AGREEMENT REACHED ON BILL TO REGULATE BIKE MESSENGERS

Boston Globe, June 20 ,1998

After a quarrel over initial amendments made to a home rule petitionto regulate bicycle messengers, City Councilor at Large Stephen J. Murphysaid yesterday that he and police have agreed on a way to close two majorloopholes in the legislation.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino is reviewing the home rule petition and, if hedoes not sign it on Monday, it will die.

The ordinance, which would require messengers to obtain insurance anda license through the police department, came under scrutiny by officerswhen the City Council's committee on public safety removed two requirementsfrom the legislation: that couriers get a new license when they changeemployers, and that messengers wear identifying armbands.

Murphy said he reached an understanding with Police Commissioner PaulF. Evans's office that he would file an amendment on Wednesday that wouldeffectively close the loopholes. He said he expects the bill to have alreadybeen signed by that time.

According to police Deputy Superintendent John Ferguson, who heads thecommittee that drafted the ordinance, the existing changes would allowcouriers to leave a company through which they are insured and go to anotherwhere they may not be insured while still retaining their license.

The insurance requirement was removed after messengers said that the$25 charge associated with the reapplication process would be too costlyfor messengers, who may change companies four or five times a year.

Murphy's amendment will lower that charge to $5.

''We want them to have to come in to make sure that they are insured,''Ferguson said. ''They have to show proof of insurance.''

Removing the armband requirement would allow couriers to operate withouthaving their license on their person. As originally drafted, the measurewould have required couriers to carry their licenses in their armbands.

The council removed the armband requirement after bicycle messengerssaid they were being forced to identify themselves, Murphy said.

The home rule petition was filed after Federal Reserve Bank vice presidentand School Committee member William J. Spring was severly injured afterhe was run down by an unlicensed messenger in the Back Bay last October.Spring has said he will return to work in the fall.

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at messvilleto@yahoo.com