bicycle couriers

Hi,
I'm a student at the University of Technology, studying Indistrial design.
For my final year dissertation I've decided to look at occupational health and safety in the courier industry.

I was wondering if you guys would be able to help me with some questions?

1) I need some bicycle couriers to answer some questions for a questionnaire that I'm doing.

2) Also, if anyone knows of other people I could possibly contact for information?

Thanks!!!

 

i'm not a bike courier but i came accross some groups / associations of bike couriers / messengers on the web. they have stats and information that may be of help to you.

good luck!

 

ooops...i forgot to mention that i used google while searching. maybe type in the keywords bicylcle courier (and or) messenger

 

I don't understand your poll. The options aren't mutually exclusive.

I know many bike messengers. It's insanely dangerous. It's insanely thrilling. It's a subculture that you can really only explore by going out and meeting messengers and talking to them. No one on this, at least that I've encountered thus far, knows what it's like.

 

Nearly every accident I've heard of involved either a motor vehicle or a pedestrian ... along w/ the courier. So, I doubt the bike is the problem. Couriers don't seem to crash with each other either.

 

i was a bike courier for 9 years, and it is fun, exciting, dangerous, etc, but in the end it is still a job. Still had to get up at 6:30 every morning when it was pissing with rain, if i had an accident the day before and i was hurting or if my bike was stuffed and go to work. Over time the fun of riding the bike really wears off and i found my bike being dropped in the hallway on friday arvo and picked up again on monday morning. Riding was work, not riding was rest. It takes over your life. I answered phones with my mobile number instead of a "hello"!

but i have gained some insane skills on the bike at least!

if you want any help let us know

 

Hey

I was a messenger for 14 years. I have to say that your poll is nonsensical. If you look at acc stats for cyclists in urban areas in the UK/US, you will see that almost none are single vehicle ie the cyclist just fell off.

I suggest that you look at a 2002 Harvard study (google it) on occupational accidents in the Boston messenger population.

 

This might be a useful site for you as well.

http://www.messmedia.org/