This survey is being used for a presentation at the Velo Mondiale Conference at Montreal in September and to determine if there is a need to change any aspects of the Courier Licensing Program. Individual responses will be kept completely confidential and a survey summary will be made available to any interested parties. Your time in completing the survey is greatly appreciated.
Danelle Laidlaw Executive Director Bicycling Association of BC
John Whistler Chairman Vancouver Bicycle Advisory Committee
How long have you been a Bicycle Courier? - 26.5 MONTHS
Are you employed as a courier year round? - 83 % YEAR ROUND
If no, please note months in year employed as a courier
TYPICALLY EITHER SEPT - MAY OR MAY - AUG
Form of pay:
Wage only - 3 %
Wage & commission - 0 %
Commission only - 97 %
Typical daily earnings: - $81.50
Typical daily hours: - 8.6 HOURS/DAY
Typical yearly expenditures on bicycle & accessories: - $1,333.00
Percentage of helmet usage during working hours: - 64% (TYPICALLY ALWAYS OR NEVER)
Number of work days missed in last 12 months because of work related bicycle injuries: - 9.64 DAYS
Did you find the courier licence study package helpful?
Yes 31% Neutral 23% No 46%
Did you attend the seminar?
Yes 19% No 81%
If yes, did you find the seminar useful?
Yes 33% Neutral 33% No 33%
Did you find the written test fair?
Yes 58% Neutral 22% No 19%
Did you find the road test fair?
Yes 56º. Neutral 28% No 17%
Do you find the testing & licensing program too bureaucratic?
Yes 47% Neutral 31% No 22%
Has the licensing & testing program improved your cycling skills?
Yes 11% Neutral 8% No 83%
Does the licensing & testing program improve the image of bicycle couriers and help legitimize their use of the roads?
Yes 28% Neutral 19% No 53%
Do you feel most couriers are complying with the licensing program?
Yes 69% Neutral 26% No 6%
Did you obtain your licence before or after obtaining employment?
Before 69% After 31%
Do you feel bicycle couriers receive unfair enforcement by Police for traffic violations ?
Yes 94% Neutral 3% No 3%
Number of traffic violations during work in last 12 months: - 3
Age: - 22.8
Sex: Male - 83% Female - 17%
Education Level less than grade 12 - 9%
Grade 12 - 23%
1 year post secondary - 20%
2 year post secondary - 26%
greater than 2 year post secondary - 23%
AVERAGE EDUCATION LEVEL - 1.3 YEARS POST SECONDARY
Are you a member of the BABC? - 24% BABC MEMBERS
APPROXIMATELY 80 SURVEYS DISTRIBUTED - 36 RESPONSES RECEIVED
What do you consider the greatest safety hazards of being a bicycle courier?
Other comments?
COMMENTS TO COURIER SURVEY
IN RESPONSE TO 'WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE GREATEST SAFETY HAZARDS OF BEING A BICYCLE COURIER' AND 'OTHER COMMENTS'
People who don't share the road. The Bike Cops should concentrate more on real crime than people trying to earn an honest living.
Drivers who fail to stop at red lights (including buses). Drivers who fail to use indicators before turning (these drivers are often chatting on their cellular phone).
The drivers are careless and many are either totally stupid or viciously violent. I exercise extreme caution and come close to being seriously injured or killed approximately once a week. The biggest drawbacks to Couriering in Vancouver are pollution, careless drivers, and police harassment. It's totally ridiculous the way they fine us for bending licence plates or not having a bell. Voice gets the message across much more directly. The fines are also too high. I would pay a $35 or $25 fine but when I get a $75 to $100 fine I will waste court time fighting it. It also encourages me to go on welfare or U.I. when I lose a day or two of wages.
Crowding between vehicles & parked cars, vehicles turning left and paying a bike no heed, and the biggest, people turning right in your path. Many couriers as well as casual cyclists feel that upon getting your drivers license (including renewal every year) that drivers should receive some education on cyclists and the like, sharing the road. It's not enough to educate the cyclist alone. One more thing, is sidewalk riding such a crime? If it's safer to use the crosswalk, why not? Weekend riders aren't ticketed, only couriers who have more control.
Hesitant, unobservant drivers. It helps improve courier image but as far as legitimizing our use I feel we as non polluters of Earth shouldn’t need to legitimize our presence on the road.
Greatest hazard is the lack of B.C.C.A. (sic) control over informing bike stores who rent out bikes and proper equipment required on bikes. Your program was slapped together with people who have no idea what work on a bike is like, your program is totally illogical and geared to tourist riders, not to working couriers, your so called instructors are dangerous and should spend a month on the road as a courier to really understand the job, as it stands you people are dangerous to the bike couriers of this city and will probably get one killed thanks to your program.
Lack of legitimacy from other road users. Let's get some professional license testers to administer the tests. We currently have inept volunteers and bike commuters testing us!
Buses running reds. Drivers not signalling when turning or parking. The police should start cracking down on non-uniformed couriers because they get away with things because you can't identify who they work for. Also casual riders should be equally harassed by cops just because they are there. (In one day I was stopped by 3 different cops to check serial numbers on my bike. Waste of time.) One of these times while my bike was being checked a tourist rode by on the sidewalk they didn't do a thing. But they stopped me and I was walking my bike.
Drivers who don't recognize the right of bicycles on the road, courier or no courier also pedestrians who are where they shouldn't be. Couriers are looked down on by the majority because of a few reckless riders. The unfair crackdown of the "police" is utterly unfair. The city should find another source of "illegal" income!
