The Best is Yet To Come
For immediate release
February 8, 1999
The International Federation of Bike Messenger Associations (IFBMA), representing thousands of bicycle messengers throughout the world has awarded Boston with the first ever
The IFBMA recently launched a campaign to name the world's best and worst cities for bike couriers. The process was expected to cover several months with nominations being considered at the European Cycle Messenger Championships in Gijon, Spain (May 21-24, 1999) and the North American Cycle Courier Championships in Toronto, Canada (June 5-6, 1999.) The winners were to be announced after the 7th Annual Cycle Messenger World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland, (July 23-25,1999.)
The City of Boston's behavior toward bike messengers over the last year was so terrible that it not only won the worst city title, its disappointing record prompted the international organization to announce the award early. The search for the best city is on-going.
Boston received the distinction because of its discrimination against bike messengers under new legislation, the media hyperbole surrounding it and its attitude toward cycling in general.
In the last year Boston has conducted a witch hunt against bike messengers. Cycle messenger representatives point out that North Americans accept death and injury due to motor vehicle crashes as routine. However, a single accident involving a single courier has led to a campaign of pejorative articles, political grandstanding and discriminating laws based on anecdotal evidence, opinion and perception.
Boston's current legislation is exclusively directed toward bicycle messengers. City officials publicly claim it a necessary tool for traffic safety. It requires only cyclists working as professional commercial messengers to not only carry greater insurance than either taxi drivers or automobile drivers, but also to wear vests and carry three identifying licenses - even when not in traffic. Beyond this, only working bicycle messengers are required by the City to wear bicycle helmets, and (perhaps most disturbing of all) the Police Commissioner is specifically provided with the power to suspend, deny and revoke driving licenses of bicycle but not automobile couriers.
Boston has no legislation to cover messengers who deliver by car.
Boston is a city that is not only hostile to messengers but unfriendly to cycling in general. The IFBMA points to Boston's recent "special place of dishonor" ranking by a national magazine. "It comes as no surprise that Boston was named the worst city for cycling in North America by Bicycling Magazine," said an IFBMA spokesperson.
"City of Boston officials have no Bicycle Program, no bicycle coordinator and the Boston Bicycle Advisory Committee stopped meeting last year. Boston is such an auto-dominated city that it's no wonder that motor vehicle break-ins were cited as the primary crime concern voiced by Boston residents in the 1997 Public Safety Survey."
In Boston between 1994-1996 there were 1,348 accidents involving pedestrians and motor vehicles and 43 fatalities resulted. Four cyclists were killed by motor vehicles during the same period. There has never been a traffic fatality resulting from the behavior of a bike messenger.
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The International Federation of Bike Messenger Associations is an international organization representing professional bike messengers worldwide.
International Federation of Bike Messenger Associations
PO Box 191443, San Francisco, CA 94119-1443 USA
http://www.messengers.org
MEDIA CONTACTS AND REPRESENTATIVES
Joel Metz (San Francisco)
Mark Pilder (Seattle)
Jean Andre Vallery (Sarasota FL)
Justin Gullickson (Calgary)
Stef Furano (Montreal)
Joe Hendry (Toronto)
Dave Holden (Vancouver)
John Kenda (Boston)
Buffalo Bill (London, UK)