Messengerville

Bike Messenger, New York City 1898 American Distributors Messengers,
Western Union Tel. Co. -phot by Alice Austen

"We colour all cities. The urban arena is our office. Whether it's San Fran, DC, London, New York...Without us there would be no function in any city... Without us there wouldn't be this El Dorado style shirt riding around like a maniac, hanging on to cabs crossing all borders, jumping over tracks and delivering packages on time. We make lawyers make money. Everyone makes money off of us. And if we were to stop in one city there would be no more business."
- DC Steve@CMWC 95

What's New!

Welcome to Messengerville. This site attempts to provide information and assistance to bike messengers and those interested in bike messengers. Browse the media archive and read articles and features regarding bike messengers. Or check out the zine archive or legal resources. Read about 10-9 Day and help get it proclaimed in every city. Take a deep breath before getting the facts on smog and how its "Choking us to Death" then stand up for your rights browse the Messenger Industry Handbook.

Since becoming a bike courier I feel lucky enough to have dual citizenship in a large urban city and a small town - "Messengerville", whose arms stretch around the entire world and welcome all into its embrace. The bike messenger industry is unique. It is built upon the most basic priciples of supply and demand, serving the captains of capitalism. Yet it has developed with its own culture, community, pride and sports. What other industry, after a long hard week of work and after the busiest day of the week, sets a course to replicate work and proceed to race the course for fun?

International messenger culture and communication is growing at a fast pace. Cities are connected not only through the internet but also through ambassadors who travel the world, following the developing circuit of messenger races and uniting for the annual family reuinion - CMWC. This dialogue has also raised the question of exploitation of messengers. From before Marathon to MIR and after, messengers have carried not only information but the hopes of the world. They have been scouts, explorers and adventurers. And since the stories of Thoth, in Egypt, Hermes in Greece, Mercury in Rome, Quezacoatl, the Aztec, society has had a love-hate relationship with their messengers. The bike courier continues in that tradition.

Many messengers live in poverty and this should not be so. The industry is in transition, and the threat of technology has proven to be mythical. In fact it has raised the importance of the messenger. It is time we carefully examined our options to increase our power over our profession without sacrificing those elements that have created and nurtured this community.

So read on. Check out the links. You'll discover that it really is a messenger's world.

First, if you haven't been there yet start with Resources for Bike Messengers Worldwide This is the place to go for all the information you need about the worldwide messenger community, including the International Federation of Bike Messengers Assocations.

For the definitive book on the bike messenger experience check out NERVES OF STEEL by Rebecca "Lambchop" Reillly.

The Messenger Laws and Reports Page - This page tries to document the license laws and reports on couriers.
The Articles and Postings Page - These are the articles that are not currently online - as far as I know. Beware of stereotypes and cliches.

The 'Zine Articles Archive - These are reprints of articles from some of the coolest zines in the world

10 -9 Day - October 9 is Messenger Appreciation Day Everywhere

THC³ Messenger Industry Handbook

Choking Us To Death - The THC³'s report on the air pollution crisis and its health effects on couriers

My Report on Licensing Couriers in Toronto - From March 1997 -with a minor update from
Hideouswhitenoise #33 - August 1997.

Messengerville

Other Messenger Links