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 hard work that you do, and to extend our appreciation for the valuable contributions that you provide to our city.

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

We also appreciate the work that the Toronto Hoof and Cycle Courier Coalition has done towards signaling the dangers of working in these smoggy conditions.

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

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

Sincerely yours

Jack Layton
Co-chair
Toronto Cycling Committee