BMEF

 

Mess Media

 

 

 


NEWS


How a Southampton family copes in aftermath of deadly fire - Philadelphia Inquirer, July 6, 2010

In the saddle with the chain gang - The Aucklander, 10th July 2010

Homeless Kids Start Bike Delivery Business - San Diego.com, July 9th, 2010




 
In this edition of 10-9 Bicycle Messenger Radio, We call our good friend Nadir, El Presidente of this year’s CMWC in Panajachel. We had a pretty good visit and our lucky 7th program has now been dedicated to shining a light on an incredible individual whose heart is as big and strong as the story that made him that way.

Regarding Panajachel, Guatemala; He says “with what little you bring is going to change this community, and with what little this community has is going to change your life.”
CMWC 2010


The CMWC2010 Compilation CD has 2 new tracks on this show and is going to help financially contribute along with other plans that are coming together to involve the surrounding villages during the Championships, I mean if you haven’t heard the wonderful making of a movie here, where an industry (bicycle messengers) come to visit and leave a lasting mark and set a tempo that will be historic in it’s proportion onto a community who wants to help us celebrate. The news is beginning to leak out…

But that is not why we called him, we know he is a great guy, it was to help our community understand a little more about the man, if you don’t know him, the if not already infamous legend Nadir Olivet. Come share a couple minutes with us.






 
The results are up for the 2010 Global Gutz race. Congratulations to the winners!

1st male: Saschist from Berlin, Germany
1st female: Sabicat from Warsaw, Poland

They win tickets to  CMWC 2010  Panajachel Guatemala



Bike courier wants to curb city's bad cabdrivers - The Whistleblower, June 2, 2010

Purcell makes the break from bike messenger to national champion - Milwaukee Sentinel Journal, June 1, 2010

Over-the handlebar incidents inspire Cycle Courier Art - The Hub, June 1, 2010

Bryant’s charges dropped but PR continues - Toronto Media Co-op, June 20, 2010

Facebook Group - Justice for Darcy Allan Sheppard



 
When a cyclist is killed by a driver, justice is nearly always stacked toward the driver. And in this case in Toronto, the scales were tilted even more than usual.

By Bob Mionske

On August 31, 2009, the worlds of two strangers collided in the posh Bloor Street shopping district of Toronto. In the aftermath, one of those strangers, a bicycle messenger, lay dead, while the other stranger, the former Attorney General of Ontario and a rising political star, stood accused of causing the cyclist’s death.

About a year later, on Tuesday, May 25, 2010, Richard Peck, the special prosecutor appointed to try the case, dropped all charges against Michael Bryant, the former Attorney General accused of causing the death of bicycle messenger Darcy Allan Sheppard.

I can’t say I didn’t see this coming.

From the beginning, this case involved more than just an encounter between a cyclist and a motorist gone awry. As I noted in When Worlds Collide , issues of race, class, and power were a subtext to this case from the moment that Bryant shut off his car’s ignition in the driveway of a luxury hotel, after fleeing the scene where Darcy Sheppard lay dying in the street.


Canada's cycle couriers: in the eyes of the law, roadkill - Guardian, May 28, 2010

W.A.T.T. 28 podcast about the Bryant-Sheppard case
- What's All This Then, May 27, 2010




 
Bryany Watch - May 27, 2010

An analysis of Richard Peck’s brief reveals that he relied heavily on the unchallenged statements of Michael Bryant to come his decision to drop the charges. Peck cherry picked evidence to support Bryant’s claims and either suppressed or ignored alternative evidence that challenged Bryant’s version of the events.

Darcy Allan Sheppard and Michael Bryant

On May 25, 2010, special prosecutor Richard Peck announced that all charges against former Attorney General Michael Bryant would be dropped ruling that “there is no reasonable prospect for conviction in relation to either of the charges before the Court.”

Bryant had been charged with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death in relation to the death of cyclist Darcy Allan (AL) Sheppard after a traffic altercation on August 31, 2009. Most cases end with the ruling of a judge or jury but this case ended with the ruling of a single criminal defence lawyer acting as an independent prosecutor.

Peck released an eleven page brief analyzing some of the evidence and justifying his decision to drop the charges without a preliminary hearing of the evidence. His brief answered few questions but also raised many more.




Bryant Walks - Now, May 27, 2010

Top Canadian lawyer told he will not face trial over Toronto cyclist's death - Guardian, May 26, 2010

And Justice for all - May 26, 2010

Velo City 2010 at Washington Velodrome - Time Out Chicago, May 24, 2010

Bike Messengers - They treasure independence, skills - May 21, 2010

Neither goatheads nor road hogs nor potholes - BoiseWeekly, May 12, 2010

Save the bike messenger - Cog Magazine, May 9, 2010

Twitter's bike messenger beginnings - TechCrunch, April 27, 2010

Way of s bicycle messenger - Elephant Journal, May 5, 2010

The road rules? - National Post, April 23, 2010

Subcontractual - London Review Blog, April 19, 2010

Denver's Courier Veterans - Urban Velo, April 2010

Dallas Bike Messengers in 1913 - Dallas Observor, April 16, 2010

Michael Bryant’s case put over again. Police re-interview witnesses - Bryantwatch, April 14, 2010

Psycho cycler's revenge - Attacks limo & driver who hit him – New York Post – April 9, 2010

Bike Courier Service a Boon for Santa Cruz – City Hill Press, April 8, 2010

Couriers the latest free-enterprizers on two wheels – Toronto Observer, April 7, 2010



 Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

Pierce

This is a picture of my wife’s grandfather, Gordon Mackenzie, as a young Western Union messenger boy in Dallas circa 1923 (third from left). Gordon died last year at the age of 96 but was a messenger from the age of 12 to 14. He’d tell us stories about his Western Union days, and wearing down three different bicycles while working for the company. His bicycle of choice was a Pierce-Arrow which was outfitted with a shaft drive instead of a chain.

