Political Ad Sets New Bar for Cycling Normalcy and Livable Streets Cred

A new ad from Emeryville Councilmember and Alameda County Supervisor District 4 candidate John Bauters features him riding a cargo bike with his dog.

Notably, cycling isn’t even the focus of the ad.

“I do love that it is a part of the piece but not the sole focus and it’s treated that way well, as a tool to move/secondary to the key messages John is putting out,” wrote Tom Flood, a reformed car-company ad executive who has dedicated his life to ‘undoing car culture.’ “Obviously he opens with ‘some call me America’s bike mayor’ but then quickly shifts to the relevant topics for his campaign.”

Clearly, safe-streets cred has become important in politics. It’s normal for politicians to seek the endorsement of bicycle advocacy groups—in this current election cycle, think of San Francisco Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who is up for re-election, endorsed by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.

With traffic violence continuing to cause so much pain and horror, perhaps it’s not surprising that politicians are starting to center safe-and-livable-streets issues. “We’re excited to see leaders like Mayor Bauters running on their commitment to safe streets and walkable communities,” wrote KidSafeSF advocate Robin Pam, in an email to Streetsblog. “These issues are increasingly popular with voters, as we’ve seen from a number of ballot measures across California over the past few years that have won with over 60 percent popular support.”

In fact, Bauters’ opponent in the race for Alameda County Supervisor, current Oakland City Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas has also featured cycling in her campaigns. In 2022, when Bas was running for Oakland Council re-election she produced an ad that featured her riding a bike with constituents around Lake Merritt.

As one advocate who asked not to be identified put it, “It’s definitely an embarrassment of riches to have two candidates who are both so bike-friendly. I wish we could spread this around evenly to more districts!”

“We need to continue to normalize the bike as transportation and if we can do it seamlessly and with ease, all the better!” added Flood.

Have you noticed evidence of cycling and other aspects of the safe-and-livable- streets movement getting normalized and even featured in political advertising and campaigns? Post your comments and links below.

The post Political Ad Sets New Bar for Cycling Normalcy and Livable Streets Cred appeared first on Streetsblog San Francisco.