Council mulls bills to improve bike safety

The City Council wants to put the breaks on commercial bicyclists who disregard the rules of the road.

The Council's transportation committee introduced four bills Thursday aimed at educating business owners and their delivery employees who use bikes about the city's current traffic laws and pushing for more enforcement.

Transportation committee chair James Vacca said there are too many instances where deliverymen put themselves and pedestrians in danger when they rush to get food to their customers.

"Nothing is more important than safety. This isn't the Wild West," he said.

One of the bills would enforce a $100 fine on business owners who don't provide their deliverymen with helmets, bells, vests or education on the rules. Another bill would force commercial bike riders to take a safety course and be certified.

The Department of Transportation supported three of the four bills, but said forcing riders to get safety certification might be too difficult and costly.

"[The bill] would be a significant administrative and financial burden on behalf of the DOT and delivery industry," DOT Assistant Commissioner Kate Slevin said.