The interesting twist to the story here is that Clyde Barrow also worked for the Western Union as a bike messenger. Gordon didn’t remember if they worked together, but considering they were only a year apart in age, the likelihood is high.



more...



Jamie Staff backs London cargo bike scheme - Bike Radar, March 31, 2010



 infoZine, March 28, 2010



For Kevin Keefe, 57, being a D.C. bicycle courier means one thing: freedom.

Keefe has been a bike courier for 24 years. He works for Quick Messenger Service. Bicycling might be his business, but he'll never be caught behind a desk.

"According to a lot of people, I still haven't grown up!" Keefe said.

Many bicycle couriers like Keefe still make daily rounds in defiance of the digital age. The Internet may be taking over the messaging market, but there is still enough business to keep D.C.'s bike couriers pedaling.

Bicycle couriers often spend rush hour weaving through traffic and cutting across city parks. Businesses and government offices use them to move documents and parcels across town.

To those outside the profession, couriers' work might seem dangerous.

"Most friends outside of this job think I'm crazy for doing it, for biking like an idiot downtown in traffic," said Patrick Peoples, 24, a courier for LaserShip Inc. "For me, it's a rush."

Couriers work as independent contractors for dispatch services and take jobs as customers place orders. Dispatchers contact individual couriers who choose specific deliveries to make.








 

Each day bicycle messengers are faced with the challenge of riding through unpredictable traffic to get time sensitive packages to clients. The Bicycle Messenger Emergency Fund is a 100% volunteer-run, registered charity (no. 20-0842274) that has been around for a decade. When the unfortunate day comes where a messenger is injured on the job, the BMEF aids individuals to lighten the financial burden when they must take time off to recover properly.

Toronto's Courier Massive is holding its first annual fundraiser for the BMEF MAY 1st, DUFFERIN GROVE PARK
Polo all weekend 11am to 5pm
Alleycat registration @5pm
Gun goes off @6pm
$10 minimum to enter events





Stolen bike found by the "don't steal bikes bro" street team - NYC Massive, March 25, 2010

Montreal Bike Courier Offers Meal Delivery - Midnite Poutine, March 26, 2010

Couple biking from Alaska to Argentina for charity - Vancouver Sun (via Montreal Gazette),   March 21, 2010

In Brooklyn, unifying machines and a win for a Russian bike messenger - VeloNews, March 21, 2010





Registration is open!

From Andy Zalan:

Work on the upcoming CMWC is in full swing, and I’m pleased to report that we’ve made some significant progress in the last few weeks. Nadir has just returned from his month long recon mission to Guatemala with lots of good news.
La Ocho is on! The track was mocked up on the soccer field where it will be built, and everything fits (see picture on the CMWC home page). There was some concern, but just to be clear, the mock up was just in 2D for scaling purposes. The final plans still include a bridge across the middle, and banked turns on both ends. We are still hoping to source a set of matching bikes, in various sizes, for everyone to ride on the track, but for now at least, it remains open to whatever you want to ride. If anyone out there has a dozen or so matching bikes, holler at me.


Nadir was also able to catalog about 20 hotels that agreed to provide CMWC participants with significant discounts. There is going to be ample room for everyone, and the housing situation is looking real good. Just for example, I’m personally looking at booking a single room for myself, and I’m seeing really nice stuff for as little as $120 - $150 per month. Yes, per month. We are currently working on organizing all of this information, along with tons of other useful travel tips to be posted on the CMWC site.
After much delay, our new online registration form is finally up and running! We apologize for the complete sucky-ness of the old form, and will be contacting everybody already registered to collect a few additional pieces of information, not on the old form. The new form allows you to register without having to login or create a user account (you still have to do that if you want to post to our blog page, and eventually to our photo/video gallery pages). It is pretty straight forward, but just to be clear, we are only accepting paid registrations. Unless you click the pay button, your registration form will not go through. Coming very soon, will be a viewable list of registered competitors. As of now, that list is disappointingly short. I am hoping that along with the improvements we made, and a few planned registration incentives, that will change.


Registration incentives: We need people to register! The fact of the matter is that the CMWC has always primarily been funded by the money generated from registration. The dilemma is always how to get people to register early enough so that the organizers have the money they need before the event, when it is most needed. With that in mind, please note that the early registration price of $80 goes up to $100 on April 15th and again to $120 on August 15th. A couple of ideas we are floating around is holding a series of raffles for early registrants, and the chance to customize the hand made mussette bag your race packet will be coming in. The details are not yet finalized, but basically we are planning to raffle off 3 messenger bags, the earlier you register, the more chances you will have to win one of the bags. Stay tuned! As the mussette bags are being hand sewn for us in Guatemala, we will be offering early registrants the opportunity to customize their bags with their race
r number and perhaps even their name (if it fits). We’ll have to determine what the cut-off dates for that will be, as well as for inclusion in the phone directory (all racers will get a pre-paid mobile phone with registration that not only will keep everyone connected, but will also be used during the Main Race).





At Red Hook Criterium, track bikes and brawn required – VeloNews, March 17, 2010

Urban Velo Photo Shoot - Len on Life, March 18, 2010

I Love My Job! - WCIU Chicago, March 16, 2010

Bike Messenger Activism Is a Dangerous Path - LA Downtown News, March 12, 2010

Burlington bicycle courier service deliver - Burlington Free Press, March 11, 2010

Michael Bryant’s case put over until April 14 - Bryant Watch, March 5, 2010

Justice on Two Wheels - LA Downtown News March 5, 2010

Saying ‘sorry’ can say a lot – Toronto Sun, March 4, 2010

Two pints of lager and a go on the bike please: roller-racing takes off in pubs - March 2, 2010

The Bicycle Messenger - ebook short story at Smashwords, February 26, 2010

Bike couriers chase down bicycle thief in wild downtown pursuit - LA Times, February 22, 2010

U.S. Cracks Down on ‘Contractors’ as a Tax Dodge - New York Times, February 17, 2010

Alleycats - London Calling, London Review Blog, February 17, 2010

Cyclist getting his klicks - Winnipeg Free Press, February 9, 2010

What Size Of Packages Can A Bicycle Messenger Carry? - Lokk for atricles, February 5, 2010

Scotland Delivers - Pavement Magazine, February 2010



Mess Media, February 2, 2010

President Obama’s budget for the 2011 fiscal year (which begins October 1) seeks to limit widespread abuses by employers who misclassify employees as independent contractors in order to evade their responsibilities.

