Media Representation of Cycling in Ireland

Introduction Outline of Talk  Officialdom and the Campaign  The Media and Cycling  Conclusions

Start at the Top !!

Official Links....Advantages of a being a Small Country! Department of Transport:  Meeting with Minister  Member of National Bikeweek Committee  Consultee with Transport Agencies Local Authorities  Member of Cycling Forum  Member of Strategic Policy Committee  Strong liaison with L.A.s

General Communications Strategy sun_09_jan_2012_11point_font.pdf

Media Communications  Dublin Cycling Campaign – 15 years in existence – name well known  Formal Media Officer appointed via AGM  Also Chairperson deals with Media  Other members locally  Re Print and Radio/TV media we mainly have a 'reaction' input.  Difficult to get up-front unconnected positive stories into media

How about some +ve Media !?

The Irish Times - Monday, March 12, 2012 Commuters show a great Leap of faith PAMELA DUNCAN MORE Dublin commuters are leaving their cars at home and either getting on their bikes or opting for other forms of public transport. Measurements by Dublin City Council indicate that the number of private cars coming into the city has declined by almost 12 per cent in the past decade. The figures from the annual “cordon count”, which measures traffic in 33 locations on the Royal and Grand canals during the morning rush hour, show that, since 2006 when the tiger was still roaring, the volume of cars, goods vehicles, buses, motorcyclists and pedestrians all fell, while the number of cyclists rose by 42 per cent.

Then There's the BAD Side!!

Conclusions !?  Ideally any Campaign or organisation should have a Media/Communications Strategy  It is important to have a recognised and authorative spokesperson(s)  Media personnel must be contacted and relationships worked on  Most of the time we spend 'reacting' to media stories – we need to be out there researching and creating positive stories  Many 'Bad' stories can be turned into cycling 'Good' news