Timeline
Give yourself at least a month to plan the forum; two months is preferable and allows more time to gather community input, collect surveys, gather partners, and disseminate publicity materials.
Collect public input ahead of time
Creating and collecting a Bike/Ped Safety Survey ahead of time will:
- Broaden the reach of your group and your forum
- Collect useful data to display at the event
- Help prioritize the goals for your committee
- Help demonstrate public support and pressure for improvements
- See HERE for a sample survey
Be Clear about the Purpose of your Forum
- Create awareness of Bike/Ped Committee and our goals
- Identify bike/ped problems and opportunities
- Prioritize needs
- Enlist volunteers for the committee, and for and other future activities
Create and introduce your agenda
- Introductions: hosts/ committee and attendees (keep brief: name, neighborhood, why interested, any particular professional or personal investments)
- Have someone from the committee– chair, town planner, etc.– give an overview of the committee, who they are and what they do, and any pertinent goings-on in town (i.e. if there is currently work happening on a stretch of sidewalk, a grant application going in, active SRTS programs, etc.)
- Consider allowing participants 5 – 10 minutes at the beginning to brainstorm/ jot down their own ideas of what needs to be addressed, what’s working and what’s not, challenges, etc. before bringing everyone into small groups or one big group to talk.
- Look at challenges/ opportunities on maps, record on poster paper, or can have people report out to the larger group while one committee member records in minutes
- Be clear with attendees about your committee’s next steps– what will you do with this information? How can people stay informed and/or get involved? Who can people direct questions to after the forum?
Participants
- Community members: business owners, parents, cyclists, members of aging adult community, young people, persons with disabilities, lower-income families, etc.
- Bicycle Coalition of Maine staff
- BCM Community Spokes
- City/town planner and/or city/town manager
- Other town staff
- At least one city/town council member
- Local Healthy Maine Partnership or other health promotion program staff
- Representative from your local Municipal Planning Organization or Regional Transportation Organization (i.e., PACTS, KACTS, BACTS, ATRC, etc)
- At least one school person– staff, PTO/PTA, or school board
Publicity and Marketing
Printed flyers and/or postcards distributed through:
- Schools (will often send home with kids if you provide the printed flyers)
- Community organizations
- Post at community locations (i.e. coffee shops, grocery stores, etc.) around town
Electronic:
- Ask that local HMPs, cycling clubs, Meet-up groups, and other community organizations include an announcement in their newsletter and/or e-blasts
- Create a Facebook event and invite community members
Other media:
- Announcements on municipal website
- Include on community calendar in local papers
- Include on town/ community marquees, signs, bulletins, etc.
Materials
- Large, detailed maps of entire municipality
- Flip charts for recording notes/ input in front of entire forum
- Easels and/or tape for flip charts/ paper
- Markers
- Sticky notes and sticky dots for marking up maps
- Printed bike/ped safety survey with self-addressed stamped envelopes for returning to committee
- Name tags and email signup list
- PA/ microphone if you expect a very large crowd
- Beverages and snacks
