Boston Herald, January 5, 1999
See note below for missing facts
(AP) A 54-year-old Lowell man was in serious condition today after beingstruck by a cyclist on Summer Street in Boston.
The accident happened on Monday, the first business day after a newlaw regulating bicycle couriers went into effect. Police were trying todetermine whether the cyclist is in fact a courier. If so he could facefines of up to $125.
The legislation, which went into effect Jan. 1, requires bicycle couriersto have licenses, identification numbers, license plates and $200,000 insurancecoverage. The law was spurred by another accident when a courier ran downa school official.
Alex Taylor, wearing an orange hat, sunglasses and a bike chain as anaccessory, is one of hundreds of bicycle couriers in the city concernedover the new regulations.
``Now that we're insured, we're big targets to be sued,'' said Taylor,a Boston Bicycle Couriers messenger.
The 25-year-old said it has been easy to point fingers at couriers becausethe group - many of which often don brightly colored hairdos, tattoos andpiercings - is hard to miss.
``We've been singled out because we're unrepresented and visible,''said Taylor, who also complained that the metal bicycle plate is too sharpand close to the seat.
``It can potentially gouge the leg,'' he said.
Other critics question the logic that requires cyclists to carry muchmore insurance than taxi drivers and complain that insurance is difficultand costly for many small bike messenger companies to obtain.
The law comes more than a year after a bicycle courier crashed intoWilliam Spring, a Boston bank executive and school committee member whowas in a coma for five weeks after the October 1997 accident. Angry officialsbrought the initiative to the City Council, who passed the measure in June.
Spring, who was 62 at the time of the accident, has mostly recoveredbut wears an eye patch. He hopes the new law will result in fewer injuriesand deaths.
Boston police estimate 30 couriers and 60 pedestrians are injured everyyear. The city has about 250 licensed couriers.
``I'm very hopeful (about the ordinance),'' Spring said. ``Boston isa walkable city and it has to remain a city you can walk in safety.''
Messengers contend inattentive pedestrians who jaywalk or walk rightin their path account for many accidents.
Boston Police Lt. Jim Curran said the ordinance is not intended to brandcouriers as ``bad people.''
``A lot of people do jaywalk, but it comes down to the pedestrian hasthe right of way,'' Curran said.
Curran said road violations such as running a red light or riding onthe sidewalk can incur a fine of $20 for couriers. Fines are steeper forriding without an ID or plate. Three violations can run up to $300.
Sgt. Det. Margot Hill, Boston police spokeswoman, said the 23-year-oldcyclist who struck the Lowell man Monday was an employee of Brookline-basedBoston Express Delivery Services.
He was apparently riding a personal bicycle, and not delivering a packagefor the company at the time of the accident.
Hill said Boston Express is not licensed to operate a bicycle courierservice in the city of Boston. If the cyclist is not a messenger, he canstill be fined $25 for riding the wrong way on a one way street, Hill said.
Since much of the reporting in this accident isselective when it comes to the facts, Messengerville has includedsome. These types of serious accidents involving bike couriers are extremelyrare. The Gladstone/Spring accident occurred when a pedestrian (WilliamSpring) ran across the street against a red light and collided with thecyclist (Gladstone) who was proceeding through a green light.
The bicycle messenger ordinance in effect at the time already requiredbicycle couriers to have licenses, wear visible identification numbers,and have license plates on their bikes. It also required messenger companiesto register with the city. Much to the dismay of the anti-bike types, theonly new requirement is insurance. Automobile couriers face no similarrequirements.
Since the accident took place at an intersection crosswalk Gladstonewas ticketed because, under the law vehicles must yield to pedestriansin the crosswalk - even if the pedestrian is jaywalking. The fines he receivedwere: "$100 for not wearing the vest required under a city ordinance;$100 for not being licensed, and $20 under the state law mandating deferenceto pedestrians in crosswalks. In other words $200 for bureaucratic violationsand $20 for traffic violations.
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