"Ghost Bike" Ride Remembers Cyclists Killed in 2009

Yesterday a small but dedicated group of cyclists braved the brutal winter winds for the fifth annual Memorial Ride across Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn to dedicate eleven "Ghost Bikes." The all-white bikes, a tragically common reminder of bicyclist fatalities, commemorate the estimated ten lives lost while bicycling in NYC during 2009. Linda Langergaard, whose son James Langergaard was killed biking across Queens Boulevard in August, said in a statement, "James was a wonderful part of so many lives and we miss him terribly. It hurts to know so many families are feeling the same loss as we are. It is so important that we come together to prevent these tragedies from ever happening to another family."

By the end of the ride at 5 p.m., the cyclists were joined by pedestrians to memorialize Violetta Kryzak, who was killed in April by a driver in a stolen vehicle being chased by the NYPD in Greenpoint. The group, by then 75 strong, walked to the Greenpoint Reformed Church to dedicate an eleventh Ghost Bike intended to honor unknown cyclists and walkers killed by motor vehicles.

Transportation Alternatives has tracked 65 pedestrian and 10 cycling fatalities in media reports over the past year, though these numbers do not include the many unreported incidents that will later become part of the official total. In 2008, 147 pedestrians and 25 cyclists were killed in NYC. "Five years ago, many of us hoped this ride would no longer be necessary in 2010. But we're still here, and we still have to do this to remind our neighbors and our City that these preventable deaths keep happening all around us," says Leah Todd, a volunteer with the New York City Street Memorial Project.

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By John Del Signore in News on January 4, 2010 11:11 AM

Comments [rss]

thefacts

Are ghost bikes haunted?

nicemarmot

It's gotta be more than ten last year - there are two ghost bikes just on my regular dog walking route. They both appeared since last summer.

ganghiscon

Or maybe two of them happened to be in your neighborhood.

On the other hand, if there were eleven new ghost bikes on your route...

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

R.I.P- this man was very charitable and compassionate. God Bless him. What a loss for us all.

Angelheaded Hipster

why do they always hold the bikes over their heads? is that a dramatic pose or something?

Bike Rider

to show off how light their aluminum frames are.

Malcolm Tucker

Thy're big fans of the Highlander movies?

JenChungsBaby

Big fans of John Cusack.

Malcolm Tucker

Where are the "Ghost Pedestrian" walks held?

IvoryJive

Not a bad idea. If they put out white sneakers at every intersection a pedestrian was killed there would be hundreds of them all over the place and people might get a better idea of how dangerous NYC streets really are

barryap

Out on Queens Boulevard, they have those "a pedestrian was killed crossing here" signs. They definitely make you think twice.

eliotrosewater

"By the end of the ride at 5 p.m., the cyclists were joined by pedestrians to memorialize Violetta Kryzak, who was killed in April by a driver in a stolen vehicle being chased by the NYPD in Greenpoint."

JenChungsBaby

What exactly would it take for them to consider this annual ride "no longer necessary?" I think it's no longer necessary for them to chain up trashy old bikes all over town.

fenris35

Yes, preventable things like wearing a helmet, or having brakes...

CR

True, those are important thing, but when car smashes into you brakes or a helmet aren't going to do much...

Oddly enough, whenever there's a car accident, no one seems to ask "well, was he/she wearing a seatbelt?"

JenChungsBaby

That's completely not true. Asking about whether someone was wearing a seatbelt is as common as asking whether lung cancer victims smoked.

CR

What I'm saying is that at some point, based on the severity of the accident, a seatbelt, like a helmet is not going to do a damn thing. The death of someone who's not wearing one is no less meaningful or horrible when compared to someone who was.

fenris35

You're right then, no one should wear helmets or seat-belts.

You're point is ridiculous when 97% of fatalities 1996-2005 occurred when riding without helmets.

In fact lets have them ride drunk too.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/episrv/episrv-bike-report.pdf