Don’t Shoot The Messenger
May 20th, 2010
For you Bike Snipers out there, here’s a treatment for a TV show all about bike messengers in DC. We have a lot of them here (yes, I’m in DC), since there are so many government and government-related offices all over town. I’ve definitely seen some of these very people around. Also, I would definitely watch this show.
Are you in DC? Recognize any of these people, their bikes, or at least their biking “style”? If not, would you watch the show?
May 20th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
I'd watch! I mean. I did it for a month!
May 20th, 2010 at 11:18 pm
I'm nowhere near a large city, and I'd still watch. Looks like it'd be a pretty col show.
May 20th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
col = cool. Apparently I'm typing impaired today.
May 20th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
I'd probably watch part of it, but since it is about what I do all day I don't know how far I could get through it. I like to go out for a ride after work, but sitting through anything about being a bike courier without getting paid… maybe I've been doing this job for too long.
May 21st, 2010 at 4:17 am
Hell, even the foreigner fro the land of the Bike (aye, still Dutch) would watch this. Especially since I do not, and might never, understand how you have seemingly no system to protect cyclists.
In the Netherlands, for instance, no matter if it's your fault or not, if you hit a cyclist with your car, you're basically screwed. Insurance policies are built around that fact.
Also, we have covered the cities with cycle paths, adjacent to sidewalks (where it is illegal to walk on)…
So, considering that, I'd deffo watch it.
May 21st, 2010 at 11:39 am
Generally cops will blame cars and not cyclists. Cars in DC aren't really allowed to move into 3 feet of a cyclist, and you aren't allowed to open your door into traffic without checking traffic first. This actually covers most traffic issues. Having been caught in an accident where I was \”doored\” and my bike damaged a taxi cab on the other side (I was okay) the cop really never blamed me. The guy opening the door got blamed for the whole thing.
May 21st, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Having just started riding my bike in the city (and really, riding my bike at all for the first time in 8 years), I'm still very tentative about it all. I do remember reading something in City Paper about a year ago about a bunch of the bike messengers and the crap they have to deal with. Definitely not my shtick.
May 21st, 2010 at 5:47 pm
[...] “Don’t Kill the Messenger,” about bike messengers in Washington DC, highlights the danger of biking in DC, so whatever. I’m not a messenger nor do I ride like one, but I’ve been cycling with traffic for over a couple of decades now and I’ve yet to even come close to having titanium bits inserted into my wrist. F-bomb alert in this video. I yelled at a woman driving a huge GM SUV this morning when she tried to merge directly into me, but that’s unusual. Props to Rosscott, Inc. [...]
May 21st, 2010 at 6:22 pm
[...] “Don’t Kill the Messenger,” about bike messengers in Washington DC, highlights the danger of biking in DC, so whatever. I’m not a messenger nor do I ride like one, but I’ve been cycling with traffic for over a couple of decades now and I’ve yet to even come close to having titanium bits inserted into my wrist. F-bomb alert in this video. I yelled at a woman driving a huge GM SUV this morning when she tried to merge directly into me, but that’s unusual. Props to Rosscott, Inc. [...]
May 28th, 2010 at 3:15 am
[...] 1er, « Don’t kill the messenger« , s’intéresse aux coursiers à vélo de la ville de Washingtown DC. Le second, [...]