January 5, 2007
GHOST BIKES AND MEMORIAL RIDE
Reading an entry on Gothamist regarding a memorial bike ride this weekend, the accompanying photo jogged my memory. Where had I seen a bike recently with a similar paint job? I started going through my photo archive and eventually found the picture above. I took it October 19th of last year when I was down on Houston St. I don't remember why I took the picture; just that the bike looked unusual with all its adornments. I also don't remember noticing the picture carefully wrapped in plastic and placed in the bike's basket.
As far as I can gather, the picture above is of Brandie Bailey and this is her Ghost Bike. According to the TimesUp! cycling advocacy group's site:
Since 2005, 27 "ghost bikes" -- bicycles painted white with plaques placed above them to recognize deceased cyclists -- have been installed in New York City by members of Time's Up! and Visual Resistance. The memorials are intended to honor cyclists killed on New York's streets and to remind drivers to use caution and be aware of bicycles.
Brandie Bailey was 21 years old when she was killed on May 8, 2005 near the intersection of Houston and Avenue A. The garbage truck driver who struck her and drove off was not charged by the police. It should be noted that in this account in The Villager, Bailey was riding an unlit and brakeless track bike around midnight in the East Village. Also, the position of Bailey's bike and body indicate that she was likely riding the wrong way down Ave. A against traffic. Any culpability on the part of the victim, however, doesn't vitiate the grief and sense of loss by her friends and family over the death of a young woman. And most cyclist deaths in the city are not the fault of the victim.
Sunday, TimesUp! is conducting concurrent memorial rides: one for the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, the other for Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. The two rides will make scheduled stops at a number of Ghost Bike memorials before converging at Houston and Lafayette Sts., the location of the memorial for Unnamed Victims. The information page about the memorial rides asks anyone interested to join. They invite participants to bring along flowers, love, and rage.
I have to say in reference to that last bit, I think that the confrontational nature of many cycling advocacy groups is their largest obstacle to making any substantive process. It alienates citizens who would likely be sympathetic to their cause and merely antagonizes city officials who are in the position to actually help enact their goals. I understand these activists frustration, but advocating "rage" is rarely a viable political strategy; it just makes you look like an easily dismissable fringe lunatic. That being said, here's to a safe and successful memorial ride tomorrow. Maybe it will help people understand what these Ghost Bikes around the city signify and raise awareness of cyclists' traffic safety needs.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at January 5, 2007 7:43 PM
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