Lindsey Kingston
Daily Free Press, December14, 1998

See note below for missing facts
 

In response to a home rule petition filedby a man injured last fall in a collision with a bicycle courier, BostonPolice announced last week the implementation of tough new laws regulatingcity bike messengers and the companies that employ them.

In October 1997, William Spring was crossingCommonwealth Avenue in front of his home when a bike courier ran througha red light and hit him, putting Spring in a coma for six weeks. [thecoma was medically induced by doctors to speed recovery]

[M-This is either completely recklessjournalism or an attempt to rewrite history. It was Spring who went throughthe red light and slammed into the courier. However Mr Spring was ableto use his influence and call in favours.]

"This was a wake-up call to get thingsin line," said police spokeswoman Margot Hill.

Under the new rules, set to take effectJan 1., bike couriers will be required to obtain annual licenses from thecity and carry insurance.

Each messenger will be assigned a licensenumber that must be prominently displayed on his bike and outer clothing,easing identification in case of an accident. Fines of up to $300 can beimposed if messengers fail to carry their licenses or display their numbers.

"If you can't identify them, you can'thold them accountable," Hill said. "This ordinance will change that."

If couriers change employers or go independent,they must re-register with the city so their whereabouts are always known.

Courier services will also be requiredto carry insurance for their messengers-- at least $50,000 in propertycoverage and $100,000 to cover personal injury or death.

As part of the new rules, police say theywill crack down on messengers who violate traffic laws by running red lightsor going the wrong way down one-way streets.

"We're happy that this happened," saidCameron Mojahed, owner of Speedy Package Delivery in Boston. His companyhas been voluntarily carrying insurance for the past 11 years and requiringcouriers to have licenses for the past five-- one of few companies in thecity to do so.

Mojahed said he is glad all couriers mustnow adopt these precautions, which he said make it more expensive for hiscompany to do business.

"It made it hard because those things costmoney," Mojahed said. "It made what you could call a price war with thecompetition."

However, Mojahed expressed concern abouta clause in the new regulations which he said would unfairly require allbike messengers to undergo a criminal background check before receivingtheir licenses.
 

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 (Spring)ran across the street against a red light and collided with the cyclist(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; $100for 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.

Under the new law a motorist who kills someone while drinking anddriving would not be permitted to work as a bicycle courier in Boston.However that same drunk driving motorist would be permitted to work asa car courier in Boston.

Back to the Boston Crash Controversey

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