In a video chat, Labor Department Secretary Hilda Solis noted that a budget is much more than numbers. It “is an expression of the department’s priorities.” Solis was clear that one of the Labor Department’s top priorities will be the independent contractor issue.

As part of the 2011 Budget, the Departments of Labor and Treasury are pursuing a joint proposal that eliminates incentives in law for employers to misclassify their employees; enhances the ability of both agencies to penalize employers who misclassify; and restores protections to employees who have been denied them because of their improper classification.

The Labor department would receive about $25 million and 100 additional enforcement personnel to work in support  of a new “multi-agency initiative to dramatically strengthen and coordinate federal and state efforts to address employer misclassification of workers. “
Jane Oates, assistant secretary of the Employment and Training Administration said that “the goal is to improve capacity to identify misclassification through increased information sharing and targeted audits in high-risk industry sectors. These efforts will prevent misclassification, increase statutory enforcement where appropriate, and enable collection of payroll taxes previously lost due to misclassification, such as in the Unemployment Insurance program.”



London Courier Emergency Fund get rough ride from art’otel plan - Islington Tribune, January 29, 2010

Some courier companies concerned over Olympic traffic restrictions - News1130 radio, January 28, 2010

Delivering despite the elements - BBC, January 11, 2010

Bicycle Couriers Better the Environment - M2M, January 08, 2010

Bike couriers grappling with enduring snow and ice - The Local, January 8, 2010

Bike Messengers Deliver Despite Weather -  WSMV TV Nashville, January 8, 2010

Cycling on Camera, in New York and Beyond - New York Times , January 5, 2010

10-9 Radio - Episode 2, January 1, 2010





Bryant Watch, December 7, 2009

Darcy Allan Sheppard

On August 31, 2009, former attorney general for Ontario, Michael Bryant, killed cyclist Darcy Allan Sheppard in one of the most violent and horrific cases of road rage in Toronto's history.

Neither Michael Bryant nor his wife, entertainment lawyer Susan Abramovitch, gave statements to police regarding the circumstances that led to Darcy Allan Sheppard’s death. They will have many months to tailor their testimonies to fit the known evidence and weave it seamlessly into a vigorous defense mounted by one of the most elite criminal lawyers in the country.

Bryant’s victim, Darcy Allan Sheppard, who was known as Al to his friends, will not have a voice at the trial. He will not have an opportunity to challenge Michael Bryant’s carefully scripted and rehearsed testimony. He will not have a chance to correct Bryant's devoted wife and an experienced lawyer when she unconditionally supports her husband of twelve years on the witness stand.

Al’s voice needs to be heard. It's important that people have an opportunity to understand his life's last moments. Al could have been any one of us. He just happened to be the cyclist who crossed paths with a driver on the verge of a road rage meltdown.

I have attempted to rebuild those last moments of Al's life from his point of view. All of the events are based on the factual evidence contained in security camera video, witness statements and news reports. Al's point of view is also primarily based on the factual evidence as well as my own experiences as a bike messenger and cyclist.


Michael Bryant quietly gets a new job - Bryant Watch, December 6, 2009



Toronto bike theft

Mess Media, December 6, 2009

Stolen bikes


Toronto like most cities has a massive problem with bike theft and many of its victims are bike messengers. The possibility of having my bike stolen is always in the back my mind whenever my bike is out of my sight and every time I walk out of a building I am relieved to see my bike still there.
 
For years most cyclists in Toronto suspected that Igor Kenk, owner of a notorious used bike store on Queen Street West, played a part in the stolen bike racket. Anyone that had their bike stolen was first advised to go and check out "Igor's bike shop" on Queen Street just east of Strachan. Despite what was common knowledge amongst Toronto’s cyclists, it appeared that Igor would never be held accountable for his sketchy dealings with stolen bikes.

I first met Igor in 1993 when his shop was located further west on Queen St between Shaw and Ossington, across from the Queen Street Mental Health Centre. At the time I was living on Shaw Street, a little south of Queen Street and I just started working as a bike messenger. I was happy to have a bike shop nearby, especially one that was often open as late as midnight.

more...

Province, accused bike thief settle case - Globe and Mail, December. 4, 2009

Bikes are mine 'unless you have a police report' - Globe and Mail, July. 28, 2008

Bike thefts 'really big problem' - Toronto Sun, July 13, 2008







Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, December 4, 2009

City Council received an overwhelming response to the proposed bicycle legislation and they are listening and responding to our concerns. We have been assured that there will be no action on the two bills for the time being and we do not believe the two bills can pass City Council in their present form.

In an opinion-editorial that should appear next week, Councilman DiCicco writes that he was surprised at the "passionate and emotional" response to his registration bill. Recognizing problems with enforcement and that the "fee structure may be onerous," Councilman DiCicco states that his proposal "is not the be-all and end-all in dealing with bicycle safety" and that the registration bill "may need to be abandoned altogether."  

All of the attention the bills have generated may actually result in a positive for bicyclists. We met this week with Police Commissioner Ramsey's staff to discuss how the city can better enforce existing traffic laws equitably on motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians to calm our city's streets and make them safer for everyone.



Bike Messenger Injured in hit and run speaks out - MyFox Philadelphia, December 1, 2009‎

Bike messengers protest city's anti-cycling mood - Philadelphia Inquirer, December 1, 2009

 Troubles in Philly, Lessons for New York? - New York Times, December 1, 2009




Metro, November 29, 2009

Rachel Fletcher


A few days after one of their own suffered serious facial injuries in a hit-and-run crash, city bicycle messengers upset with what one courier describes as "rising anti-cycling sentiment" are rallying at LOVE Park this evening.

