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Ghost Bike
May. 14th, 2010 03:39 pmThis weekend, Tempe will see the installation of its first Ghost Bike, in memory of the bicyclist I wrote about in an earlier post. There are already too many ghost bikes installed in other cities in the U.S.. If we installed one for every bicyclist death in the greater Phoenix area, I believe we'd be up to at least 7 this year alone. Yes, it is dangerous to live here. I say live, not ride, because to ride my bicycle is to be alive, outside.
A lot of interesting things have happened as a result of the tragic accident. Mostly, it has brought people together, allowing them to comfort each other and gain a different perspective on life and their actions. Although I haven't been able to participate directly in many of the activities that have brought people together, I've been able to play at least some small part in making the activities happen, which is comforting to me personally. I often feel powerless when I'm out on the road just trying to get from one place to another, getting honked at by passing cars, narrowly missed by inattentive drivers, or yelled at to get off the road or on the sidewalk.
I'm hoping that Sunday's ghost bike installation is a good way of raising public awareness about road safety. In some ways, I'm shocked and appalled that it takes a person's death to make people even think about changing. The exact circumstances of the accident are unclear according to official records, but the circumstance of a person's death is hard to deny. Even then, the news coverage of the event has not done much to get people to rethink the way they move themselves from one place to another. The news coverage notes that the bicyclist was wearing a helmet. That means little when a person's body encounters a vehicle traveling at high speeds. Any speed over 30 mph has the potential to be fatal. What means more are reports that the person tried to be a safe bicyclist, riding in the correct place and obeying traffic laws. What matters more is the fact that the intersection at hand is a major corridor for bicyclists.
I'm especially grateful that there are sympathetic people working directly for the city of Tempe in this case. In many cities, individuals advocating for something end up at odds with elected officials. We are perhaps lucky in that our city is relatively small, so the people who advocate are listened to, and the city responds and supports as best it can. It cannot always be a fast response, but it's a response.
A lot of interesting things have happened as a result of the tragic accident. Mostly, it has brought people together, allowing them to comfort each other and gain a different perspective on life and their actions. Although I haven't been able to participate directly in many of the activities that have brought people together, I've been able to play at least some small part in making the activities happen, which is comforting to me personally. I often feel powerless when I'm out on the road just trying to get from one place to another, getting honked at by passing cars, narrowly missed by inattentive drivers, or yelled at to get off the road or on the sidewalk.
I'm hoping that Sunday's ghost bike installation is a good way of raising public awareness about road safety. In some ways, I'm shocked and appalled that it takes a person's death to make people even think about changing. The exact circumstances of the accident are unclear according to official records, but the circumstance of a person's death is hard to deny. Even then, the news coverage of the event has not done much to get people to rethink the way they move themselves from one place to another. The news coverage notes that the bicyclist was wearing a helmet. That means little when a person's body encounters a vehicle traveling at high speeds. Any speed over 30 mph has the potential to be fatal. What means more are reports that the person tried to be a safe bicyclist, riding in the correct place and obeying traffic laws. What matters more is the fact that the intersection at hand is a major corridor for bicyclists.
I'm especially grateful that there are sympathetic people working directly for the city of Tempe in this case. In many cities, individuals advocating for something end up at odds with elected officials. We are perhaps lucky in that our city is relatively small, so the people who advocate are listened to, and the city responds and supports as best it can. It cannot always be a fast response, but it's a response.
