver reflects the larger constituency for distribution.
Project Goals and Objectives
Goals
b To deliver the Cycling Guide to 132,000 households in the City of Vancouver and 500,000 households in the Lower Mainland
b To distribute 5,000 copies of the guide through venues such as libraries, community centres, retail outlets and community events.
b To encourage more people to cycle and those who already do cycle to cycle more often
b To increase awareness of cycling safety
b To increase awareness of the personal, environmental and community benefits of cycling
b To increase awareness of cycling resources
b To ensure that households are aware of the Cycling Guide, and know when and how to expect it
b To ensure that the Cycling Guide is clearly recognized when it arrives at households
b To increase the number of people integrating cycling and transit
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Objectives b 500,000 households in the Greater Vancouver region receive the Cycling Guide
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Communications Plan
The primary goal of this project is to disseminate the Cycling Guide to the majority of households in the Lower Mainland. Because we don’t want this guide to be overlooked as just “another piece of junk mail”, we will do a media blitz prior to its distribution (through radio, television and newsprint), to let people know what it is, that it will be arriving on their doorstep or in their mail box, and when to expect it.
If the guide is to become an ongoing project, spreading it over two years makes the project more sustainable because delivering the guide over two years will lessen the cost burden on the various funding sources. A significant portion of the funding for the cycling guide will come from advertising, as well as from the municipalities where the guide will be distributed, and we believe that spreading the distribution over two years will be more likely to accommodate the budgets of the various agencies involved.
We are confident that an awareness campaign of the magnitude of the Cycling Guide will significantly increase these numbers. Because we do this survey annually (sponsored by TransLink), we will be able to measure from previous years how this number increases over the two years of the project. During the two-years of this project, we will include questions specific to the Cycling Guide on the ConsumerScope survey, e.g. did they receive it, how it influenced/increased their cycling habits, etc.
The majority of the cycling guides will be delivered to the doorstep of households through insertion in VanNet newspapers (The Courier in Vancouver), and the promotional campaign and the prizes will help ensure people are aware of the delivery of the guide. Delivering all guides by Canada Post would increase project cost by approximately $40,000, thus we determined that distribution through VanNet newspapers would provide the most value for the dollar. However, because local newspapers are not delivered to the doorstep or individual mailbox in multi-residential areas (i.e. apartment buildings) we will use Canada post to deliver to highest-density postal code regions. The readership of the Cycling Guide will be monitored to ensure the distribution plan is effective.
Another component method of measuring the effectiveness of the guide will be in the form of a survey/questionnaire quiz distributed with the guide that will offer lucrative in-kind prizes to ensure a large response. It will be designed for follow-up to determine increases in use of cycling, and in the increase in awareness of cycling safety, of the personal, environmental and community benefits of cycling, and of cycling resources.
For the first year (spring 2005) we will distribute the guide to households in Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond and New Westminster, with a combined population of about half of that of our target audience. These are the municipalities most likely to embrace the guide as these are the most densely populated cities in the region.
BEST will also develop a web site dedicated to the cycling guide that will contain more in-depth and detailed information not included in the hard copy guide delivered to each home (which will be magazine style, 8 by 10.5, 20 pages). This site will be promoted on and linked to our existing web site, and will be highly promoted through the Cycling Guide, and all of our other project, program and general BEST promotional materials, including our annual Bike Month flyer, with upwards of 110,000 copies distributed annually.
While it is not feasible at this point to produce copies of the Guide in other languages, the Guide will contain instructions in Chinese, French, Hindi, Spanish and Vietnamese guiding people to the web site which will contain basic information in each of these languages. The map may also be of use to people whose knowledge of English is limited, so this text will inform them of the map as well.
Work Plan/Key Milestones
|
Article I. Activity |
Article II. Timeline |
2005 | |
Funding confirmed |
January |
Ad sales |
January/February |
Produce Content |
Article III. January/February |
|
Article IV. Media Sponsorship |
Article V. January/February |
Graphic Design |
February 1/March 15 |
|
Article VI. Web Site |
March |
Proofing |
Article VII. March 10/March 15 |
2005 | |
Printing |
March 20/March 30 |
|
Article VIII. Promotion |
March 20 April 15 |
Distribution |
April 1 to 15 |
|
Article IX. ConsumerScope Survey |
May |
|
Article X. Wrap-up |
July 15 to August 15 |
Budget
|
a) Costs & Expenditures |
Amount Required |
source:
|
Source:
|
Professional services · Graphic design
|
$24,650 |
$17,650 |
$7,000
|
Personnel and benefits |
$42,000 |
$42,000 |
$0 |
Purchase of equipment, software, hardware and other fixed assets |
$500 |
$500 |
$0 |
Administrative costs (including rental of office space, printing telephone, office supplies) |
$12,350 |
$12,350 |
$0 |
Public outreach and communication materials and activities · Printing
|
$163,900 |
$125,500 |
$37,400 (Newspaper and radio ads, partial distribution) |
Total |
$243,400 |
$198,000 |
$45,400 |
Funding Source |
CASH |
VALUE -IN-KIND |
Transport Canada (MOST Program)
|
$58,000 |
$0 |
TransLink
|
$50,000 |
$0 |
TransLink (ConsumerScope survey) |
$0 |
$7,000 |
Advertising Sales |
$40,000 |
$0 |
VanNet (distribution) |
$0 |
$5,400 |
VanNet (advertising) |
$0 |
$16,000 |
City of Vancouver |
$20,000 |
$0 |
Other Regional Municipalities |
$30,000 |
$0 |
Local Radio Stations |
$0 |
$16,000 |
Total |
$198,000 |
$44,400 |
