This is a copy my letter to the Mayor and all City and Metro Councillors asking for a 10-9 Day proclamation.

Help bring 10-9 Day to more cities. Write a letter to your local politicians. All they can say is no.

Mayor Barbara Hall City Hall,

100 Queen St. E.

Toronto, ON.

September 25, 1997

Dear Mayor Hall,

My name is Joe Hendry. I am the Bicycle Courier Industry Representative on the Toronto City Cycling Committee. I am writing on behalf of Toronto's 500 bicycle messengers to bring your attention to International Messenger Appreciation Day. The premise of which is that individual cities around the world recognize the contributions made by bicycle messengers. It is celebrated on October 9 (or 10-9) every year and involves no costs to the city, merely some kind of proclamation or recognition.

In San Francisco, a few years ago a mayoral proclamation decreed that October 9 of every year would be Messenger Appreciation Day. October 9 is "10-9" in radio code and means "Say again" or "What?" 10-9 Day is celebrated informally all over the world. This year efforts to formally recognize messengers' contributions are under way, not only here in Toronto, but also in other cities around the world.

Toronto's more than fifty (bike) courier companies employ over 500 bike messengers to deliver an estimated 1.2 million deliveries every year. This has resulted in a need for approximately 2500 fewer cars in the downtown core every day.

So let's acknowledge some of the many benefits bicycle couriers bring to our city :

• a solution to the problems of pollution, congestion and gridlock faced by large cities
• 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. (studies show that pedestrians are "250 times as likely to be injured by a car, bus or taxi" than a bike.)
• aid charities, such as St. Stephen's House through the annual "Courier Classic"
• draw tourists and international attention to Toronto through events and races (Cycle Messenger World Championships, Human Powered Rollercoaster, Temperence Dash)
• provide a value added service that continuously improving firms seek out as a means to reduce costs and improve efficiency (crucial to the movement of important information)
• are ambassadors of goodwill for the city. (hold doors, give directions, catch thieves, report accidents, retrieve stolen property and hunt down owners of lost items.)
• provide a link between Toronto's homeless people and the rest of the downtown core
• year round cyclists who promote the bicycle as a viable form of transportation and economic development

A Bike Messenger Appreciation Day declared by the city will bring attention to the efforts of couriers, and courier companies to promote professionalism and safety in the industry. It will legitimize the profession and promote both bike culture and courier culture. This day will focus attention on cycling at a time of year when people are thinking about putting their bikes away for the winter. This added attention may be used to promote winter cycling and to promote the use of bikes in other areas of the economy. It will also promote CAN-BIKE, S.P.A.C.E., safe cycling and the Moving the Econmy Internationational Conference (Economic opportunities in sustainable transportation to be held in Toronto June 18-21, 1998).

Messenger Appreciation Day may explore more ways for messengers to contribute further to the community. They could aid charities, foster relationships with other bike groups, transportation groups and environmental agencies.

It is inevitable that professional cyclists such as bicycle couriers are looked upon as role models. They "colour the urban environment" and have developed their own cultural identity. Their influences on fashion, music, film and art are well documented. Their contributions to the living and working environments in the city deserve attention too.

Longtime, professional couriers acknowledge the value of developing skills and promoting safety for all road users yet it is the shortcomings of a small minority of messengers that dominate public perceptions. It is time that the positive aspects of bicycle couriers are recognized to bring balance to the steroetyped images the public has of these enviornmentally friendly and hardworking souls.

Sincerely,

Joe Hendry

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at messvilleto@yahoo.com