Don’t look now, but the streets of New York are beginning to look more like Saigon than the World’s Greatest City, what with traditional bicycles, electric bikes, scooters, and skateboards shooting every which way with seemingly reckless abandon.

I’ve been riding a bicycle in New York for 30 years. And I can tell you beyond equivocation that the number of two-wheelers on the road has exploded exponentially in that time — and especially since the pandemic forced people to stay inside and often order out for food with apps like DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats.

Having exhausted my unemployment benefits — and growing physically soft from staying at home and eating all day — I applied for work with DoorDash through an internet portal. I figured I’d see what that world is all about from the supply side.

And an hour later, I was hired! No orientation, nothing. Just a “sink or swim” sort of implication. Once I’d installed the app on my phone, I needed only to open it, hit a button, and begin dashing. It was just that simple.

First, on my own and with no direction from the company, I watched an unofficial 10-minute video posted by a DoorDasher on YouTube instructing new dashers on how to use the app. Then I hit the “Dash Now” button. The phone pinged 30 seconds later and I had my first job.

As you might imagine, I was more or less in shock at how quickly all this happened — and befuddled as to how to effectively perform the task and handle the app. But I drove a taxi in the city for many years. And the similarities between the two hustles were such that I pretty much had the gig down after one night.

Six hours into being a dasher, I was $100 richer and somewhat sore from all the pedaling. Even with a hybrid pedal bike and no experience, I’d managed to earn $16 an hour, just above the legal minimum dictated by the state on non-independent contractor work. (Almost all food delivery people are independent contractors at this point in time and not subject to a minimum wage.)

Dashers with e-bikes who sign on with more than one employer and dash with more than one app can travel faster with less effort, score more jobs, and can actually make a decent living if they’re willing to work hard and risk their lives on the mean and chaotic streets of New York — all while providing a much-needed and desired service.

Both New York City and State lawmakers have proposed and passed legislation to establish employment guidelines for the gig workers who provide this vital service. As a veteran of hundreds of dashes from all manner of restaurants delivered to an equally diverse clientele, I can tell you that the boys are deserving. This is not an easy gig. Even on an e-bike, it’s hard work.

The problem that is arising and will come to concern legislators and the authorities in the near future is the haphazard manner in which dashers flout the rules of the road. In fact, I don’t worry about road rage incidents, getting mugged in a housing project, or even being struck by a vehicle. I fear having an accident with another biker. What with all the e-bikers going every which way — and Citibikers who really don’t know how to ride — it occurs to me that having an accident with another bike isn’t a matter of if, but when.

Recently, DoorDash sent me an email asking if I’d like to be included in a focus group at the New York office in which I would give feedback on how the corporation might improve its service — and the dashing experience for its employees. After the two-hour catharsis, one of the execs would follow us around while we dashed to see how it all worked on the street level. When they added that those chosen to be in this exclusive group would be awarded a $400 “gift” for their time, I feared I wouldn’t make the cut. But I did.

The office staff kept up with all our suggestions at the meeting. But when it came to following me around? I quickly lost the followers — even though I was on a pedal bike — and they on a Zoomo (rented e-bike). Clearly, there was a reason why I was on the bike and they worked in the office.

Personally, I can’t promise I’ll be doing food delivery forever. I applied on a lark. Regardless, I can honestly say it’s been an enlightening experience and one that has made me appreciate the effort delivery guys put in to keep New Yorkers fed.

We mask up, hit the road, lock the bike, find the addresses, and do what needs to be done. And for that, the boys (and girls) need to be paid and appreciated commensurately.

Mersey is a freelance writer.