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BUREAU OF ROAD FAIRNESS — OFFICE OF PUBLIC AWARENESS

BUREAU OF ROAD FAIRNESS — INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM

TO:
ALL MOTORISTS
FROM:
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
FILED BY:
Chief Instructor, Office of Rider Instruction
DATE:
MARCH 8, 2025
RE:
CIVILIZATION 101: TEACHING CYCLISTS HUMAN DECENCY

CIVILIZATION 101: Teaching Cyclists Human Decency

Stern workshop instructor delivering the cyclist decency curriculum at the front of the classroom
FIG. 1 — STERN WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR DELIVERING THE CYCLIST DECENCY CURRICULUM AT THE FRONT OF THE CLASSROOM. SOURCE: BUREAU ARCHIVES.

INSTRUCTIONAL MEMORANDUM — On the conduct and measured outcomes of the Rider Courtesy Workshop.

Filed by the Office of Rider Instruction.

The Office reports that the road-courtesy curriculum was delivered as scheduled and that measured adoption, while positive, was incremental.

WORKSHOP OF RECORD

Session Metrics

  • 200+ attendees
  • 1 measured baseline assessment
  • 94.2% baseline non-adoption on first presentation (n = 200)
  • 0 participation trophies issued

Curriculum Coverage

  • Signalized intersections: not discretionary
  • Single-file operation where overtaking is required
  • Shared right-of-way and its allocation
  • Applicable traffic statute, in effect

OBSERVATIONS FROM THE SESSION

The Office entered the session anticipating resistance to the curriculum and calibrated the instruction accordingly. The measured baseline confirmed the estimate; adoption, where it occurred, was recorded and is reported below.

“We came, we instructed, and we moved measured collective road intelligence by 0.03%. The Office logs the figure without embellishment.”

— Michael Chen, Chief Decency Instructor

PARTICIPANTS SHOWING ADOPTION

A minority of attendees registered measurable adoption within the session. The Office records the outcome as evidence that the curriculum is not, in principle, inert.

  • 3 attendees registered acknowledgment on the record
  • 2 submitted substantive questions
  • 1 self-identified as a prior non-adopter

KEY POINTS ENTERED INTO THE CURRICULUM

  • Signalized intersections are not optional installations
  • The roadway is a shared right-of-way, not a training venue
  • Single-file operation applies where overtaking is required
  • Allocation of right-of-way is defined by statute, not by mass

Enroll on Form AAR-101

FIELD NOTE: Post-session sampling indicates continued uncertainty among some attendees regarding full-stop procedure. Instruction continues.

WORKSHOP METHODOLOGY & MATERIALS

Stern Teacher at Workshop
FIG. 2 — CHIEF DECENCY INSTRUCTOR ADDRESSING THE ASSEMBLED ATTENDEES. SOURCE: FIELD UNIT 5.

The curriculum was designed to reach attendees across the observed adoption range. Combining outcome data, staged demonstrations, and direct instruction, the Office of Rider Instruction developed a module addressing each of the submitted justifications on the record.

Materials included the reference pamphlet “Applicability of Traffic Statute to Bicycle Operation: A Review” and the accompanying workbook “Right-of-Way Conduct: 101 Documented Practices.”

SESSION BREAKDOWN

Morning Session — Fundamentals of Right-of-Way Conduct

  • Applicable traffic statute, reviewed
  • Signalized intersections and full-stop procedure
  • Right-of-way as allocated, not asserted

Afternoon Session — Advanced Courtesy Procedures

  • Single-file operation where overtaking is required
  • Hand signals as a required communication
  • Yielding procedure

Evening Session — Commitment & Follow-Through

  • Pledge signing
  • Support-group formation
  • Structured follow-up program

THE RIDER PLEDGE

Official AARBAA Rider Commitment

As a participating rider, I commit to:

  1. Stop at all signalized intersections, including when unobserved
  2. Operate single file where vehicles require passing room
  3. Signal before turns and lane changes
  4. Refrain from treating the public roadway as a competitive venue
  5. Acknowledge that technical apparel confers no special road privilege
  6. Remember that a carbon-fiber frame is not vibranium and does not suspend physics
  7. Accept that cafés are not designated bicycle staging
  8. Understand that a car horn is a signal, not applause

Rider Signature: ________________________

FUTURE SESSIONS: On the strength of the measured, if incremental, results, AARBAA will hold quarterly rider-courtesy workshops through 2025. Registration is open for the June session, which adds the module “Peer Communication on Right-of-Way Conduct.”

WORKSHOP RESOURCES

  • Workshop Slides (PDF)
  • Curriculum Workbook
  • Pledge Certificate Template

Direct records requests to the Office of Rider Instruction, or file on Form AAR-101.

HOST A SESSION

Bring the Rider Courtesy Workshop to your jurisdiction. Trained facilitators are available. Request Information

*The Office notes that outcomes vary and that adoption is not uniform across attendees.