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Local authorities can help encourage more people to take up cycling, but a sustained communications strategy is required, as Cheryl Campsie explains. Cycling is moving up the agenda of many councils, as they recognise its potential to contribute to a swathe of local strategic outcomes. From tackling traffic congestion to improving the local environment, from promoting healthy lifestyles to improving confidence in young people, cycling is growing in importance. The National Cycling Strategy and the last transport White Paper reflect both how central government is upping the role of cycling and how it sees local government as a key player in bringing about change – including through the two rounds of Cycling Towns in 2005 and 2008. But, we should not underestimate just how tough it is to reverse decades of falling levels of cycling. The most effective strategies deploy an integrated approach which recognises this is as much about winning people's hearts and minds to cycling, as getting cycle lanes in the right place. And this means treating communications as a central pillar of the overall strategy to increase local cycling levels. So, how do we ensure communications really deliver this effectively? There are, perhaps, five hallmarks of success for local campaigns to get people on their bikes. Strategic and long term One key feature of successful communication is ensuring your audience get a clear, consistent message – whether it's a story on local radio, on the council website or via a child's school newsletter. It is critical to be clear of exactly what you want to achieve with your different local audiences, and tailor your communications around this. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. And a one-off event or media splash – no matter how good – is unlikely to have great impact on changing behaviour, unless it is part of a sustained campaign. A planned, proactive and persistent campaign can deliver much more than the sum of the parts. Revolve around your audience A big mistake is to think that because the policy priorities are, say, a better local environment or cutting congestion, then this becomes the priority for communications. To change behaviour, we must understand what people think and feel about cycling – not what we think they think – and develop a campaign which addresses the attitudinal barriers that stop them taking up cycling, alongside tapping into the things that motivate them. For example, parents might want a better local environment, but unless one addresses their fears about safety, they are unlikely to let their children cycle to school. Make your campaign stand out A campaign must have a clear, core campaign proposition which addresses the attitudinal ‘barriers' and ‘motivators' to taking up cycling – and which passionately ‘sells' the benefits all audiences will enjoy if they do. Then take the time to bring this to life – so that it becomes engaging, motivating and stands out from the information-clutter everyone faces. Stakeholders do the talking While many councils are used to working with a range of local stakeholders on issues including cycling, they don't always capitalise on these to maximise communications impact. Stakeholders are often better placed than the local authority to deliver a particular message to target audiences. For example, a doctor or nurse urging you to cycle for your health is likely to be more persuasive than the council doing so directly. Targeting stakeholders can also bring about the changes in wider policy and practice beyond the council's remit. For example, to increase the number of residents cycling to work, a council might need the support of local businesses – to provide good facilities – but crucially, to support an internal culture change where people won't feel out of place arriving at work wearing Lycra! Importance of working with the media Consistently promoting cycling to your audience via the local media is an important way of normalising cycling. The Olympics has helped improve the image of cycling in general, and with the rise of the ethical consumer, green behaviours are becoming more desirable. However, there are often reasons why the local and regional media might be anti-cycling. Coupled with this, many council press offices work under tremendous pressure fire-fighting, with a positive proactive media campaign getting squeezed out. However, a phased, focused campaign generating a series of local media stories which address the issues around, for example, perceptions of safety and comfort, can deliver coverage which drives behaviour change. Cheryl Campsie is a project director at the social and environmental change communications agency Forster, which runs the communications campaign for Bike Week and is working with Shrewsbury and Atcham BC, one of the new Cycling Towns.

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Pedalling the benefits of cycling

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