OT: Cycle couriers

[graywolf]

...And the guy with the helmet mounted camera is the craziest one of the 
lot.

frank theriault wrote:
> On 2/1/07, David Mann <dmann at bluemoon.net.nz> wrote:
>> This has to be about the scariest video I've ever seen.  These guys
>> wouldn't last 5 minutes in my city.
>>
>> http://youtube.com/watch?v=nR2ygFn-yR8
>>
>> - Dave
> 
> As the only (former) bike courier on this list (that I know of), I
> feel equiped to comment with some knowledge.
> 
> First, what these guys are doing looks really dangerous, but believe
> it or not, they're in control.  Their biggest concern would be the
> "door prize" - ie:  someone jumping out of a taxi and throwing open a
> door without warning.
> 
> I've ridden in New York, and surprisingly, the drivers there are
> predictable, keep to their lanes, signal lane changes, and are quite
> polite to bike couriers (compared to Toronto, anyway).  I think that's
> in large part due to a fairly recent law that taxis' licences are
> suspended pending any investigation of any complaint.  Due to that,
> they drive pretty much perfectly.
> 
> The other thing about New York, is that bikes go the same speed as
> motor traffic, and that's a pretty safe situation for bikes.  It means
> we can take the middle of the lane and not worry of being squeezed out
> by passing cars.
> 
> All that being said, the guys in the video do give bike messengers a
> bad name, especially buzzing pedestrians like that.  The going through
> lights, the squeezing between gridlocked cars (as I said, that's the
> riskiest thing they did), the going the wrong way down one-way streets
> look much more dangerous than they are.  But pedestrians are pretty
> helpless and unprotected;  I always tried to be nice to them.
> 
> cheers,
> frank
>