Publications, Papers and Presentations

Professor John Pucher's papers and presentations on cycling policies and trends:

• All of John Pucher's papers and presentations
• Cycling Towards a More Sustainable Transport Future
• Making Cycling Irresistible
• Analysis of Bicycling Trends and Policies in Large North American Cities: Lessons for New York

Dave Horton's fascinating papers:

• Fear of Cycling
• Social Movements and the Bicycle

Cycling policy expertise from the Netherlands:

• Fietsberaad

An enchanting paper on the dynamics needed to change behaviors:

• Fostering Sustainable Behavior

Safety in Numbers is one of the most important arguments for increasing bicycling:

• Safety in Numbers - updated 2015
• Safety in Numbers - Jacobsen Article 2003
• Safety in Numbers - Summary 2003

A few papers on helmets:

• Helmets – Spain’s
• Helmet law outcomes

An inspirational paper particularly good for bike commuting programs:

• Getting More People Cycling

A lovely presentation on an excellent model for welcoming bikes on trains:

• City Nightline

An excellent presentation on this popular street design solution:

• Road diet ppt

An overview:

• Netherlands bike parking standards

A few insightful and inspiring papers on the importance of transportation equity:

• The Bicycle: Vehicle to Health and Social Equality by Paul K. Simpson, M.D.
• The Bicycle: Vehicle for a Small Planet, Worldwatch 1989
• Traffic's Human Toll
• Whose Roads? by Todd Litman

 An edgy paper on bringing bicycling to climate change discussions:

• Climate Change – Norwegian

Source: www.OneStreet.org

Starting an Organization

Starting an organization is the most exciting journey you can embark on. Okay, so maybe we’re a little biased here. But of all of the adventures any of us can imagine, not one beats starting an organization for long term satisfaction and gratification. That is of course, if the organization thrives and actually does what it was founded to do.

So, while we are always thrilled to help new leaders start new organizations, we take the process very seriously in order to offer guidance for establishing the most enduring structural elements. Some of these elements apply to all types of organizations – non-profit/NGOs, for-profit corporations, government agencies and committees, local, state, national, international. Others apply only to specific types.

First, before you embark on this journey, make sure no other organizations with similar missions already exist in your area. You might find such an organization and by offering your assistance to them, reach your goal of increasing bicycling far sooner than if you had spent the time building a brand new organization. Too many new organization leaders don't take the time to find out about existing organizations. Such redundancies impair the effectiveness of both organizations and waste limited resources.

If you find that your area truly is in need of a new organization, here is a brief overview and resources for starting an organization. Make sure to, please contact us early on in the process to get our feedback. Every organization is unique, but there are many common mistakes we can help you avoid. Also, visit our Management page for even more resources.

The “Six Ps” of Healthy Organizations:

PEOPLE

All that is needed to form an organization is two or more people to come together in order to make a specific change, as a group rather than as individuals. Voila! That’s it. You’ve got an organization. All the other stuff simply adds to the structure. So always remember that people are the most important element of your organization. Without them, you’re just another individual.

Choose your first fellow leaders with great care. Try for at least five as this is a good variety of brains and hearts to create a robust purpose and structure for the organization. Together you will be the founders of this organization and will set the tone for many generations. However, if you do not choose them well, your organization won’t last but a few painful years. Continue this rule of cautious invitations to potential leaders throughout the life of the organization in order to preserve and build on your respected, widely beneficial reputation. This way you will avoid attracting people who want to lead the organization for their own benefit or their own short-sighted initiatives.

Once you’ve brought together your fellow founding leaders, work towards these important goals for the people of your organization:

• Teamwork
• A strong and respected executive director, owner or agency director.
• Many regular volunteers who offer their time to increase bicycling.
• A culture of compassion, respect and kindness towards each other.
• A backdrop of fun and pride to be part of the team
• All leaders work together towards the organization’s mission.
• All leaders take part in regular, on-going planning; meetings are fun.
• Substantial and growing dues paying membership, customer list or public participation with regular communications.

PURPOSE

You will have a certain idea of the purpose of this new organization. The other leaders you invite to become founding leaders will agree with you, but will have different perspectives on this core purpose. These varying perspectives will combine into a much more powerful mission statement than any one of you could have created alone. One of your first meetings must be to determine the purpose of the organization and vote to approve the mission statement that will guide the organization throughout its life.

The mission statement must clearly state the unique and needed purpose of the organization in just one, easily remembered sentence so that all leaders can learn it and proudly adhere to it. Use the One Street template at this early meeting to develop your mission, vision, values and goals for the organization.

