WPHF Grant Supports Effort to Improve Civility and Safety on the Roads
A diverse group of local citizens, dedicated to creating a safe, civil and friendly traffic environment that supports walking and cycling for exercise, recreation and short trips, has partnered with the Florida Bicycle Association (FBA) to receive a $55,000 grant from the Winter Park Health Foundation through its Community Health Policy Work Group.
Called the “Civility Coalition,” the group is planning a social marketing campaign that will uncover the root causes of incivility on the road, determine a target audience, and find ways to guide target behaviors. Coalition members now serve as an advisory board to the project for the FBA.
The Civility Coalition is a grassroots initiative of local citizens, most of whom are new to social marketing. They will be led by the FBA, an 11-year-old nonprofit advocacy organization with strong volunteer support, but a small staff. FBA has retained a well-established social marketing firm to provide strategic planning and effective communication strategies for its Advisory Board.
The first step is a research project to uncover the root causes of incivility, determine a target audience, and guide the choice of behaviors the group hopes to influence and ultimately change. It will begin with the cities of Maitland, Winter Park and the town of Eatonville. The results of that research will be used to develop a message that resonates with the target audience of drivers and changes their behavior. In the future, the message will be tested and measured for its effectiveness and if it is successful, utilized outside the area.
The idea to form a Civility Coalition was submitted during the idea phase of the Think~Act~Be Healthy Communities initiative launched in November, 2007. The Civility Coalition represents drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, law enforcement, safety councils, transportation officials and other stakeholders needed to ensure a diverse representation from many sides of the issue.
