Families, Friends Honor New Yorkers Killed on NYC Streets
NEW YORK CITY STREET MEMORIAL PROJECT
www.ghostbikes.org
For Immediate Release
Contact: Wiley Norvell, Leah Todd
January 4, 2009
FAMILIES, FRIENDS HONOR NEW YORKERS KILLED ON NYC STREETS
4th Annual Memorial Ride and Walk for Cyclists and Pedestrians Killed in Traffic
What: Memorial Ride and Walk, concluding with remembrance of Rasha Shamoon
When: January 4th, 4:30 PM
Where: Delancey Street and the Bowery, Manhattan
Who: Family members of cyclists and pedestrians killed last year, hundreds of supporters
For media opportunities in Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx, call phone above.
Families and friends of New Yorkers killed while biking and walking will lead the 4th Annual Memorial Ride and Walk today. Organized by the Street Memorial Project, the event includes bike rides across four boroughs to each white-painted "Ghost Bike" installed at the scene of a bicyclist fatality, and a Memorial Walk in honor of pedestrians killed last year. There were 14 known bicyclist fatalities and more than 100 pedestrian deaths in 2008, according to media reports. Memorials for the as-yet-unreported victims of 2008 will be installed and dedicated in front of St. Mark’s Church.
Hundreds of bicyclists will visit each “Ghost Bike” with riders from Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx converging in Manhattan. They will be joined by families and supporters on the Memorial Walk for the dedication of a memorial to Rasha Shamoon, a cyclist killed in August. Participants are demanding the City take stronger measures to reduce street fatalities through necessary improvements to street design, enforcement and education to protect non-drivers.
“We have to ban the word accident from our vocabulary. All crashes are preventable through better design and changing the culture of our streets to foster mutual respect among all who travel on them,” says Leah Todd, a volunteer with the New York City Street Memorial Project.
Lizi Rahman, whose 22-year-old son Asif was killed earlier this year, is campaigning for a bike lane on Queens Boulevard. “I hope the ride will remind New Yorkers about the senseless and careless deaths of many innocent bicyclists, which cause a permanent scar in the hearts of their parents, siblings, relatives and friends,” says Ms. Rahman. “I will not rest until we get a bike lane on Queens Boulevard in honor of Asif.”
The Street Memorial Project seeks to cultivate a compassionate and supportive community for survivors and friends of those lost, to raise public awareness as a means to prevent future deaths and to foster mutual respect among all people who share the streets.
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NEW YORK CITY STREET MEMORIAL PROJECT
www.ghostbikes.org
For Immediate Release
Contact: Wiley Norvell, Leah Todd
January 4, 2009
FAMILIES, FRIENDS HONOR NEW YORKERS KILLED ON NYC STREETS
4th Annual Memorial Ride and Walk for Cyclists and Pedestrians Killed in Traffic
What: Memorial Ride and Walk, concluding with remembrance of Rasha Shamoon
When: January 4th, 4:30 PM
Where: Delancey Street and the Bowery, Manhattan
Who: Family members of cyclists and pedestrians killed last year, hundreds of supporters
For media opportunities in Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx, call phone above.
Families and friends of New Yorkers killed while biking and walking will lead the 4th Annual Memorial Ride and Walk today. Organized by the Street Memorial Project, the event includes bike rides across four boroughs to each white-painted "Ghost Bike" installed at the scene of a bicyclist fatality, and a Memorial Walk in honor of pedestrians killed last year. There were 14 known bicyclist fatalities and more than 100 pedestrian deaths in 2008, according to media reports. Memorials for the as-yet-unreported victims of 2008 will be installed and dedicated in front of St. Mark’s Church.
Hundreds of bicyclists will visit each “Ghost Bike” with riders from Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx converging in Manhattan. They will be joined by families and supporters on the Memorial Walk for the dedication of a memorial to Rasha Shamoon, a cyclist killed in August. Participants are demanding the City take stronger measures to reduce street fatalities through necessary improvements to street design, enforcement and education to protect non-drivers.
“We have to ban the word accident from our vocabulary. All crashes are preventable through better design and changing the culture of our streets to foster mutual respect among all who travel on them,” says Leah Todd, a volunteer with the New York City Street Memorial Project.
Lizi Rahman, whose 22-year-old son Asif was killed earlier this year, is campaigning for a bike lane on Queens Boulevard. “I hope the ride will remind New Yorkers about the senseless and careless deaths of many innocent bicyclists, which cause a permanent scar in the hearts of their parents, siblings, relatives and friends,” says Ms. Rahman. “I will not rest until we get a bike lane on Queens Boulevard in honor of Asif.”
The Street Memorial Project seeks to cultivate a compassionate and supportive community for survivors and friends of those lost, to raise public awareness as a means to prevent future deaths and to foster mutual respect among all people who share the streets.
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