On the Road Again

by Ajay Bhardwaj
Edmonton Sun, April 1, 2001
 
 

Bill Thain has been kicked, punched and choked while doing his job. He's broken his elbow, his shoulder and dislocated his hip. But although he isn't making a fortune, Thain says he loves being a bike courier.

"It's the freedom," says the 15-year bike messenger. "I go from call to call, I route myself, I stop for a coffee when I want, I can visit with 40 to 60 people a day and talk about events, I don't have to punch a clock in the morning. That's hard to find.

"The only one I have to answer to is my wife," laughs the 33-year-old independent courier.

Thain, one of about 30 bike couriers in Edmonton, delivers eveything from balloons to architectural designs to prescriptions.

Legal documents are his speciality.

Once, he even delivered a pair of socks to a lawyer in a courtroom.

Matthew MacIntyre, 46, has carried many diverse packages - including specimens to hospitals and diamonds to retailers in West Edmonton Mall - during his 13 years as a two-wheeled messenger.

"That was dangerous because you knew what they were and other people knew what they were," he says, adding he was concerned for his safety on that assignment.

There are perils that go with the job. Thain recently broke his right elbow after a vehicle turned in front of him.

In an attempt to avoid a collision, Thain swerved, hit a curb and went head over heels onto the pavement.

He needed 12 hours of surgery, and doctors placed pins in his arm to help it heal.

"Accidents are a result of driver error and (couriers) not being seen in traffic," Thain claims. "It's the injuries that people sustain that gets rid of most people in this business."

After two weeks of recovery, Thain started working again, making his deliveries on foot until he was well enough to ride again.

MacIntyre, a former fast-food delivery driver, reckons bike couriering is the "most dangerous" occupation even though he's never been injured.

"The ETS buses love to run the yellow lights," says MacIntyre of MC Dispatch. "And because you're in a hurry, you want to step on your pedals but your sixth sense says that something's going to happen, and you stop."

Couriers, who earn between $3 and $40 per delivery based on distance and urgency, are caught in the nowhere world between pedestrians and motorists, Thain says. They just don't get any respect.

It was that lack of respect that became apparent a few years ago when Thain was nearly struck by a car. Angered, Thain gave the driver the finger. Then he found himself on the ground.

"I had this big gorilla guy on my back," says the five-foot-10, 230-pound Thain. "I was punched, kicked and choked," until he was unconscious. A passing ambulance crew stopped and pulled the attacker off. Police didn't lay criminal charges.

That incident was partly the reason Thain and other couriers around town formed the Associated Cycle Messengers of Edmonton in 1998.

Thain hopes the association will help clean up the image the public has of couriers.

Contrary to popular perception, they're not all crazy cyclists who cut off cars, run traffic lights and hurtle down sidewalks, Thain insists. When new couriers arrive on the job, veterans clue them into the rules.

Couriers are battling technology, too. While e-mail and fax machines have cut into their business, Thain is firing back.

"You can't stand in the way of progress," Thain says. He's using e-mail to advertise his business.

Thain has good messenger bloodlines. His younger brother was a bike courier until he quit to work with a computer company, while his father was a motorcycle courier in the Canadian army.

Thain started as a swamper, a delivery man's assistant, when he was just 14. At 17, he saw an advertisement for a bike courier and jumped at the opportunity. He's never looked back.

But with a wonky elbow, Thain figures it's time to start thinking about making his final delivery. He's hoping he can take what he's learned from the industry and turn it into an advertising and promotions job.
 

POETRY IN MOTION

For a change, city police aren't worried about a biker invasion.

Some 600 bicycle couriers are expected to pedal into Edmonton for the North American Cycle Courier Championships July 5 to 8 to put their pedal prowess on display.

They also want to promote what they call an environmentally friendly mode of transportation.

"We hope to get Edmonton back on their bikes," says local courier Bill Thain, who's the event's organizer. "If we can get Edmontonians out, we can educate drivers so we can have our space."

In the main event, fearless couriers will navigate obstacle courses composed of picnic tables and stairs at the University of Alberta campus. It will test couriers' endurance and ability to deliver under deadline.

Bob Lyon, a courier for 15 years, has already signed up.

"I figure I've been doing this job for a few years, I can't be too bad at this," says the 39-year-old.

He knows he'll be up against younger competitors but is up to the challenge.

"I'm hoping for experience to be on my side."

Other events include a "radio" toss during which competitiors must hurl a Nerf ball in a weighted leather case as far as they can.

A "longest skid" competition is also planned.

There will also be readings of poetry written by couriers and an exhibition of their photographs.