The media—newspaper and radio and
television/cable stations—are resources right at your fingertips and can
easily bolster support for addressing your roadway problems. The media can be
used to
- Introduce a roadway problem
- Highlight governmental
activity or inactivity on an issue
- Reinforce the need for continued support
surrounding a particular project
A cautionary note: The media need not
be placed in an adversarial role. Working
with the system is always
best; use the media to
support and applaud your collaborative efforts.
With this in mind, citizens can
- Write press releases and letters to
the editor (sample found in the appendix of this Guide).
- Call into community
radio talk shows.
- Arrange for television and radio coverage of safety
initiatives.
- Orchestrate interviews on television and radio shows.
The
following figure shows how a local organization—AAA Potomac—worked with
the media to get government support for lifesaving roadway improvements to Northern
Virginia's George Washington Parkway.
Washington, DC's George Washington Parkway has been the scene of many motor
vehicle crashes over the years. In a 10-month period between April 1996 through
February 1997, for example, five people lost their lives and three people were
injured. Created as a scenic roadway and built in the 1930's for relaxing country
driving, its purpose has changed, and it has become a major thoroughfare between
Maryland and Virginia, carrying approximately 45,000 cars per day. Major problems
stemmed from an absence of barriers between the northbound and southbound lanes,
resulting in head-on collisions.
In 1997, AAA Potomac "declared war"
on the George Washington Parkway to make it safer, insisting that barriers to
separate the flow of traffic be installed immediately.
AAA officials also
noted that needless head-on collisions would continue until barriers were in place
and speed better controlled on the Parkway.
A 1989 National Park Service
Report had confirmed the need for and recommended installation of such barriers,
and AAA said that the time to act was now!
So began an intensive three-week
media campaign to change government inactivity into life-saving government activity.
A series of crashes in 1997 prompted a dozen media stories, and AAA Potomac was
invited to participate with Congressmen Jim Moran and Frank Wolf and Park Superintendent
Audrey Calhoun in a major press conference beside the Parkway, announcing installation
of barriers within 60 days.
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