Jan
31
2008
Ghost Bikes
at 9:17 pm posted by Scott H
Ghost Bikes, bicycles painted all white placed at the site where a cyclist has been killed, are small and somber memorials for cyclists killed by automobiles. The installations are meant as reminders of the tragedy that took place on an otherwise anonymous street, and as quiet statements in support of the right of cyclists to safe travel.
For those who create and install the memorials, the death of a fellow cyclist hits home. We all travel the same unsafe streets and face the same risks, and realize it could just as easily be any one of us. Each time we say we hope to never have to do it again—but we remain committed to installing these memorials as long as they are needed.
EBC created and installed three Ghost Bikes in 2007, starting in September when two city cyclists were killed within days of each other. A third Ghost Bike was installed following a fatal accident in early December.
The city’s first Ghost Bike was placed on Stony Plain Road just west of Anthony Henday Drive to remember William Korol, 38, of Stony Plain, who died after being killed in a hit-and-run in the early morning of Saturday, September 15, 2007.
A second Ghost Bike was placed three days later at 71st Street and 34th Avenue in Millwoods after 16-year-old Mathew Bensalah was killed cycling near his home at 9:30 pm on Monday, September 18, 2007.
The city’s third Ghost Bike memorial was placed at Princess Elizabeth Avenue near 102 Street after 55-year-old Adly Baskharoun was struck and killed just before 7:00 am on Saturday, December 8, 2007.
On September 6, 2008 two more Ghost Bikes were erected in Edmonton.
Edmonton’s fourth Ghost Bike was installed to remember Sandor Baracskay, 77, who died on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 after sustaining injuries after he was struck by a car on August 29 near 111 Avenue and Groat Road.
Another Ghost Bike was installed at 110 Avenue and 153 Street after a September 5, 2008 collision involving two cyclists. William Boudreau, 43, died at the scene while the other cyclist suffered minor injuries.
The first ghost bikes were created in St. Louis, Missouri in 2003, and they have since appeared in at least 30 cities throughout the world. More information on Ghost Bikes around the world is available at ghostbikes.org.