Also at an early meeting that includes discussion of purpose, choose the name of the organization – this is lots of fun! Make sure to avoid boring names or ones that will be confused with other similar organizations. And don’t make it too long! You need people to relate to and remember this name.

PROJECTS/PRODUCTS

Your constituents or customers will look for lively interesting projects and products from your organization. In order to gain their support, either financially or through mobilization for campaigns, you need to show them your organization is doing its job. Here are a few important goals to shoot for:

• Real measurements of increasing bicycling such as more bikeways, thousands of children educated, millions of dollars expended on bicyclists’ safety.
• Innovative products designed to encourage new riders complete with promotions.
• Always three projects, programs or products underway that are increasing bicycling.

POLICIES

Policies are only as good as the culture of the organization, so start by creating and preserving a culture of ethics, kindness and respect towards everyone. Once you are confident this culture is inherent throughout the organization, establish:

• Legal compliance – for U.S. non-profits, we recommend incorporating as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization through the IRS.
• Complimentary roles and responsibilities, agreed to and respected by all.
• A workplan/budget approved by all leaders and followed each year.
• High quality documents to help guide the team such as:
• • Mission/vision/values/goals
  • Bylaws
  • Letters of Commitment
  • Employee Agreements
  • Employee Handbook 
  • Ethical Policies 

PROMOTION

You cannot attract the people or the funding necessary to build and grow your organization without an on-going, comprehensive promotions system that includes:

• All victories, product releases and new efforts are promoted through the media, the organization’s web site and other innovative channels.
• Ideally an organizational identity manual or at least strict use of the same logo, colors, patterns and taglines.
• Professional appearance and respected reputation.
• Media always call the organization first for bicycling info.
• Regular system of news stories, press releases, newsletters, communication and web site updates.
• Creative ads and marketing mechanisms.
• Most constituents know and appreciate the organization.

PAYMENT

This final P emphasizes the end goal of fundraising and promotions efforts. Unless the constituents, customers or agencies actually pay, these efforts will be meaningless. So make sure your organization has all the elements in place to ask for and receive payments, including:

• Dues from members, no less than $25 per year, including a system for asking, thanking and requesting renewals.
• Fees for services.
• Diverse funding sources that include members/donors, government funding, and program fees.
• For-profit corporations understand the value of products that increase bicycling and invest appropriately, though payment may come in the future.
• Government agencies assist in tapping government funding for increasing bicycling.

Source: www.OneStreet.org

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Management

Good management must start with good ethics. No checklist of management tools will save an organization with a culture of unethical behavior. And from the other side, if all leaders of an organization are following the highest standards of ethics, even the most difficult management decisions will benefit the organization and all people involved. So, please visit our Ethics page.

We will continually add resources to this page including templates and models. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll help you find what you need.

Management includes two main sections and important guidelines to go with each:

PEOPLE

• A commitment from all to work toward the organization’s mission
• Complimentary roles and responsibility understood by all
• A culture of respect and kindness
• Regular, fun meetings that build teamwork and a sense of team pride
• A great volunteer system – read this article for ideas
• High quality documents to help guide the team such as:
  • Bylaws Template
  • Executive Director’s Agreement (not time-limited, refer to bylaws for removal)
  • Employee Handbook - organization sample
  • Employee Handbook - bike shop sample
  • Employment Agreement Template
  • Job Announcement sample operations staff
  • Job Description sample Executive Director
  • Letter of Commitment
  • Mission / vision / values / goals
  • Priority Matrix
  • Non-profit NGO laws in your country: www.icnl.org

MONEY

• Roles that clearly state who is responsible for daily financial management and who is responsible for reviewing financial documents
• A culture of constant fundraising and looking for fundraising opportunities, take a look at our Fundraising Tips – The Direct Ask 
• A team effort to annually approve a work plan/budget and then ensure it is met
• High quality financial elements to help guide the team such as:
  • Work plan/budget approved by all leaders each year (sample coming soon); note: never work with one of these without the other
  • A cash flow chart for the team to analyze and adjust throughout the year
  • Diverse funding sources and assignments given to specific people; sources for non-profits and NGOs should be balanced between members/donors, government funding, and earned income such as from events and programs
  • Membership fees that start no lower than $25 because each member will actually COST the organization this much in recording, thanking and renewal request costs
  • A quality bookkeeping program that an accountant can work with such as Quickbooks
  • A trusted and trustworthy accountant to at least do the organization’s tax paperwork, and ideally a full audit, each year
  • A team understanding that foundation grants are highly competitive and, unless you know someone at the foundation, should be the lowest priority for fundraising. Grant Proposal Tips

Source: www.OneStreet.org

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Ethics

We must assume that when Thomas Jefferson wrote this statement, he meant any organization brought together by humans:

"In every government on earth is some trace of human weakness, some germ of corruption and degeneracy, which cunning will discover, and wickedness insensibly open, cultivate and improve."
--Thomas Jefferson: Notes on Virginia, 1782.

