Nearly 100 of Philadelphia's bike messengers rallied at Love Park this evening to protest what they say is a growing "anti-cycling" mood in the city.
"We're here because we got this feeling that people are against us," said Jorge Brito, 28, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Bike Messengers Association, to the gathering at 16th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
The bike messengers are opposing two bills before City Council that would raise fines for cycling violations and expand regulations for bicycles, including a mandate for license plates.
They also decried an alleged incident in which they said an angry motorist ran a cyclist off a Center City street on Thanksgiving morning, causing her to land on her face and suffer a broken jaw.
Rachel Fletcher, 30, a bike messenger, was hospitalized after the 2 a.m. incident on 23d Street near Locust Street, said her roommate, Jeff O'Neill, 26, who is also a messenger.
O'Neill complained that the incident was treated as an accident by police rather than investigated as a hit-and-run attack.
The messengers said they believed cyclists, particularly those who need their bikes for their jobs, were being unfairly singled out by the legislation.
"We work on our bikes," Brito said. "We work 40 hours a week, rain or shine."
One of the bills has a proposed $1,000 fine for riding a "brakeless" bike. Messengers often use fixed-gear bicycles that rely on the pedaler to control the speed and stop the bike on their own.
O'Neill said such bikes are used because they require few repairs beyond the occasional flat tire. O'Neill said such bikes can be outfitted with brakes, but the riders can still use the bikes without the brakes - thus making the requirement pointless
He called the proposed $1,000 fine "insane."
Contact staff writer Robert Moran at 215-854-5983 or bmoran@phillynews.com.
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