Hurray for Washington DC bicyclists taking this stand.
Late in August, Washington DC street crews cut the lock and removed a Ghost Bike that had been posted near Dupont Circle to memorialize the location where a truck struck and killed a young woman on a bicycle about a year earlier.
On Thursday came the response from the bicycling community — a new Ghost Bike chained up at the corner of 20th and R streets along with 21 other Ghost Bikes posted on lamp posts throughout the intersection.
That's one bicycle for every year in the life of Alice Swanson, the crash victim.
The Ghost Bikes that are set up in locations around the world aren't only statements in support of cyclist's right to safe travel, as it says at the Ghost Bikes website. They're also places where the friends and family of the deceased can leave mementos and gather to remember the deceased.
So it's particularly galling when, according to the Washington Post, some local businesses complained to City Hall about the Ghost Bike and city workers removed it.
The whole issue is explained at a short blog, “Alice Swanson Rides Again.” In announcing the return of the Ghost Bike “with friends,” the writer says:
“We hope this brings a little warmth to the family and friends of
Alice Swanson. We hope this will help work towards safer streets for
cyclists. We hope this forces the city government to see public space
as something for public use. But the one thing we’re not hoping for is
for the Mayor’s office to put the bike back. We put it back. And if it
leaves again, we’ll put it back again. And again. And again.
“And this time, the ghost bike stays.”
We certainly hope so. In addition to being a fitting memorial for the deceased, Ghost Bikes are one of the only ways we have to remind motorists that their carelessness can lead to tragedy.
You can learn more at the Ghost Bikes website.
Here are the facts of Alice Swanson's death.
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