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| Wal-Mart Manager Roger Ferris diswcusses the Be a Roll Model program with Randy Victory, vice president of the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition. |
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Last year, through a grant funded by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, ADOT announced a program to raise bicycle safety awareness in Arizona.
The program was designed by bicycle advocates, law enforcement officers, government representatives, and the Gordley Design Group of Tucson.
Bicycle advocates included members of the ADOT Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee, the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists, and the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition.
The program, dubbed Be a Roll Model, included radio spots, newspaper advertising, bumper stickers, educational flyers/posters, and hang-tags. The hang-tags were intended to educate both cyclists and motorists and were to be attached to new bicycles sold in bike shops and big-box retailers.
It was decided to test the Roll Model program in an Arizona community before taking the program statewide.
Many communities, including Bullhead City, Mesa, and Tucson, submitted letters asking to serve as the pilot community.
Representatives from Sedona, Clarkdale, and Cottonwood, including Mayor Diane Joens and the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition sent letters of support.
It was the Verde Valley that eventually received the go-ahead by ADOT. The program was launched in May which is National Bike Month, using radio spots and newspaper advertising.
On Nov. 10, Randy Victory, vice president of the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition, and Cottonwood Mayor Diane Joens met with Wal-Mart Manager Jason Ferris to discuss distribution of the program materials at the local Wal-Mart.
Ferris was enthusiastic about the public safety program as Wal-Mart makes an excellent distribution point for the GOHS/ADOT program due to the large numbers of bicycles sold there.
By the next day, Ferris had followed through with his vow to support the program, and every bicycle at Wal-Mart included a Be a Roll Model hang-tag and a bumper sticker.
With the support of Wal-Mart, bike shops, government, and bicycle advocates, the program has the potential to educate huge numbers of cyclists and motorists as the program goes statewide in 2009.
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