Rachel Fletcher, a 30-year-old experienced and well-known Center City courier, was struck at 23rd and Locusts Streets early Thanksgiving morning and remained at Hahnemann Hospital until Saturday after surgery to repair her face and jaw.

Despite the severity of the crash, police did not take a report until 12 hours later Thursday, which some in the bicycling community said yesterday is part of a culture in Philadelphia that treats cyclists as less important on streets than cars. A sergeant at the Ninth District declined to comment on the incident last night, citing an ongoing investigation.



Bike messengers to protest stiffer cycling regulations.- Philly.com, November 30, 2009



Road Rage at Philly Newspapers over coverage of cyclists - Philadelphia Weekly, November 29, 2009

Law backs cyclist's quest for safe roads - Toronto Star, November 25, 2009



CBC News, November 24, 2009



The number of bike couriers zipping around Ottawa has plummeted in the past two decades, and those hanging on to their two-wheeling careers are blaming technology for the demise of their kind.

"The first thing that affected our business was the fax," said veteran Ottawa courier Eric Moisan Tuesday as he paused for a break outside the World Exchange Plaza in downtown Ottawa, "Then the internet ate up a chunk of our business."

When Gary Watson first started working as a courier 20 years ago, there were around 100 couriers dashing through the city's streets. Now, local couriers estimate there are only around 20.

The nature of the deliveries made by couriers has also changed, he said, without pausing to take off his helmet and drybag backpack.


more...






Cyclist takes city to labour board, claiming roads are unsafe workplace for those who bike for a living

Toronto Star, November 24, 2009

Wayne Scott

Ten years ago, bike courier Wayne Scott won an epic battle against Revenue Canada. His arguments persuaded the Federal Court of Appeal to rule that bike couriers could claim food as a fuel expense on their tax returns.

Now Scott is taking the city to the Ontario Labour Relations Board, claiming Toronto's streets constitute an unsafe workplace for those who cycle on the job. Three months after former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant was charged in the death of bike courier Darcy Allan Sheppard, Scott is asking the board to force Toronto to make its streets safer.

He wants the city to study the dangers on its roads and address the problems with better street design, enforcement of traffic rules and more bike lanes, within two years.

Scott, a once and future federal Green Party candidate, says the city has failed to apply the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which says employers must take reasonable precautions to protect their workers. On Monday, city officials said they didn't know how many employees use bikes on the job, but police, EMS workers and bylaw officers are among those who cycle on duty.

They run the same risk as any cyclist or bike courier of having a car door opened suddenly in their path or being hit at an intersection. That's because the rules of the road are poorly enforced and the city is years behind on completing its own bike plan, contends Scott, who retired from the courier business about four years ago.

Toronto’s streets are an unsafe workplace for cyclists  - Press Release, November 24, 2009



 


The death of Toronto bike messenger Wesley McLean in 1934 has a lesson for the case against Michael Bryant

Bryant Watch

The tragic death of Toronto bike messenger, Darcy Allan Sheppard and the resulting charges faced by Michael Bryant highlights the risks cyclists endure on our roads and the challenge all road users cope with sharing our streets. But this is not an unfamiliar situation for Toronto. Cyclists and motorists have confronted these challenges for at least a hundred years with little progress.

Seventy-five years ago, in 1934, another Toronto bike messenger was the victim of a selfish and negligent driver whose only concern was himself. Similarly to Michael Bryant, the killer from long ago employed advocates to construct a narrative that blamed the dead victim.

Downtown Toronto streets in the 1930’s were not much different than today. The glory days of cars from the 1950’s through the 1970’s were yet to come. Cyclists, pedestrians, motorists and streetcars shared the roads and cyclists were well represented in the mix.

The streets were filled with hundreds of bicycle messengers too. They worked for telegraph companies, courier companies, department stores and drug stores. In 1937, the Tamblyn Drug Store chain boasted of employing over 300 Toronto bicycle messengers in their drug stores alone.

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The death of Toronto bike messenger Darcy Allan Sheppard is similar to the 1999 murder of Chicago bike messenger Thomas McBride.

Bryant Watch, November 19, 2009


The case of the road rage killing of Toronto bike messenger, Darcy Allan Sheppard by former attorney general Michael Bryant has many similarities to the murder of another bike messenger, ten years earlier.

Sheppard was killed on August 31, 2009 after Bryant deliberately rammed his car into him knocking Sheppard to the ground. Before mowing Sheppard down, Bryant had threatened him twice by accelerating his car up close to Sheppard and then stopping without hitting him. After the initial attack Bryant attempted to flee the scene on the wrong side of the road with Sheppard holding on to Bryant’s vehicle. Bryant killed Sheppard by smashing him into trees, a mailbox and fire hydrant before driving away.

On the morning of April 26, 1999, Thomas McBride was riding eastbound on West Washington on his way to work as a bike messenger in the Chicago Loop. Witnesses reported a near miss or minor altercation between McBride and the driver of a green 1997 Chevy Tahoe.

The SUV, driven by Carnell Fitzpatrick, cut McBride off after running a stop sign. McBride slammed his hand against the SUV as a means of alerting the driver to his location and that Fitzpatrick was coming perilously close to hitting him. The two exchanged words and Fitzpatrick like Michael Bryant steered his vehicle up close behind the cyclist before accelerating forward to deliberately hit him.


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Michael Bryant case moves forward – Toronto Sun, November 16, 2009

Michael Bryant’s lawyers seek crown’s case in cyclist’s death – Toronto Star, November 16, 2009

Cranksgiving puts new spin on food drives - St. Louis Post-Dispatch,  November 15, 2009

Bike messenger action movie coming? - Bike Radar.com, November 13, 2009‎

2009 US Bicycling Hall of Fame Welcomes Nelson Vails - DC Examiner, November 6, 2009

 
Michael Bryant’s privileged class and road rage – Bryant Watch, November 11, 2009




Bryant Watch, November 4, 2009

Lawyer Michael Cochrane wrote a piece in The Mark advocating the acquittal of Michael Bryant in the killing of Darcy Allan Sheppard. The problem with reading anything written by lawyers is that they sometimes cherry pick the facts and set up flimsy straw men to knock over.

