| Downtown Bikes
See note below for missing facts by Thomas M. Keane Jr. Six months after Back Bay resident Bill Spring was thrown 30 feet afterbeing struck by a speeding bicycle messenger, the city is about to proposenew rules for the trade. Boston has regulated bicycle messengers. Those regulations have notbeen particularly effective, however, as measured by Spring's accidentand the constant companies from downtown pedestrians, have been minimal.The new rules are different. With some luck, they may succeed in calmingthe streets. Bicycle messengers are a constant and needed urban presence. When businessesneed packages delivered, they turn to messenger services which use a varietyof modes to transport their wares. There are messengers out there travelingby foot, some by roller blade and more than a few by car. The most preferredform of transportation is a bicycle. For the most part messengers are law-abiding and safe. But there area few who think nothing of zooming the wrong way down a street or who makeit a game to play dodge-and-weave with pedestrians. For most, the experienceis simply frightening. For a few, however, it can be dangerous and evenlife-threatening. Mite Spring, Bill Spring's wife, said as much in hertestimony when she observed that bikes at a sufficient speed can be justas deadly as cars. The new legislation passed by the Council is a mixed bag. Part of thelaw stiffens the regulatory requirements placed upon bicycle messengersthemselves. For example, it requires a larger identification badge on messengers'bicycles and mandates registration of each firm and messengers with thepolice department. One the rules are passed (they will require state legislative approval,because they affect state laws), expect to see police officers out in drovescracking down on bicycle messengers. Don't expect this to last however. There are a lot of illegal thingsin Boston, and no doubt some new illegality will come along in the nearfuture that will capture the public's, and hence the police department's,attention. Thus, a bold prediction. These new regulations will not, in and of themselves,make our streets much safer. A second portion of the new law holds more promise, however. It imposesinsurance requirements upon the industry and upon each bicycle messenger.This scheme is vastly more effective. Insurance companies will demand certaintraining and safety measures in order to insure. They will also followtheir insureds' experiences closely. One or two accidents and the insurancewill be pulled. Fearing that, messengers companies themselves will havea strong incentive to police their own employees. My bold prediction is that this [portion of the law will have a sanguineeffect. As long as we effectively enforce the insurance requirement, fly-by-nightcompanies and reckless drivers should become a thing of the past. The new law still misses a lot. Although bicycle messengers get a fairshare of blame from the public, the reality is that all bikes in the wronghands are potential weapons of death. Bill Spring could just as easilyhave been struck by a regular bicyclists and he would have been hurt justas badly. But right now, Massachusetts does not regulate bicycle riding at all.There is no licensure requirement and no safety training requirement. Thus,the new legislation will leave us with the odd circumstance of requiringonly a section of the bike riding populace to be regulated. The rest willbe free to do what they want. And hence my final bold prediction. It won't stop with bicycle messengers.Someday, perhaps even soon, the hue and cry will arise with regular bicyclists.That, in all likelihood, would be a fair result, something that messengersand pedestrians would both applaud. Since much of the reporting in this accidentis selective 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 wewere told that Gladstone was ticketed because, under the law vehiclesmust yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk - even if the pedestrian isjaywalking. The fines he received were: "$100 for not wearing the vestrequired under a city ordinance; $100 for not being licensed, and $20 underthe state law mandating deference to pedestrians in crosswalks (wrong- check here). In other words $200 for bureaucratic violationsand $20 for traffic violations. However now we learn that no such law exists and there was no legalbasis for the traffic ticket that he received. In other words - Mr Springwas the dangerous one. Back to the BostonCrash Controversey
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