And five years later, James Madison, another Founding Father of the United States, warned in his Federalist paper Number 10, 1787:

“The smaller the society, the fewer probably will be the distinct parties and interests composing it; the fewer the distinct parties and interests, the more frequently will a majority be found of the same party; and the smaller the number of individuals composing a majority, and the smaller the compass within which they are placed, the more easily will they concert and execute their plans of oppression.”

These may be heavy warnings, but moving into an ethical culture will actually lift a great burden from your organization. Once you and your fellow leaders commit to relentlessly upholding a culture of ethics, you will find that energy-draining tensions will ease and all of your efforts will once again focus on the purpose of your organization.

One Street leaders and supporters know firsthand the value of ethical leadership that sets respect and the dignity of others as primary. We have also all witnessed the costs of wickedness and oppression. This is why we take ethics so seriously. And because each of us knows the importance of getting it right, we have made ethics guidance a priority for increasing bicycling by uplifting organizations to a level of kindness and caring for others.

This page will regularly evolve as we discuss and learn the nature of ethics for One Street, to help us reach our goals as well as become a model for others. In fact, this page will never be finished because we know too well that ethics cannot be captured in words. It is the process of discussing and striving for ethics in your own organization that will cause an ethical culture to override the wickedness Jefferson warned will always haunt us. If this subject is near and dear to you, please contact us to take part in this ongoing ethics discussion.

WHAT IS/ARE ETHICS?

Most definitions of ethics seem to lump this term into conveniently distant categories that only create more questions:

• The science or study of morals (So what are morals? And is this just for scientists?)
• Standards that govern the conduct of a person, especially a member of a profession (My profession? If so, where are these standards?)
• A set of principles of right conduct (What’s right conduct and where do I find this set?)
• The ability to distinguish between right and wrong (How do I know if I have this ability?)

None of these definitions help in the least when a leader of an organization feels they are facing an ethical challenge. At One Street we answer many calls and emails from leaders with ethical concerns. We start every response with this all important question:

How is your action going to affect others?

From our experience, this question guides every ethical concern towards an ethical solution because in the end, ethics is always about helping rather than harming others.

CODES OF ETHICS

We are all tempted to try to capture ethics in a short list of words. Codes of ethics are certainly a good tool to include in your organization’s toolbox of guiding documents. But a quick search of the web for ethics will show that no two codes of ethics match. Some, especially for for-profit corporations, focus entirely on financial management leaving out the treatment of people; in other words they are totally results oriented... no matter how these results are achieved. Other codes of ethics take on the treatment of people but have so obviously been overworked by the obsession of financial results, no clear guidance emerges for the treatment of people.

The best codes of ethics we have found, focus back to the mission and values of the organization, not financial results. This seems to work fairly well because, generally, organizations are formed with the intention of helping others. Whether it is a for-profit corporation offering a helpful new product, a non-profit working for positive change, or a government agency serving the needs of constituents, the original intentions, captured in the mission and values, are generally good (we’ll skip organizations formed for ill purposes...). In these good examples we find terms such as: kindness, dignity, respect, dedication to every clients’ needs, constituent rights, concern for civil society, etc.

And perhaps most importantly, the best codes of ethics include an on-going process of discussion and participation by the leaders of the organization to not only ensure they are adhered to, but that discussions lead to continuous upgrades of the code. Some offer ethics help lines for employees to report unethical behavior with complete protection. Others regularly survey leaders and staff as to how well the code is being met.

But again, no matter the words or the tools your code of ethics uses, the level of ethical culture your organization achieves is what really matters. When a crisis or opportunity hits, this will mean the difference between wickedness or ethics commanding the outcome.

RESOURCES & SAMPLES

One of the most impressive examples we’ve found of an organization guided by ethics is the Swiss organization Ethos, established to watchdog investment activities www.ethosfund.ch.

Enjoy this video interview with the New York Times Magazine ethics columnist, Randy Cohen, that shows ethics must be primary to transportation design: http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/transportation-ethics/

We look forward to adding more resources and samples as we continue this ethics discussion. Please offer any that you have found valuable in your work as an organization leader and we will gladly post them. Thank you!

Source: www.OneStreet.org