After examining Cochrane’s facts, the public would be better served by listing all of  evidence and facts:

  1. Bryant was driving home with his wife from an anniversary celebration, through an area under construction on Bloor Street.  As he stopped at a red light Sheppard passed him and stopped his bicycle in front of Bryant’s car.
  2. While stopped, angry words were exchanged with Sheppard. Video evidence shows that Bryant deliberately rammed his car into Sheppard knocking him to the ground.
  3. It’s unknown if either Sheppard or Bryant were impaired. Police say Sheppard had been drinking that day but that he was not impaired. Bryant was celebrating his 12th wedding anniversary. We will find out if Sheppard was impaired as his body underwent toxicology tests. We will never know if Bryant was impaired as police never submitted him to a breathalyser test.
  4. After getting slammed by Bryant’s car Sheppard hit Bryant’s car with his backpack.
  5. After ramming into Sheppard Bryant reversed his car and tried to drive around Sheppard and flee the scene. Sheppard grabbed on to Bryant’s car in an attempt to prevent Bryant from leaving the scene of the accident.
  6. According to eyewitnesses, Bryant then sped away at about 90 km/hr on the wrong side of the road. He mounted the curb and intentionally drove into obstacles to knock Sheppard off his car.
  7. Bryant’s reckless driving caused Sheppard to smash into a mailbox, fire hydrant and other solid obstacles until he could no longer hold on and fell. Bryant ran over Sheppard with his rear wheels as Sheppard lay bleeding and battered on the ground. Bryant once again fled and Sheppard died.
What would a reasonable person in Bryant’s situation have done?  Would a reasonable person deliberately ram their car into a vulnerable cyclist? Did Bryant have control of his car? Even if Sheppard somehow could control the steering of the car while hanging on for dear life, Bryant still controlled the car. Bryant controlled the acceleration and brake pedals. He controlled the car’s speed.

Based on the facts currently available, a reasonable person would come to the conclusion beyond any reasonable doubt  that Michael Bryant is guilty.


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Project Green: Bike couriers are inexpensive, quick, and eco-friendly




WHAS11, Louisville, Kentucky

In many big cities, bike messengers are part of the street scenery dodging traffic to make deliveries from one company to another.

They serve a business purpose, but they're also part of the charge to 'go green' and in this week's Project Green, they want the rest of us to join in.

First thing in the morning the phones start ringing at the Bike Courier’s Bike Shop, Louisville businesses are calling with deliveries they need made.

Couriers at the Bike Shop on West Market get on their bikes and head out.

“The alternative is to put an 8 ounce letter in a car and send that car halfway across town to deliver an 8 ounce letter. It doesn't make sense,” said Jackie Green, co-owner of the Bike Couriers Bike Shop.

Green began the messenger service 8 years ago as an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional business delivery.
“It reduces congestion, it calms traffic, it minimizes the, well, it practically eliminates fuel consumption,” said Green.

WHAS11 followed one of the couriers as he easily navigated his way down clogged streets on a morning run. 

“We like to use them because its environmentally friendly and they're so friendly,” said Katie Coulter of Coulter Reporting.
But being a bike courier can be dangerous. Bike courier Daniel Penrod said, “as long as you're careful about it and you just try to be, have some personal responsibility about the whole thing, it’s really not that bad. You've just got to be careful.”

Couriers say they're being used more in the downtown district and as increasing businesses and residents re-locate there, they see cycling as an easy way many of us can "go green."

“Green depending on the context and circumstances and this is an alternative we need to be exploring as a city,” said Green.
And bike deliveries are cheap, too.  The average delivery costs companies $6 and takes about 15 to 30 minutes.








Luk Keller from MovingTargetZine's Flickr
photo from movingtargetzine's flickr

The International Federation of Bike Messenger Associations (IFBMA) is pleased to announce that Zurich messenger Luk Keller has been awarded the 2009 "Markus Cook Memorial Award" (MCA) for Services to the International Messenger Community. The IFBMA has awarded the Markus Cook Award (MCA) since 1998 to the person who has inspired and empowered the wider messenger community, and who put all messengers before themselves.

For over ten years messengers around the world have benefited from Luk’s commitment to community. He was one of the organizers of one the most influential Cycle Messenger World Championships, CMWC 1999, the race that brought “Goldsprint” roller racing to the international messenger community. Luk has also been a driver behind many other major events such as the Swiss Messenger Championships and the X Days Side Show.

But Luk is much more than an ordinary race organizer. Human Powered Rollercoaster champion, Dirk Dijkhuis notes that Luk “organizes races to benefit other people.”

Nothing demonstrates that more than the annual Global Gutz benefit race which was created by Luk and others in 2000. Global Gutz is a race that occurs simultaneously around the world so that messengers can race against the each other without leaving their city. Funds raised from the race are used to send the winners to the current year’s CMWC. The base for Global Gutz organizing has passed around the world over the years, returning to Zurich this year as Luk took the reigns of organization once again in 2009.

After a very successful CMWC 2009 in Tokyo. The Tokyo Bike Messenger Association (TKBMA) found themselves about $34,000 in debt. Luk stepped forward to again to benefit others. He announced the “Tokyo Fundraiser Cup” which challenged messenger communities to organize local fundraisers to help erase the TKBMA’s debt. The city that raises the most money will receive a trophy as the most supportive city and two free registrations for the 2010 Cycle Messenger World Championships in Panajachel Guatemala.

As fellow 2009 Markus Cook Award nominee, Steve Froehlich said, this year has once again shown the world that, Luk "is the spirit of our community."



