In October of this year, there were two separate fatal accidents in Philadelphia in which cyclists hit pedestrians. This was such an unusual situation that the media made a big deal about it, and the Philadelphia City Council introduced several bills regarding bicycles. The bills would hugely increase the fines for breaking some traffic laws on a bicycle, require bicycle owners to license their bicycle, and outlaw brakeless fixed-gear bicycles. On November 21st, the Philadelphia Police Department sent officers on bicycles to Rittenhouse Square in Downtown Philly to enforce traffic laws for bicycles. Bicycle laws continued to be a hot issue in the media and out in the streets, and the whole thing came to a head early on Thanksgiving morning.
Rachel Fletcher, a Philadelphia bike messenger was cycling home when a car came up behind her and yelled at her to "get the fuck out of the street". When Rachel didn't, he hit her with his car and drove off. Rachel was left bleeding on the side of the road with bad facial injuries and a broken jaw.
The Philadelphia Bicycle Messenger Association decided that they had taken enough abuse and held a rally in downtown Philly at Love Park yesterday.
The PBMA has also prepared the following press release:
The Philadelphia Bike Messenger Association (PBMA) would like to declare our stance on new cycling legislation proposed by councilmen DiCicco and Kenney and respond to the rise of an anti-cycling climate in our city.
We do not oppose the enforcement of existing laws regarding bicycle riding, but believe that equal and consistent enforcement amongst cyclists, pedestrians and motorists is key. Consistent enforcement of traffic violations would improve the lives of everyone in this city no matter what their mode of travel might be. It is our membership's consensus that the proposed laws put forth by Councilman DiCicco and Councilman Kenney would be specifically harmful to bicycle messengers. No working bike messenger in this city could afford a $1,000 fine or possible confiscation of a work bike deemed "brakeless" according to the proposed laws. The PBMA does not think that a registration program is feasible in a city under so much budget distress and would rather see resources allocated to better causes.
The idea that Philadelphia bike messengers are dangerous is an unfortunate perception amongst motorists and pedestrians. We are often mistaken for dangerous cyclists, as people believe that anyone with a bag and a bike is working as a bicycle messenger. Hazardous cycling makes a professional messenger as concerned as any motorist alongside of them in traffic. It is also apparent to our membership that anti-cycling sentiment continues to grow rapidly in Philadelphia. Recently a co-worker was intentionally targeted by an angry motorist and was the victim of a hit and run. Aggression from motorists in the form of verbal threats or their leaving the scene of an accident is commonplace in our workday and sadly increasing in frequency for other city cyclists as well. It is our hope that we can change the views of the public and see Philadelphia become the bicycling friendly city it can be.
In the coming months the PBMA will work towards improving our working conditions that not only benefit us but other city cyclists, pedestrians and motorists in Philadelphia.
The PBMA has come up with a noble response to a very tough situation. Last summer in Chicago, we had to deal with some anti-bike sentiment when the 3' overtaking law and the dooring law were passed, and motorists were upset about these new laws. However, the controversy seemed to pass quickly and without a major incident like the one in Philly. We had to deal with some of the same public outcry, and it still doesn't make sense. The incidents in Philly, where two pedestrians were killed in accidents with bikers are both incredibly freak occurrences. Just out of curiosity, I checked the Active Transportation Alliance's crash report over a four year period to see how many pedestrians were killed by bicycles in the city of Chicago. I couldn't find any, although over the same period, over 2000 pedestrians were killed as a result of being struck by motor vehicles. It seems like when the issue of enforcing bike laws comes up, cities often target bicycle messengers, much as they did in Philly on Nov. 21. It's easy to target bike messengers, you know where we are going to be every day, and it seems to satisfy the public in a strange way. The thing that people don't realize is as much as you might dislike bike messengers, the work we do still needs to be done. If the work done by bike messengers were absorbed by vehicle messengers, the public would be a a much greater risk of being killed by a collision with a messenger. If the 2000 pedestrians killed by motor vehicles in Chicago had been hit by bicycles instead, every one of them would probably still be alive today.
The CCU will stand behind our brothers and sisters in Philadelphia. We are having a meeting tomorrow, and will be discussing ways in which we can help out. Personally, I feel a close connection to the messengers in Philadelphia. I traveled to Philly a couple years ago to race and hang out for a week, and was taken care of the entire time I was there. Philly and Chicago have built a strong bond over the last couple of years. I have always had a great time hanging out with Philly messengers, whether it was at the Stuporbowl, the NACCCs, or at the worlds in Tokyo.
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