![]() ![]() These maneuvers are all aimed at one basic goal: completing deliveries as quickly as possible. Their injury rate is more than 15 times the national average for all jobs Then, when there's a break in it, they turn left across the intersection and proceed. ![]() Instead of stopping, they turn and briefly ride with the traffic. The most characteristic bike messenger move occurs when they approach a red light with traffic flowing through the street they want to cross. They squeeze between lanes of stopped or slow traffic, and frequently dart up one-way streets. To get to their next stop as quickly as possible, they do all kinds of things that a casual biker probably wouldn't consider trying. The BuzzFeed video above gives you a good idea of the nonstop, frenetic riding style most bike messengers employ. But in reality, they're working a dangerous, low-paying job - and are victims of a bigger, systemic problem. If you see a bike messenger riding like a maniac, your instinct is probably to grumble, shake your fist, and curse all bikers. It's as if a waiter or waitress had to knock over customers to serve meals fast enough to earn a tip. That's because virtually all these messengers are paid per delivery, and in most cases, making enough deliveries per day to earn a decent wage requires breaking traffic laws - and at times, riding a bit recklessly. Messengers are paid per delivery, and very littleīut while their reckless riding might make bikers look bad, the truth is that the messengers riding this way are just doing their jobs. In fact, some might argue that by committing a disproportionate amount of the reckless riding that goes on, they give all bicyclists a bad name. They dart in and out of car traffic, and weave through it to cross busy streets when they hit a red light. They go the wrong way on one-way streets. If you live in a big city, you've probably seen bike messengers riding recklessly. ![]()
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