Ghost (Bicycle) Riders in the Sky
Courier Life Community Newspapers
Published: Jan, 5 2010
They rest affixed to street signs, stark whitewashed bicycles
locked on sidewalks near dangerous intersections where accidents have
claimed the lives of cyclists and pedestrians.
On Sunday,
January 3, a group of cyclists added ten more ghost bikes to
memorialize those killed traffic accidents over the past year, bringing
the total number of roadside memorials placed around the city to 66.
Now
in its fifth year, the memorial ride, held on the first Sunday of the
new year, is part of the Street Memorial Project’s effort to create a
compassionate and supportive community for friends and family of those
killed while raising awareness about the dangers of cycling in city
streets and ultimately make them safer for both vehicles and
pedestrians.
“This is hard every year,” said Sully Ross, a
Carroll Gardens resident who helped organize the Street Memorials
Project ride. “It’s a cold day and it’s a long ride. It’s very
emotional. Every stop is a reminder of another seemingly senseless
crash. It can be overwhelming.”
The ride began in Elmhurst,
Queens with a memorial for James Langergaard, while also making several
stops in Brooklyn, including Green and Washington avenues in Clinton
Hill where riders placed a memorial for Julian Miller, and Manhattan
Avenue and Milton Street, where a memorial for unknown cyclists and
walkers was held. In addition to Langergaard and Miller, the cyclists
mourned Juan Espinoza-Navarrete, Pablo Pasarán, Stephen Hodnett, Dan
Valle, Eliseo Martinez, Aurelio Perez, Solange Raulston, and Violetta
Kryzak.
While the number of cyclists on the road has been
steadily increasing over the past few years in New York City, including
a 35 percent jump between 2007 and 2008, traffic fatalities remain a
pressing concern from cycling groups.According to the Department of
Transportation, in 2005, there were 24 cyclists deaths, 18 in 2006, 23
in 2007, and 25 in 2008. In 2006, 166 pedestrians were killed, and 136
were killed in 2007. In 2008, 147 pedestrians were killed and 150 were
killed this past year.
“Most of the deaths we are commemorating
have completely faded from light (in the news),” said Wiley Norvell, a
spokesperson for Transportation Alternatives (TA), a bike advocacy
group. “The aggregate is something New Yorkers seldom think about. It’s
important to look at them in their totality.”
While recent
cyclist demonstrations in Wliliamsburg have treated the removal of bike
lanes with wry humor and theatrical gestures, the Street Memorial
Project’s riders chose a different tone for their ride, which many
participants believe was poignant and quietly powerful.
Cyclist
Heidi Gollogly said it was a “wonderful day to spend my Sunday” and
that she was happy she has not had an accident on city streets, while
TA volunteer Noah Berland rode to show support for safer streets for
pedestrians and cyclists alike.
Leah Todd, a cyclist who
organized the ride, echoed Norvell’s hopes that the ghost bikes would
bring awareness for changes in transit engineering and planning at the
street level such as traffic calming devices.
“It’s important to not be comfortable while riding and remember those we have lost,” said Todd.
Published: Jan, 5 2010
They rest affixed to street signs, stark whitewashed bicycles
locked on sidewalks near dangerous intersections where accidents have
claimed the lives of cyclists and pedestrians.
On Sunday,
January 3, a group of cyclists added ten more ghost bikes to
memorialize those killed traffic accidents over the past year, bringing
the total number of roadside memorials placed around the city to 66.
Now
in its fifth year, the memorial ride, held on the first Sunday of the
new year, is part of the Street Memorial Project’s effort to create a
compassionate and supportive community for friends and family of those
killed while raising awareness about the dangers of cycling in city
streets and ultimately make them safer for both vehicles and
pedestrians.
“This is hard every year,” said Sully Ross, a
Carroll Gardens resident who helped organize the Street Memorials
Project ride. “It’s a cold day and it’s a long ride. It’s very
emotional. Every stop is a reminder of another seemingly senseless
crash. It can be overwhelming.”
The ride began in Elmhurst,
Queens with a memorial for James Langergaard, while also making several
stops in Brooklyn, including Green and Washington avenues in Clinton
Hill where riders placed a memorial for Julian Miller, and Manhattan
Avenue and Milton Street, where a memorial for unknown cyclists and
walkers was held. In addition to Langergaard and Miller, the cyclists
mourned Juan Espinoza-Navarrete, Pablo Pasarán, Stephen Hodnett, Dan
Valle, Eliseo Martinez, Aurelio Perez, Solange Raulston, and Violetta
Kryzak.
While the number of cyclists on the road has been
steadily increasing over the past few years in New York City, including
a 35 percent jump between 2007 and 2008, traffic fatalities remain a
pressing concern from cycling groups.According to the Department of
Transportation, in 2005, there were 24 cyclists deaths, 18 in 2006, 23
in 2007, and 25 in 2008. In 2006, 166 pedestrians were killed, and 136
were killed in 2007. In 2008, 147 pedestrians were killed and 150 were
killed this past year.
“Most of the deaths we are commemorating
have completely faded from light (in the news),” said Wiley Norvell, a
spokesperson for Transportation Alternatives (TA), a bike advocacy
group. “The aggregate is something New Yorkers seldom think about. It’s
important to look at them in their totality.”
While recent
cyclist demonstrations in Wliliamsburg have treated the removal of bike
lanes with wry humor and theatrical gestures, the Street Memorial
Project’s riders chose a different tone for their ride, which many
participants believe was poignant and quietly powerful.
Cyclist
Heidi Gollogly said it was a “wonderful day to spend my Sunday” and
that she was happy she has not had an accident on city streets, while
TA volunteer Noah Berland rode to show support for safer streets for
pedestrians and cyclists alike.
Leah Todd, a cyclist who
organized the ride, echoed Norvell’s hopes that the ghost bikes would
bring awareness for changes in transit engineering and planning at the
street level such as traffic calming devices.
“It’s important to not be comfortable while riding and remember those we have lost,” said Todd.