The local “Ghost Bike” effort is coming together. Several people in the bike community have been working hard to create the memorials and place them at the sites of fallen cyclists.
The Portland Observer was first to report the Ghost Bike for Chris Burris, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver on Sept. 3rd. The Willamette Week has already also noticed the latest installation on MLK and Wygant which was erected by the brother of the victim. The Oregonian also had something to say in today’s paper. Joseph Rose, who wrote the article in the O was inspired to write the story after he and his 11-year-old daughter were nearly hit by a car on their bike ride to school.
There is also talk of reviving the Ghostbike.org website which is currently offline. Local volunteers are talking with the site’s owners about how to get the it running again and possibly have it become a national Ghost Bike portal site, with links to each city’s effort and general information about the movement.
I love the Ghost Bike idea, but I wonder what other people in the community think about them. I’m curious if anyone will have a negative reaction to these installations and what the response will be from the larger community once more of them are put up.
What do you think about Ghost Bikes? Are they effective, pointless, vandalism, art?
[Here are several more photos of the ghost bike on MLK & Wygant]