For more information see:
IFBMA
Markus "Fur" Cook Award


More...



Cyclist's death highlights auto hazards - Straight Goods, October 19, 2009

New Breed of cycle courier firms get postal strike boost - road.cc, October 22, 2009

Royal Mail's one-man competitor -  BBC, October 21, 2009

Couriers in court for Bryant - Toronto Sun, October 20, 2009

Michael Bryant wants a quick trial, lawyer says - National Post, October 19, 2009




Province takes a pass on health and safety for bike couriers facing daily road risks

Now Magazine, October 14, 2009

By Wayne Scott

Toronto’s world renowned more than century old human-powered delivery industry is ailing.

Battered further by the horrific demise of much missed bike messenger Darcy Allan Sheppard, it seems now to have reached a new ebb in its storied history.

A dozen years after Canada began working in earnest on a Sustainable Transportation Strategy, the busiest streets of the nation’s most congested urban centre are still clogged with more and more huge, motorized (often illegally parked) courier and postal cube vans when the number of active transportation workers continues to dwindle.

The reasons as to why won’t soon be publicly addressed.

A complaint I filed over a year ago with the Health and Safety branch of the Ministry of Labour – that our streets are an unnecessarily unsafe workplace for occupational cyclists – has been dismissed.

more...

See Also:

Food as fuel

Yes, there is a tax free lunch - Toronto Star July 25, 1998

Bike Courier Sideswiped by Car-biased Tax Law - Now Magazine, August 7, 1997




Eagle to deliver - Capital (Ethiopia), October 12, 2009




.
Ryerson Free Press, October 8, 2009

It’s 10 a.m. and Ted Webb weaves through traffic in downtown Toronto. He jumps the green light, hugging the curb as he makes a tight right hand turn. A slow cyclist putters along in the bike lane. He quickly passes them. Webb has five minutes to deliver a bulky envelope to Bay and Queen Street, if late; he has an angry client and dispatcher to worry about. He races down University Avenue, overtaking taxis and family sedans.

Now on Queen Street, he brushes shoulders with a moving streetcar, nearly knocking him off his bicycle. Aware of perilous parked cars, Webb dodges a car door that flings open in front of him. With a minute to spare, he delivers the package to the receptionist.

All of this for $3.

As a bike courier, Webb’s weekly pay cheques would amount to around $200 for 50 hours worked. He lived on these wages for an entire year before he quit in October 2008.


more...


See Also:

Solidariity Forever? - Globe & Mail, September 17, 2005

Sweatshop on wheels - Now Magazine, August 25, 2005

This job could kill - NOW Magazine, July 21, 2005

Activists and action at bike courier meet  - eye weekly, June 10, 1999


Bike couriers courted by postal union - Eye Weekly, 08 Apr 99




Bicycle couriers pedal past risks to deliver niche service - New Orleans City Business, October 12, 2009

License to ride - Bicycling, October 12, 2009

Three cheers for the courier: Messenger Appreciation Day is October 9th - Examiner.com, October 7, 2009

An underappreciated tragedy – Now Magazine, October 5, 2009






October 9th is Messenger Appreciation Day!
(10-9 Day) Let's congratulate all bike couriers on the benefits they bring to our cities:
  • a solution to the problems of pollution, congestion and gridlock faced by large urban centres
  • reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the downtown core
  • take up less space on the road and do less damage to the roads than cars resulting in better conditions and streets for all road users
  • increase the safety of pedestrians compared to cars.
  • provide a value added service that continuously improving firms seek out as a means to reduce costs and improve efficiency
  • are ambassadors of goodwill for the city
  • year round cyclists who promote the bicycle as a viable form of transportation and economic development
Toronto's 2009 Proclamation and Portland's 2009 Proclamation
The mayor of  Toronto also proclaimed Messenger Appreciation Day every year from 1997 through 2007
Other Messenger Appreciation Day celebrations in New York City, Chicago (proclamation) and San Francisco.

More...


 
 Darcy Allan Sheppard was a good man, bike couriers tell media - National Post, September 25, 2009

 Couriers launch their own PR blitz over handling of cyclist’s traffic death – Globe and Mail, September 25, 2009

 Après la rue, les cyclistes investissent Internet – L’Express, September 22, 2009





From Wiedman Communications


Toronto - 230909 // The Toronto Bike Messenger Association (TOBMA) has called a press conference for this Friday at 2:00 pm. They want to speak ahead of their Saturday, September 26 evening memorial celebration to raise money for the children of Darcy Allan Sheppard, and help his family pay for his burial.

Since the cyclist lost his life in a high-profile accident with Michael Bryant on August 31, TOBMA has chosen to remain silent, making no “official statements” until emotions had calmed. In that time, major media including Maclean’s, Globe & Mail and the Toronto Star have featured articles damning the life, personality and background of their co-worker Al Sheppard.

MORE: Read the letter - http://www.tinyurl.com/allans-family- (pdf) handed "To Allan's Family" by a stranger at his memorial service. It shares a touching story from a woman who had crossed paths with Al Sheppard many times before his death

More at Wiedman Communications...

Go to tobma.com to donate to the fund



 The Evidentiary Narrative – Bryant Watch, September 20, 2009

 The Navigator Narrative from Michael Bryant – Bryant Watch, September 19, 2009

 Bryant and bike courier a class issue - Toronto Star, September 18, 2009

 My life in sport: Ezra Phillips - New Zealand Herald, ‎September 17, 2009

 The life and hard times of a London courier - The Guardian, September 17, 2009




Bicycling, September 16, 2009

by Bob Mionske


The night of August 31, Darcy Allan Sheppard was on his bike on Bloor Street, riding home from his fiancee’s apartment. It was 9:45 p.m. As he approached a traffic light, he passed to the left of a Saab convertible that we now know was Michael Bryant’s. After passing Bryant, who was stopped at the light, Sheppard cut in front of his car and also came to a stop. Shortly thereafter, as the light turned green, Bryant drove forward, perhaps bumping Sheppard’s wheel. Sheppard turned his head back, in Bryant’s direction. Witnesses reported that when the light turned green, there was a toot of the horn from Bryant, and a shout to “get moving,” followed—perhaps—by a return shout from Sheppard. Then, incredibly, Bryant hit the gas, pushing Sheppard forward into the intersection, knocking him off his bike. As Sheppard struggled to get to his feet, Bryant backed up, stopped, turned his wheel and began to drive past Sheppard as he sped away.

