CESTA

Promotion of Bicycle and Tricycle Use in El Salvador

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DEVELOPMENT OF A BICYCLE CONSCIOUSNESS

The general objective to be accomplished in this area is

To develop a strong and permanent conviction among the Salvadorean population about the need to use a bicycle.

The success of the bicycle promotion progran is going to be measured by the level of bicycle and tricycle use that can be achieved in the country. To achieve a high level of bicycle and tricycle use it is necessary to generate and develop in the different sectors of the population a strong and permanent conviction about the need to use such transportation means.

To develop a bicycle consciousness it is important to send a clear message to the subjective and objective levels of human thought. At the objective level the message must clearly identify the economic, social, ecologic and political advantages for the individual and the society of a massive bicycle utilization program. At the subjective level the message must attempt to develop for the bicycle and its utilization a sense of value and importance, something similar to what the automobil industry has so cleverly done with the private car.

The consciousness message will be structured according to the social group to which it is directed. In some circumstances the emphasis will be placed on the objective aspects, in others the subjective aspects are going to take the leading role. But in every case, the message will appeal to both the objective and subjective feelings, because in order to develop a strong motivation for bicycle use it is important to have the objective knowledge of reality that shows the bicycle advantages and the subjective feeling of value for adopting that stile of life.

Some of the forms that the consciousness message may take are the following:

1. Articles in the scientific journals of the country
2. Newspaper articles
3. Propaganda campaigns
4. National simposiums and seminars on the bicycle as a transportation mode
5. Discussions with labor and student unions
6. Discussions with private enterprises
7. Discussions with traffic authorities
8. Development of high school and university courses in bicycle related issues
9. The promotion of studies to evaluate the potential and future bicycle use in El Salvador
10. The promotion of studies related to bicycle and tricycle planning in each town and village and the development of integral solutions to the traffic problem.