Cars and high priced traffic violations. Police officers don t realize that one ticket, ie riding on the sidewalk $75, will cost us a day and a half of work. Not Fair.
Taxi cabs, buses, J walkers on Granville, car doors, drivers who don't shoulder check before they change lanes, Asian youth gangs (seriously). Unless courier rates double, the only way to make a living as a bicycle courier is to break the law, so either make the job illegal or leave us alone. The licensing and testing program does not improve cycling skills only experience can do that.
The greatest hazard is obviously inattentive traffic. A driver not paying any attention is the worst hazard with bad lane changes and turns from the wrong lane. The job of a courier is to make deliveries as fast as possible. We are paid for our civil disobedience during work. Our license has almost nothing to do with rider safety and everything to do with a business license purchased from city hall. The license plate on our bike is not a proof of having achieved a level of expertise in our riding in the way a drivers license is. Instead , it is a visible license for business that must be carried around. It would make much more sense for a courier to simply pay his money for his plate instead of wasting time, energy and money on the written and road test that serves as much purpose as an appendix. I do not believe that the police enforce the law any more stricter against couriers than the rest of the public, especially with the new bicycle police. Couriers practice civil disobedience all day long and the occasional ticket should be expected. The BABC could better serve cyclists and the public by using its resources to encourage bicycle races, bike trails and driver education. More bike paths and perhaps bike lanes on the streets of the city would be advantageous it they decreased traffic. More bike lockers at skytrain stations and transit loops would encourage transit use. Courses on bicycle maintenance are important since a well maintained bike is a safe bike. The weather in Vancouver means intrepid individuals can cycle year round. For the rest there still many months of good cycling weather. If the BABC made true, honest attempts to make Vancouver a cycling city maybe traffic would be reduced. Put your energies to where they are most useful and away from useless enterprises such as testing bicycle couriers and the public will work with you to make your good efforts a success.
Lack of self control in stressful situations, ie awareness of everything in your environment is the only thing that will save your butt, if there is potential for accident. Currently I find the common sense in the bicycle courier community encouraging. The vast majority of commuters do have a sense for safety and are safe riders. I find however the police to be quite unaware or at least disrespectful of the "downtown sense" as they demonstrate in the number of very ridiculous calls made, some of which as I've witnessed are borderline harassment. Anyway life goes on downtown. Everything is fine.
Unaware drivers, cellular phones, taxis. What have you done for us?
Motorists and pedestrians they are blind to couriers. Most people walk around (and drive for that matter) in a daze, so we have to be extra alert to compensate. The penalties are far to high for the severity of the violations, in most cases.
people who J walk in front of me while looking at their feet or in other direction. Bus drivers in Vancouver are very dangerous.
Bus drivers are very aggressive.
Major lack of awareness by both drivers and pedestrians, they don't realize the majority of riders are functioning as a vehicle and know what they are doing. Drivers that run red lights in the core should be jailed for a day.
Other people, well to be more specific buses the bus drivers are totally careless, I'm surprised more people haven't been injured or killed by them. I think the police need to spend more time and money, (our money!) dealing with real crime rather than some people trying to earn an honest living committing bylaw infractions.
Uptight businessmen who jaywalk wherever they please and don't hesitate to sue you when you accidently hit them. Cyclists should be provided with more respect provided they do not violate traffic regulations when it endangers pedestrians or motorists safety.
Bad driving skills of cab drivers and bus drivers. Lack of recognized bike lanes in the downtown core. Car drivers that are unaware bikes have a legal right to the road and use road lanes.
Getting hit by a car and run over. Photograph ID on the courier would be better than plates which are poorly designed and easily switched. Fines are ridiculously high in proportion to the severity of the crime. Bikes are not cars, they don't kill. If you consider the fines a form of taxation we receive nothing for our money. In Vancouver there is not a single bike lane in the core. No bike racks in front of many buildings (Bentalls).
Buses, taxis and people who fail to realize that bicycle are exceeding 30 40 km/hr. Need more public education. Amendments to bylaws which would allow professionals (couriers) certain liberties to make our job practical, ie left & right turns from Granville.
The fact that nobody, on sidewalks or roads, think bike couriers have a right to use any of the pavement. Licensing seems like a scam and bicycle police are a joke, if you think they make couriers more careful. They waste money, they police not protect, and licenses are merely the start of growing policing which I personally dislike.
Unpredictable motorists. The security chick in 650 Georgia. Why is the fine for riding on the sidewalk $100 (heinous crime?!) when speeding through a school zone (extremely life-endangerinq) is also $100?
Obeying road signs etc.
Bus drivers. Cab drivers. Bicycle cops.
Other cars driven by tourists and freaks with no driving skills. Police bikes out of downtown.
Bus drivers, cab drivers, and irresponsible drivers. Stupid pedestrians who never seem to look both ways before crossing the street. With countless drug dealers, hookers and murderers roaming the streets it's amazing the police concentrate on the heinous crime of riding on the sidewalk!
I think that cyclists should be fined only for major infractions of the laws governing their use.
Automobile drivers especially taxis and buses and your average incautious driver.
People in cars don't realize cyclists are allowed to be on the road.
Cops get off our backs.
Cars, busses, taxis, hangovers.
Keep the kops off my back!!!.
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at messvilleto@yahoo.com