Sheppard gave chase, grabbing onto Bryant’s car as it sped by. Witnesses reported hearing shouting, and noted that Bryant was “very, very angry.” They also reported that as Bryant sped down the street with Sheppard clinging to his car, he was driving on the wrong side of the street, at about 60 miles per hour, driving up onto the sidewalk, driving against the trees and posts and newspaper boxes lining the street in what they reported appeared to be an attempt to brush Sheppard off his car. Down the street 100 yards, Sheppard was slammed into a mail collection box, and crumpled into a heap in the street as Bryant’s rear wheels ran over him. Witnesses reported that Sheppard, who lay in the street bleeding heavily from his nose and mouth, attempted to get up, but was advised to remain still until an ambulance arrived. Bryant continued driving down the street to the end of the block, before turning in to the driveway of a luxury hotel, where he finally stopped his car.


more at bicycling.com



What if Navigator worked for Darcy Allan Sheppard instead of Michael Bryant? - Bryant Watch, September 16, 2009

In Washington, a Two-Tire Industry Goes Flat - Washington Post, September 15, 2009

Bike courier returns $20,000 he found sitting atop ATM - Winnipeg Free Press, September 14, 2009

Michael Bryant’s PR firm – Navigator Ltd - Bryant Watch, September 11, 2009

Navigator, changing your perceptions without you even knowing it - Bryant Watch, September 10, 2009






Accused killer Michael Bryany in police custody


After killing Darcy Allan Sheppard, Michael Bryant immediately called his lawyer and then his PR firm Navigator Ltd. He held his first news conference as he stepped out of the police station the next morning.

Other than his resignation letter from Invest Toronto we haven’t heard from him, even though it sounded like the PR plan was for further statements.


Navigator Limited senior partner Robin Sears confirmed Mr. Bryant had retained the top-tier communications firm. He said Mr. Bryant will speak publicly again in the coming days.
-    Globe and Mail, September 3, 2009


Perhaps the exposure of Navigator as the source of speculation set them back or perhaps Bryant does have a side to the story.









To see it best watch it in high quality on full screen

From the video description:

This is security camera footage edited in the time sequence according to eyewitness accounts from August 31, 2009 9:45pm
Eyewitness accounts are avaible here There may be gaps of time between the available footage.

Security camera shows Bryant repeatedly charging Sheppard with his car and running the bike down, throwing Sheppard over the hood. (@ Bay and Bloor)

Car backs away from a bike and man getting up from the ground. The car accelerates away, driving past the man who runs down the street after/beside the car as it passes him. The bike is left behind.

Car drives speeds down the street on the wrong side.

Bryant leaves the scene of the killing and is apprehended, apparently 1hr 45 minutes later. Questions remain about the intervening time. His second phone call after the accident was to the PR firm Navigator: www.navltd.com

Update: Below is improved footage of Bryant deliberately ramming into Sheppard







More...






Mess Media, September 4, 2009


Michaels Bryant’s killing of Allan Sheppard has garnered a vast amount of media attention but how much of the media coverage is generated by Bryant’s PR firm.
Rick Salutin of the Globe and Mail reports on the PR campaign to contoll the media message. 
 
Salutin reports that Bryant's second phone call in custody was to hire the PR firm. From that moment the facts of the story have been crafted by those employed by Bryant.


Remember Bryant is a skilled politician with ten years of experience in holding press conferences, public self-promotion and political campaigns. And that's what this story is turning into - political campaign by Bryant and his PR firm, only in this campaign the "opponent" is dead.

Another aspect of Bryant's campaign is to flood the media with speculation, rumour and in some cases outright lies. The Globe asks:

 

When a news story says, “We have new information from a source …” is that source Navigator? Or someone egged on by Navigator? We won't know because Navigator “prefers to be inconspicuous.”

Reporters talking to them have to agree that everything is off the record.




Couriers Share their mutual hardship - Toronto Star, September 2, 2009
  


Mess Media, September 2, 2009

Darcy Allan Sheppard
Darcy Allan Sheppard


Former Ontario attorney-general Michael Bryant was charged Tuesday with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death in relation to the violent road rage death of bike messenger Darcy Allan (AL) Sheppard after a traffic altercation on August 31.

It was a senseless and tragic event that in a few short moments altered the lives of many, leaving one young man dead.

On August 31, around 9:45 pm Bryant was driving his sports car along Bloor Street. Finding himself behind a cyclist, Bryant reportedly grew impatient. Witnesses report an angry Bryant honked his horn and shouted at Sheppard to get moving.  Unsatisfied with Sheppard’s response, Bryant edged forward intentionally hitting Sheppard’s bike.  Sheppard then allegedly dismounted his bike and walked over to confront the shouting Bryant.

As the confrontation escalated, Sheppard grabbed hold of the door or mirror of Bryant’s car and Bryant sped off, tires squealing, with Sheppard holding on for his life as Bryant dragged him through the street.

Construction workers reported Bryant veering his car into oncoming traffic and mounting the sidewalk several times in an attempt to throw Sheppard off the car at high speeds. 

One of the workers said Bryant was “yelling pretty loud and he sounded very, very angry.” The other worker said, “He meant to knock him off.”

Another witness said, "The driver was going so fast that at one point the biker was holding on to his car and there were sparks coming from the bottom of his shoes."
 
