The Coloradoan: Sticker campaign urges bike safety
Nov. 2, 2011Â
Written by
David Young
It’s not clear if a free sticker campaign to raise awareness about bicyclists is making the road safer, but it is making an imprint on more than a few vehicles’ mirrors.
Fort Collins Bike Co-op’s “Watch for Bikes!” sticker campaign has distributed nearly 10,000 free stickers to make motorists more aware of cyclists since its inception in February 2010.
The Safe Cycling Program of the Bike Co-op has ordered an additional 10,000 more of the stickers that read “Watch for bikes!” after running low on their supply since last winter, said Rick Price, the co-op’s safe cycling coordinator, who paid $320 for the first batch of stickers himself. The co-op is funding the new order for the same price.
Part of the reason for the new order is the pending time change Sunday, when there is potential for more accidents.
“According to the city Transportation Department, they see an increase in bike/car crashes when clocks are set back for the end of daylight savings time,” Price said. “So, we’ve ordered another batch to make motorists aware of all the bikes on the road.”
The stickers are designed to go on the bottom of the rearview mirror on the driver’s side of a vehicle; however, the city of Fort Collins has decided to put them on the windshield just below the oil change sticker. So far, the co-op has delivered 1,200 stickers to the city’s motor pool, Price said.
Price said as far as he knows the stickers do not obstruct the view in the mirror at all and that the reason the city opted to place them on the windshield was for risk-management purposes.
At the CSU Smart transportation fair in October, Price said, three campus agencies requested stickers and the co-op gave out 3,000 stickers to the Colorado State University motor pool, parking services and to the CSU Police Department.
While Price said there is no data to show if the stickers are making any tangible impact in the community, he said every time he hears about a car versus cyclist crash, he sees the need for the stickers.
“How many cars are there in town?” Price asked. “We have given out 9,000 stickers, close to 10,000. We’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg.”
