Name Survey: North Carolina Walk Roll Human Powered Transportation Alternatives Bike Group

Here are the results of the second name survey for the NC Walk & Roll Human-Powered Transportation Alternatives Bike/Walk Group or whatever it is to be called. I was happy to see Walk & Roll and other inclusive names do so well. I had thought there would be more votes overall, but everyone had a chance to vote, so there it is. 

A couple of cyclists said that it was the clear winner, to which one person pointed out they hadn't looked at all the IP addresses. I took that to mean they felt their own survery was flawed somehow, so I offered to host it on my site where people could sign in to vote. That suggestion went nowhere of course, but regenerated support for using the same survey system again, so that's good. But I hope they look at IP addresses and decide whatever they need to about that. It's no good taking a survey they don't trust, right? I think if the results had come out how they'd've liked, and had the clear winner confirmed their assumptions, especially had it been a more traditional name, the group might have gone with it then and decided right there. But no matter. So far, until there's a name, it's still their group.

Regardless, we decided to vote in another survey for the top three Total Vote choices. Then, in spite of our desire for an inclusive name, I pointed out that two similar versions of Bike/Walk did well. While this might have been a tactical error, and it is not what skaters would want because we'd like to be included in the name, it is worthy of note. The group decided it was fair to add one version of that name to the other three for the third survey. I'm hoping the next vote will go to an inclusive name, but now I fear the three inclusive ones may split this time! Ha! If it doesn't come out well for an inclusive name, we can make that point about checking IP addresses, ha!

That's OK. We (or they, as the case may be) want a great name that speaks clearly whether or not this is a bicycling and pedestrian group or whether it is broader and more inclusive of other modes of human-powered alternative transportation. In any case, I've played with the numbers to try to understand the responses, and here's what I came up with. Walk & Roll did well. Some other cool names did not, unfortunately.

The next meeting will be Sunday, December 2 in Greensboro.

NC Walk & Roll Coalition came in with half of the First Choice votes, and twice the sum of the next two First Choices.

Walk & Roll also won by a vote when summing the total number of First Choice, Second Choice and Third Choice votes. Human-Powered NC comes in a close second, being the favorite Second Choice and the second most popular Third Choice. 

I made up an Olympic medals scoring view to see if anything popped out, giving 3 points for First, 2 for Second, and 1 for Third. Walk & Roll trounces the rest in this schema, whether that's relevant or not, with Human-Powered second again. As the most popular Third Choice, NC Transportation Alternatives pops out (we still need to see if Transportation Alternatives in NYC would be OK with that, or if we need to ask). The Bike/Walk options split a good vote but even added together they don't outmedal Walk & Roll.

So much for that. And what do I like now? I like the official short name: Walk & Roll NC, but also Human-Powered NC then Transportation Alternatives after the discussion. The only real bummer would be Bike/Walk, for me, as that's a clear sign we don't have a group that cares for anything other than biking and walking...but that's their right too! 

For the long name?

Walk & Roll NC: a coalition for human-powered transportation alternatives.