Canadian Politician Charged in Death - New York Times, September 2, 2009


More



   Cycle style makes eyes roll in Philadelphia -  Philadelphia Inquirer, August. 09, 2009

   German Court Rules in Favor of Fixed-Gear Cyclist - Spiegel, August 7, 2009

   A wheely nice thing - Toronto Star, August  06, 2009

   For Reno's bike messengers, it's a special delivery - Reno Gazette-Journal, August 2, 2009

   Wheels wobble on the courier industry - Irish Times, August 01, 2009

   Polo's young punk cousin - BBC Radio 1 , July 31, 2009

   Robot Delivers Packages Through Sewers - Wired, July 29, 2009 

   To Save the Planet and Money, More Businesses are Delivering by Bicycle - Streetsblog San Francisco, July 29, 2009

    New Bike Trend Could Be Deadly - Spiegel, July 23, 2009
   
    Road to Progress - Houston Chronicle, July 22, 2009
  




 ottawa bike polo

 
The Ottawa Citizen, July 18, 2009

Three players sit tall in their saddles at each end of the tennis court, staring down their opponents. An orange ball rests on a yellow line at centre court. “Three, two, one — go!”

A lead player from each team charges toward the ball, swinging a mallet fashioned out of an old ski pole and plastic tubing. It is a Sunday afternoon in an Ottawa park and the six riders are playing polo — on bikes.

It’s not uncommon to spot polo players on bicycles at the court at Ev Tremblay Park, just west of Preston Street.

Three days a week, members of the Ottawa bike polo club, Mallets of Mayhem, many of whom work as bicycle messengers, gather to practise skills and play a pick-up game.




   




Bank of Ireland Business Banking announces, today, Tuesday 24 March 2009, the four finalists selected to the take part in the Dublin final of its 'Bright Ideas Challenge' which takes place on Wednesday 25 March from 4.00-9.30pm in the Stillorgan Park Hotel in Dublin. The four selected companies for the Dublin final of the competition are ASimil8, which is based at NovaUCD, iFoods, Trezur and Velocity Couriers who will present to a panel of judges and a public audience on the day. The final will form part of the Bank's first Business Advice Show during the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Enterprise Week.

Held in conjunction with the City & County Enterprise Boards the 'Bright Ideas Challenge' aims to encourage and support both innovation and enterprise in business start-ups, SMEs and individuals who are in the beginning of early stages of development. The chosen winner will receive a cash prize of €5,000, along with a mentoring and training package from the associated County Enterprise Board valued at €5,000. They will also go forward to the national final of the Bright Ideas Challenge in early 2010 with the opportunity to win another attractive investment package.


more..
 



    



Ten years ago Toronto bike messengers warned of the dangers of smog to our health in “Choking us to death: The Air Pollution Crisis and Its Effects on Bicycle Couriers.”

Couriers pointed to a unique vulnerability due to exposure to both the ground-level ozone and  particulate matter present in smog and to exposure to peek levels of pollution together with long-term exposure to non peak levels.

“Bicycle couriers work all day, year round in the midst of smog. Our lungs have minimal opportunity to recover from the effects of polluted air. We are chronically exposed to high doses of dangerously polluted air for long term, extended periods of time.”

The athletic nature of the profession requires messengers to “spend more time outdoors, breathe faster and engage in vigorous physical activity.”

This danger to couriers is exacerbated by the location of the athletic activity which means that a bike courier’s “lungs are not more than about 10 feet from an exhaust pipe for most of the day.”

Since the release of “Choking us to death,” many studies have confirmed couriers’ concerns.


more...



For more information read "Choking us to death:the air pollution crisis and its effects on bicycle couriers (1999)"

Long-Term Ozone Exposure and Mortality – New England Journal of Medicine , March 12, 2009

Study links smog exposure to premature death – New York Times, March 12, 2009

Ozone causes 20% of lung deaths, study suggests -  Toronto Star, March 11, 2009


For Athletes, an Invisible Traffic Hazard - New York Times, July 12, 2007


This job could kill - NOW Magazine, July 21, 2005





     


Strong, brave, fast and free. No wonder we admire messengers and their style

For years civilians have watched and immitated the functional fashion of bike messengers. From bags to clothing to accessories the bike messenger's influence on urban lifestyle continues to grow. Why?

Jeffrey Kidder's paper in the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, "Style and Action: A Decoding of Bike Messenger Symbols" concludes that "messenger style is intertwined with messenger practice." The marriage of style of and function lends an authenticity to messenger style. And it's a piece of this authenticity that civilians seek in their immitation of messengers.

In the introduction to the photography book, "Messengers Style", Valerie Steele, Chief Curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, notes that "when high fashion draws on street style, it’s not only because there is something special about the clothes. It is the lifestyle and attitude associated with subcultural clothing styles which attracts attention. Sometimes straight people want to live the life."

Introduction  to Messengers Style  - Assouline Books, 2000
Style and Action: A Decoding of Bike Messenger Symbols -  Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, June 2005
Media Stalking the Messengers? - Messmedia, October 9, 2007




  Media Stalking the Messengers?

Mess Media, October 9, 2007

What’s going on with messengers and the media?

Everywhere you look the media is hyping some new aspect of messenger culture as the next big thing. And they may be right. Messenger culture and its youth oriented styles, street edge and outlaw image has been making inroads into the mainstream since the first Cycle Messenger World Championships (CMWC) in 1993 in Berlin Germany. Since then messenger bags have become the accessory of choice for office workers and students.

And now recently many urban cyclists have started trading in their city mountain bikes for the fixed gear bikes associated with bike messengers. They even refer to messenger events as part of their “fixed gear culture.”



Stylist John Steinberg describes messengers as being “ahead of their time.” He says “They’ve got that edge. You see something on a courier. Maybe in a year later it will hit the mainstream. They’re slick. They’re cool. For want of a better word, they’re cool. The real world for them is cool.”


More....



The original - ALLEYCAT SCRAMBLE

The original Alleycats now have a site up with information and flyers from the historic first Alleycat Scrambles in Toronto.

Original alleycats

 

 

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