Riding With New York City Bike Messengers In the 1990s

“I saw messengers as athletes, oddballs, risk takers, those that loved to mix it up and sneak out the back with the trophy.”

– John Harris, NYC Bike Messengers in the 1990s

 

 

“New York City in the ‘90s was grittier and more violent,” says photographer John Harris, who, like Rich Allen, was working then as a bike messenger. “I biked everywhere and embraced an attitude that the streets are as much ours as anyone’s.”

Living at East Harlem and working at the MoMA Film Department, he began work on his series, Still Passing By.

“I started by stopping guys at red lights and doing portraits in the street, but over time, I would shoot action and Alleycat races, compose and focus while riding no-handed,” he says. “I also knew how hard messengers worked and saw the outright contempt and life threats shown cyclists at times so this series also included advocacy.”

 

 

Transportation Alternatives

Accidents were frequent. Harris photographed vigils and memorials for cyclists killed at work. In 1990 alone, 40 bike messengers died. “I was told that some of my photos were presented to New York Police Department decision makers and, along with the obvious tragic numbers and the hard work of advocates, may have helped swayed some police policy decisions.”

 

 

“You would call to your dispatcher and hopefully have a pick-up on the way to work. From there, you tried to efficiently organise your pick-ups and drops because you only earn money when you deliver a package. Anything that gets in the way of that was a drag because you made less no matter how hard you worked.”

– John Harris

 

 

“The challenges were many – physical, of course, and the dangers of traffic. Also wrong addresses, broken pay phones, people refusing to give you change, doorman not letting you in the front, and service entrances on the other side of the building. There’s not a lot of love for the bike messenger.”

– John Harris

 

 

“You were on your own, dealing with the elements, getting around the city fast, knowing short cuts, and kicking a little butt… In some cases, messengers at odds with the traditional face of the working class. I saw messengers as athletes, oddballs, risk takers, those that loved to mix it up and sneak out the back with the trophy.”

– John Harris

 

 

“Messengers and delivery people are still integral to the fabric of our society. They are the thread that connect people and facilitate commerce, yet they are usually undervalued and definitely underpaid.”

– John Harris

 

 

Via Huck, See more at John Harris’s website.