Philadelphia Inquirer, November 14, 1997
(AP) BOSTON -- A bank executive wound up in a coma after he was sideswiped by one of the city's bicycle couriers, and now the businesses that hire the daredevil messengers are calling for a crackdown.
The Boston Chamber of Commerce voted yesterday to send out a mass mailing, calling on companies to steer clear of unlicensed couriers and blacklist those with bad attitudes.
"Just the other day I was crossing the street and this messenger came really close to me," said Judy LaBran, a law firm secretary. "When I tried to get out of his way, he started swearing at me and calling me an idiot."
William Spring, a Federal Reserve Bank of Boston vice president and member of the Boston School Committee, was hit by a courier as he walked just yards from his home Oct. 30. A hospital spokesman said Spring, 62, was still in critical condition yesterday.
"This accident seems to be releasing everyone's pent-up frustrations," said 27-year-old messenger Ted Riederer. "Business is treating us like some disposable industry, but everything that goes on in this city passes through our hands at some point."
The city has created a task force to look at upping requirements for bicycle messengers. One of the proposals would make couriers carry liability insurance; few already do.
The city has about 500 registered bicycle couriers, according to the Chamber of Commerce. For $20 and a trip to the police station for a background check, anyone can become a messenger. Some bypass the system and go it on their own.
Being licensed means the messenger gets an orange patch with a license number on it -- a patch some choose not to wear to prevent people from reporting them to courier companies.
Regina Stone, owner of a Boston Bicycle Courier Inc., said her company only employs registered couriers. Regardless, she said, her business has received some flak.
"It's a knee-jerk reaction by the business community," Stone said. "But really, I think you have more chance of getting hit by a cab."
As for cabbies, they fear hitting messengers --either on purpose or by accident.
"Today, one of the couriers slapped my car and I almost hit him," said Yohannes Fre, a 50-year-old driver. "Yeah, I'm scared of them. I don't want to hit nobody."
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at messvilleto@yahoo.com