For a Moment, They Stopped to Look
New York Times
Published: Jan, 7 2008
Updated, Jan. 11, 2008
New Yorkers rarely stop.
Too rarely, in the view of the Street Memorial Project, which organized a memorial bicycle ride, walk and rally on Sunday to honor cyclists and pedestrians who were killed last year.
At the end of the event, a “ghost bike” was chained to a stop sign on Park Row, just outside City Hall.
It was painted bone white, like other such memorials, and adorned with flowers.
It carried an explanatory plaque: “In 2007, at least 23 cyclists were killed in New York City. This ghost bike is a memorial for nine cyclists whose deaths never made the news. May they rest in peace.”
Another placard, fastened to the signpost, commemorated “countless pedestrians killed by motor vehicles on N.Y.C. streets in 2007.”
The “ghost bike” was still there on Monday.
“It’s hard to say how long it will last,” said Ryan Nuckel, a member of the Street Memorial Project, “but in general, the city has been respectful of the memorials and has not taken them down.” He said the first “ghost bike” is still in place, two and a half years later, in Park Slope, Brooklyn. On the other hand, a “ghost bike” installed on Wall Street was removed in a matter of hours.
“We don’t ask permission in advance,” Mr. Nuckel said, “but we’ve never had any problems with the N.Y.P.D.”
Passers-by slowed down. They squinted against the sun to read the signs. They took pictures of the bicycle, but didn’t pose in front of it. They seemed quietly to respect its memorial character, impromptu though that was.
For a moment, New Yorkers stopped.
Update: Not long after this post went up, the “Ghost Bike” near City Hall was removed by the Police Department, as noted by LN in the comments.
Paul J. Browne, deputy police commissioner and chief spokesman for the department, said: “Bikes or other property chained to poles or elsewhere are often removed, usually after a complaint. I don’t know if there was a specific complaint in this instance, but there’s no policy pertaining to these bikes in particular
(Photos and comments are appended to the online version of this article)
Published: Jan, 7 2008
Updated, Jan. 11, 2008
New Yorkers rarely stop.
Too rarely, in the view of the Street Memorial Project, which organized a memorial bicycle ride, walk and rally on Sunday to honor cyclists and pedestrians who were killed last year.
At the end of the event, a “ghost bike” was chained to a stop sign on Park Row, just outside City Hall.
It was painted bone white, like other such memorials, and adorned with flowers.
It carried an explanatory plaque: “In 2007, at least 23 cyclists were killed in New York City. This ghost bike is a memorial for nine cyclists whose deaths never made the news. May they rest in peace.”
Another placard, fastened to the signpost, commemorated “countless pedestrians killed by motor vehicles on N.Y.C. streets in 2007.”
The “ghost bike” was still there on Monday.
“It’s hard to say how long it will last,” said Ryan Nuckel, a member of the Street Memorial Project, “but in general, the city has been respectful of the memorials and has not taken them down.” He said the first “ghost bike” is still in place, two and a half years later, in Park Slope, Brooklyn. On the other hand, a “ghost bike” installed on Wall Street was removed in a matter of hours.
“We don’t ask permission in advance,” Mr. Nuckel said, “but we’ve never had any problems with the N.Y.P.D.”
Passers-by slowed down. They squinted against the sun to read the signs. They took pictures of the bicycle, but didn’t pose in front of it. They seemed quietly to respect its memorial character, impromptu though that was.
For a moment, New Yorkers stopped.
Update: Not long after this post went up, the “Ghost Bike” near City Hall was removed by the Police Department, as noted by LN in the comments.
Paul J. Browne, deputy police commissioner and chief spokesman for the department, said: “Bikes or other property chained to poles or elsewhere are often removed, usually after a complaint. I don’t know if there was a specific complaint in this instance, but there’s no policy pertaining to these bikes in particular
(Photos and comments are appended to the online version of this article)