http://www.phillybma.org/news/?p=7 Philadelphia Bike Messenger Association Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:12:51 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 http://www.phillybma.org/news/?p=7&cpage=1#comment-5 Sandy Dechert Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:12:51 +0000 http://www.phillybma.org/news/?p=7#comment-5 Sympathy to the messenger, family, and other cyclists and drivers. Sympathy to the messenger, family, and other cyclists and drivers.

]]> http://www.phillybma.org/news/?p=7&cpage=1#comment-4 Santi Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:12:53 +0000 http://www.phillybma.org/news/?p=7#comment-4 Another employee association in the city represents taxi cabs. Comparisons are often drawn between this lot and bike messengers; one being the time-sensitive nature of the job. Getting from point A to B quickly and SAFELY as many times in a day as possible is key to success and revenue, right? Taxi cabs are registered and their exterior indicates their company- Old City, Quaker, etc. Why not do the same for messengers? If you work for company X, you wear a red shirt, company Y, a blue shirt, with an ID tag so that in the event of an accident, you can be identified. If there are "rogue" elements within the business, those that flout the laws and besmirch the good name of messengers in general, (just as with cab-drivers) wouldn't you want them identified? Fining the specific BM service would result in more industry self-policing with those costly repeat offenders getting fired, thus rooting out the bad apples that spoil the bunch. Can someone explain what kind of regulation currently exists within the BM industry in Philly? I don't think general registration will be helpful at all but industry regulations are to be expected. Another employee association in the city represents taxi cabs. Comparisons are often drawn between this lot and bike messengers; one being the time-sensitive nature of the job. Getting from point A to B quickly and SAFELY as many times in a day as possible is key to success and revenue, right? Taxi cabs are registered and their exterior indicates their company- Old City, Quaker, etc. Why not do the same for messengers? If you work for company X, you wear a red shirt, company Y, a blue shirt, with an ID tag so that in the event of an accident, you can be identified. If there are “rogue” elements within the business, those that flout the laws and besmirch the good name of messengers in general, (just as with cab-drivers) wouldn’t you want them identified? Fining the specific BM service would result in more industry self-policing with those costly repeat offenders getting fired, thus rooting out the bad apples that spoil the bunch.
Can someone explain what kind of regulation currently exists within the BM industry in Philly? I don’t think general registration will be helpful at all but industry regulations are to be expected.

]]> http://www.phillybma.org/news/?p=7&cpage=1#comment-3 Jim Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:38:19 +0000 http://www.phillybma.org/news/?p=7#comment-3 The point of the traffic laws is that no one should get hurt. Everyone has to do their part in this. A bicycle can be fitted with a front brake at a modest cost. Having a front brake reduces the distance required to stop in an emergency by about half. There is no way to know that you will never have an emergency where quicker stopping could keep someone from being hurt (maybe yourself); such situations are not that rare. How can you justify not having a front brake on a bike? The point of the traffic laws is that no one should get hurt. Everyone has to do their part in this. A bicycle can be fitted with a front brake at a modest cost. Having a front brake reduces the distance required to stop in an emergency by about half. There is no way to know that you will never have an emergency where quicker stopping could keep someone from being hurt (maybe yourself); such situations are not that rare. How can you justify not having a front brake on a bike?

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