Moving targets

Rules of the road

by Jason Gay

In 1990, on the heels of several major bike messenger accidents -- including one involving David Reuter, a college student who was hit by a truck within the first 10 minutes of his first day on the job, and later died -- Boston's city council passed a set of regulations on the business. The measure, championed by then-councilor Rosaria Salerno, was the city's first attempt to regulate messengers. Today, the city sets rules for messengers and courier companies in the following areas:

REGISTRATION. All companies that employ commercial bike messengers must be registered with the city. Companies are instructed to teach all employees safe-bicycling techniques.

LICENSING. Every commercial messenger who uses Boston roadways for compensation more than twice a month is required to apply for a license and carry it while working. Getting the license, which costs $20 and is valid for two years, requires a background check, but there is no safety test.

GEAR. Commercial messengers are required to wear a protective also helmet and an orange reflective vest. They must also display their courier registration number prominently on their clothing or courier's bag.

Though the majority of Boston's messengers carry licenses and wear helmets, other regulations aren't as closely obeyed, despite the threat of fines ranging from $20 to $100. Not every courier displays his or her number, and it's nearly impossible to find someone downtown wearing the vest.

In the wake of the October 30 accident that left school committee member William Spring in a coma, city leaders are considering tougher regulations, including mandatory training and liability insurance. A task force of law enforcement representatives and businesspeople plans to involve messenger companies in this discussion, says Boston Police Department spokesperson Margot Hill.

In addition to passing new laws, Hill says, city leaders need to make messengers comply with existing ones.

"Many citizens of Boston want us to do something about this, and we will," says Hill. "We're not trying to put [anyone] out of business. We just want to take a business that is in dire need of regulation and make it better regulated."

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Jason Gay can be reached at jgay[a]phx.com.