'Ghost bikes' mark Lee County fatalities Their source a mystery, their mission awareness
News Press
Published: Jun, 6 2011
A memorial for a bicyclist killed on 4/17/2011 at the Bonita Springs city limits. / Photos by Mike Braun/news-press.com
A
group of Lee County mavericks is using the cover of night to deliver a
potent reminder: Lee County's roads can be dangerous places for
bicyclists.
Over the past two weeks,
bicycles painted white and stripped of their gears and chains began
appearing at three locations where bicyclists were killed earlier this
year.
Each of the
memorials has a red sign with white stenciled lettering that reads:
"BICYCLIST KILLED" and the date on which that particular person died.
The
bicycles can be found near the Sanibel Causeway where Fort Myers
resident Tracey Kleinpell died May 7; near "The Ship" on U.S. 41 where
Bonita Springs resident Kenneth MacDonald died April 17; and at the
intersection of Three Oaks and Estero parkways where Fort Myers resident
Janet LoFranco died Feb. 20.
Only a handful of people know who is behind the appearances of the bikes - and they are keeping quiet.
"They're
called 'ghost bikes,'" said Dan Moser, director of the Florida Bicycle
Association. "They've been around for about 10 years, but the one near
the causeway was the first one in Lee County."
The
first "ghost bike" was created in St. Louis in 2003, according to
ghostbikes.org, a website devoted to bicycle safety that also instructs
others how to create these roadside memorials.
"They're
just like those crosses or the 'Drive Safely' signs. It's a reminder
that a bicyclist was killed here," he said. "It tries to raise
awareness."
Neither Moser nor Jay Anderson, the executive director of Stay Alive ... Just Drive, know who is behind the local memorials.
"No
one is claiming them, and they just seem to show up," Moser said. "But
to me it doesn't matter who put them there. It's about the message."
That message, said Anderson, is effective.
"It's
a reminder that someone lost their life there," he said. "Hopefully, it
makes drivers think when they're behind the wheel."
Family members of the deceased say they are unsure where the memorials came from.
Fort Myers resident Ron LoFranco, 63, said he tries to avoid the intersection where his wife, Janet, died.
"It's
not a good place for me to go right now," LoFranco said. But when his
priest told him about the memorial, LoFranco felt compelled to see it.
"I just saw it for the first time," he said. "Anytime you can make people aware of their surroundings, it's a good thing."
Out
of more than a dozen people contacted for this story, only one
bicyclist appeared to know anything about the origins of Lee County's
"ghost bikes."
Karen McGrath, 58, of Bonita Springs said three or four bicyclists are behind the memorials.
She
would not reveal their names, but she said the local group is planning
to put five more "ghost bikes" up soon in various locations around Lee
County.
A memorial for a bicyclist killed on 2/20/2011 at the intersection of Three Oaks and Estero Parkways in south Lee County
Published: Jun, 6 2011
A memorial for a bicyclist killed on 4/17/2011 at the Bonita Springs city limits. / Photos by Mike Braun/news-press.com
A
group of Lee County mavericks is using the cover of night to deliver a
potent reminder: Lee County's roads can be dangerous places for
bicyclists.
Over the past two weeks,
bicycles painted white and stripped of their gears and chains began
appearing at three locations where bicyclists were killed earlier this
year.
Each of the
memorials has a red sign with white stenciled lettering that reads:
"BICYCLIST KILLED" and the date on which that particular person died.
The
bicycles can be found near the Sanibel Causeway where Fort Myers
resident Tracey Kleinpell died May 7; near "The Ship" on U.S. 41 where
Bonita Springs resident Kenneth MacDonald died April 17; and at the
intersection of Three Oaks and Estero parkways where Fort Myers resident
Janet LoFranco died Feb. 20.
Only a handful of people know who is behind the appearances of the bikes - and they are keeping quiet.
"They're
called 'ghost bikes,'" said Dan Moser, director of the Florida Bicycle
Association. "They've been around for about 10 years, but the one near
the causeway was the first one in Lee County."
The
first "ghost bike" was created in St. Louis in 2003, according to
ghostbikes.org, a website devoted to bicycle safety that also instructs
others how to create these roadside memorials.
"They're
just like those crosses or the 'Drive Safely' signs. It's a reminder
that a bicyclist was killed here," he said. "It tries to raise
awareness."
Neither Moser nor Jay Anderson, the executive director of Stay Alive ... Just Drive, know who is behind the local memorials.
"No
one is claiming them, and they just seem to show up," Moser said. "But
to me it doesn't matter who put them there. It's about the message."
That message, said Anderson, is effective.
"It's
a reminder that someone lost their life there," he said. "Hopefully, it
makes drivers think when they're behind the wheel."
Family members of the deceased say they are unsure where the memorials came from.
Fort Myers resident Ron LoFranco, 63, said he tries to avoid the intersection where his wife, Janet, died.
"It's
not a good place for me to go right now," LoFranco said. But when his
priest told him about the memorial, LoFranco felt compelled to see it.
"I just saw it for the first time," he said. "Anytime you can make people aware of their surroundings, it's a good thing."
Out
of more than a dozen people contacted for this story, only one
bicyclist appeared to know anything about the origins of Lee County's
"ghost bikes."
Karen McGrath, 58, of Bonita Springs said three or four bicyclists are behind the memorials.
She
would not reveal their names, but she said the local group is planning
to put five more "ghost bikes" up soon in various locations around Lee
County.
A memorial for a bicyclist killed on 2/20/2011 at the intersection of Three Oaks and Estero Parkways in south Lee County