Lindsey Kingston
Daily Free Press, December 14, 1998

See note below for missing facts
 

In response to a home rule petition filed by a man injured last fall in a collision with a bicycle courier, Boston Police announced last week the implementation of tough new laws regulating city bike messengers and the companies that employ them.

In October 1997, William Spring was crossing Commonwealth Avenue in front of his home when a bike courier ran through a red light and hit him, putting Spring in a coma for six weeks. [the coma was medically induced by doctors to speed recovery]

[M-This is either completely reckless journalism or an attempt to rewrite history. It was Spring who went through the red light and slammed into the courier. However Mr Spring was able to use his influence and call in favours.]

"This was a wake-up call to get things in line," said police spokeswoman Margot Hill.

Under the new rules, set to take effect Jan 1., bike couriers will be required to obtain annual licenses from the city and carry insurance.

Each messenger will be assigned a license number that must be prominently displayed on his bike and outer clothing, easing identification in case of an accident. Fines of up to $300 can be imposed if messengers fail to carry their licenses or display their numbers.

"If you can't identify them, you can't hold them accountable," Hill said. "This ordinance will change that."

If couriers change employers or go independent, they must re-register with the city so their whereabouts are always known.

Courier services will also be required to carry insurance for their messengers-- at least $50,000 in property coverage and $100,000 to cover personal injury or death.

As part of the new rules, police say they will crack down on messengers who violate traffic laws by running red lights or going the wrong way down one-way streets.

"We're happy that this happened," said Cameron Mojahed, owner of Speedy Package Delivery in Boston. His company has been voluntarily carrying insurance for the past 11 years and requiring couriers to have licenses for the past five-- one of few companies in the city to do so.

Mojahed said he is glad all couriers must now adopt these precautions, which he said make it more expensive for his company to do business.

"It made it hard because those things cost money," Mojahed said. "It made what you could call a price war with the competition."

However, Mojahed expressed concern about a clause in the new regulations which he said would unfairly require all bike messengers to undergo a criminal background check before receiving their licenses.
 

Since much of the reporting in this accident is selective when it comes to the facts, Messengerville has included some. These types of serious accidents involving bike couriers are extremely rare. The Gladstone/Spring accident occurred when a pedestrian (Spring) ran across the street against a red light and collided with the cyclist (Gladstone) who was proceeding through a green light.

The bicycle messenger ordinance in effect at the time already required bicycle couriers to have licenses, wear visible identification numbers, and have license plates on their bikes. It also required messenger companies to register with the city. Much to the dismay of the anti-bike types, the only new requirement is insurance. Automobile couriers face no similar requirements.

Since the accident took place at an intersection crosswalk Gladstone was ticketed because, under the law vehicles must yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk - even if the pedestrian is jaywalking. The fines he received were: "$100 for not wearing the vest required under a city ordinance; $100 for not being licensed, and $20 under the state law mandating deference to pedestrians in crosswalks. In other words $200 for bureaucratic violations and $20 for traffic violations.

Under the new law a motorist who kills someone while drinking and driving would not be permitted to work as a bicycle courier in Boston. However that same drunk driving motorist would be permitted to work as a car courier in Boston.

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