City to Crack Down on Dangerous Delivery Bikers

City Council approved a plan Thursday that would require bicycle delivery workers to take a required safety course, paid for by their employer, according to NY1.

A second bill calls for penalties for businesses that do not provide safety gear for their delivery people, such as helmets and reflectors. Also, the New York City Department of Transportation will now have enforcement power over commercial bicyclists – previously the job of the NYPD.

For now, the Department of Transportation has only six people to enforcing the new rules. However, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn told the news channel that the goal is to increase those numbers in the next few months.

"We want the days of the Wild Wild West to come to an end," City Councilman James Vacca, D-Bronx, told NY1. "We've had too many instances where people on commercial bikes have really posed a danger."

But government crackdowns are just one way to increase the safety of city streets. Last fall, several Carroll Gardens restaurants joined the Pedal Pledge with 5 to Ride, vowing that their cyclists would follow five simple safe bike practices to reduce accidents and increase awareness.

At the time, even Seamless, one of the most popular online ordering sites, joined forces to advertise the campaign on the site, spreading the word to more restaurants, and more diners.

A New York State Restaurant Association spokesman told the Associated Press that safety courses could be helpful, but adds that some of the other measures are more likely to burden businesses.