October 5, 1999

To: Toronto's Bicycle and Foot Messengers

On this Messenger Appreciation Day, we,the Toronto Cycling Committee would like to congratulate you for the hardwork that you do, and to extend our appreciation for the valuable contributionsthat you provide to our city.

Toronto's 500 bicycle and foot messengersdeliver an estimated 1.2 million deliveries every year. Obviously, movingthe documents and packages around the city, especially the downtown core,is much more efficient by using bicycles or simply walking. If we didn'thave these dedicated souls, Toronto would require approximately 2500 morecars in the downtown core. These bicycle and foot messengers thereforeresult in less pollution, and less traffic congestion. The smog that Torontoexperienced this past summer would've been much worse if we didn't haveso many bicycle and foot messengers.

We also appreciate the work that the TorontoHoof and Cycle Courier Coalition has done towards signaling the dangersof working in these smoggy conditions.

From our point of view - the Toronto CyclingCommittee - we particularly appreciate how the bicycle messengers are aliving example of how bicycles are used year-round as a viable mode oftransportation and business. Bikes are not just for recreation.

We are proud to be celebrating 10-9 Dayfor the third year in a row. Toronto first proclaimed Messenger AppreciationDay in 1997. We wish you a wonderfully successful and safe day as wellas year. Congratulations!

Sincerely yours

Jack Layton
Co-chair
Toronto Cycling Committee