They say danger makes work exciting
By Eric Sabo. Eric Sabo is a free-lance writer.
Newsday, October 30, 1994
I HATE BIKING UP THE HILL on Second Avenue. It's steep and I'm in ahurry, so I grab on to a taxi cab near 49th Street. As a messenger, myjob is to deliver packages as fast as possible. Hitching on to a car helps,although it's not the smartest way to get around town.
It's a summer afternoon when I reach for the back-wheel fender of thecab. The driver accelerates, then switches lanes, causing me to lose mybalance. Knocked off my bike, I slide head first on the pavement, nearlygetting run over by a truck. "Hey it's Superman," an onlookersays as I fly past him. Able to get through Midtown traffic faster thana speeding postal worker, bike messengers take over where the fax machineleaves off.
Considered dangerous and insane, messengers run red lights, ride againstthe traffic flow, and appear to show little regard for their own safetyor anyone else's. Two years as a New York City bike messenger has givenme lifelong scars and an ambulance trip to the hospital, though not forthe taxi incident above; that one just left me scraped and bruised. I'vefrightened countless pedestrians, been cursed out by old ladies, and morethan once threatened with being run down for banging on cars that got inmy way. To a number of messengers, the danger is what makes the work exciting.
"I'm a bit of a daredevil," said Tracy Davis, 30. "Youhave to be to do this job." Davis, who goes by the nickname Buddha,started out in the messenger business as a walker seven years ago. Thisdidn't last long. "I wanted the speed," she said. Bhudda is oneof the few women bike messengers, although Davis said it doesn't mattersince she can keep up with the guys. Besides, traffic doesn't discriminate."It's not like, `oh, I'm a female; they're going to watch out,' "Davis said. "Wrong - road kill."
It's virtually guaranteed that a bike messenger will get in an accidentat some point. Reckless cab drivers, car doors that open unexpectedly,and pedestrians that cross the street without looking first, top the listof dangers. While experience may prevent some careless mistakes, bikingin the city is always hazardous.
The three couriers who died on the job this year were reportedly longtimebike messengers. And, like many messengers these days, at least two ofthem were wearing helmets. Though messengers would prefer safer streets,they are not about to slow down since they get paid on commission. "Ifyou aren't really quick, you can't make much money," said DimitriVellez, a dispatcher for EarlyBird at 207 E. 45th.
Unfortunately that speed is most needed during the winter, when there'smore work and fewer messengers. To get through the snow and ice and tosurvive the canyon-sized potholes year-round, the preferred tool is a mountainbike. There are plenty of diehards, though, who ride a "fix,"the bike with one gear and no way of coasting that is meant for racingaround a smooth track. The only way to stop is to jam the pedals to a haltand skid.
With deliveries from Wall Street to Harlem, a messenger will take anythingthat can't be faxed: legal documents, medical supplies, even small animals."I had to take a baby salamander from Green Street to a pet storeon the Upper East Side," said messenger Hodari DePalm. "I putit in my bag like a regular package and made it there fine."
Paul Pagano, in charge of dispatching models' portfolios to potentialclients for Company Models in Soho, said bike messengers are essentialto the fashion industry. If a model portfolio is delivered late to a magazine,it can cost the agency a multimillion-dollar contract, according to Pagano."We definitely need that speed," said Pagano. "Messengersare very underrated, but they're our lifeline."
Five or six of the large black portfolios can add up to more than 30pounds of freight. Often they have to be biked 40 blocks uptown and deliveredin under 20 minutes. Couriers, who may log 30 miles a day on their bikes,claim they don't have time to ride with caution or to wait patiently atan intersection. "Running a red light to us is like jaywalking,"said messenger Jose Padilla.
Even so, critics of bike messengers, and there are plenty of them, saythe job pressures are no excuse to break the law. City Councilman AntonioPagan said most bike accidents are caused by couriers violating trafficrules. Pagan, a city cyclist himself, is pushing for legislation that wouldgive police the right to seize bicycles owned by messengers who ride onthe sidewalk.
"We're talking about abuse of traffic laws," said Pagan. "Theymight not like it, but they should grow up." Messengers can get inenough trouble already. Running a red light and refusing to pull over forthe police sometimes results in a high speed chase. A misunderstandingat a light led a pursuing squad car on me several blocks until I lost themcrossing against traffic on Broadway.
The hassles of the job do not end on the road. There are few placesto lock up a bike. And once it's locked, there's a good chance the bikewill be stolen. Finding a working pay phone to call in for the next jobis hard, and finding a bathroom is even harder, since many buildings won'tlet messengers use the facilities. Other buildings require messengers touse the freight elevators, costing yet more precious time.
Couriers know that they're unpopular. "It's like I might infectan elevator," said Lou Munoz, a bike messenger with Olympic. A cabdriver for 20 years, Munoz, at 41, quit after a disagreement with a taxiand limousine inspector. While Munoz enjoys the exercise - in two yearsas messenger he has lost 60 pounds - mentally it's a drag. "We'retreated as garbage," he said. As a former taxi driver, Munoz at leastknows how to deal with one of the biker's biggest headaches. "I'venever been hit by a cab," he said. "I understand why they ridearound as kamikaze pilots."
Like cab drivers, messengers are having to work harder for less money.Several years ago messengers could make $500 to $600 a week. The averageis now about $300 to $400, and it's not uncommon to make less than thatfor five days' work. There are no sick days, no vacation days, no healthinsurance and no company pension.
Observers say new communication technologies have permanently hurt themessenger industry. Bill Goodman, editor of the Courier Times, a tradepublication, estimates that the fax machine has cut business by 20 percent.Also contributing to the downturn, according to A to Z Couriers owner AdamDally, is a tighter squeeze on costs in the business community.
"Most companies regard us as a luxury instead of a necessity,"Dally said. But Joel LeFevre of the Teamsters suspects there are otherreasons for the lower pay. "Once these companies started cutting ratesand didn't have to prove anything, they could just absorb more and moreprofits," said LeFevre, who is secretary-treasurer for Local 840.
Since June, Local 840 has been attempting to organize an industry-widemessenger union. The Teamsters report that more than 700 bikers, walkersand van drivers, demanding benefits and better wages, have signed up tojoin the union. Not everybody agrees that the Teamsters are the answer.
The average career of a messenger is no more than a year, and most tendto be young, making it difficult to organize. While many couriers havea family to support, the business draws its fair share of part-time workerswho are only there until something else comes along. Lee Height calls himselfa slacker messenger. "The best part of being a biker is that you candisappear whenever you want," said Height, 28. "I'd hate to seethis become a real job." A former drummer in a rock band, Height isunsure about what he wants to do with his life.
"Right now I like to ride my bike," Height said.
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