Mark Angeles ghost bike on SE Gladstone.
(Photo: Sent in by reader)

In the past few days I’ve heard from two readers concerned that a ghost bike in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood would be removed by the City of Portland. “I know there is a ton going on right now and this probably not high on most everyone’s list of important things,” the reader shared. “But it is a memorial.”

Ghost bikes are memorials that spring up at intersections after a bicycle rider is involved in a fatal traffic crash. They’re meant to remind the community of the tragedy and encourage people to use streets with greater awareness of the deadly consequences that could result from their actions.

The ghost bike on Southeast Cesar Chavez Boulevard and Gladstone was installed for 22-year-old Mark Angeles. In May 2015, Angeles was biking on Gladstone and died after he collided with the driver of a truck as he attempted to turn onto Cesar Chavez. [Read more…]

(Photo: Josh Chernoff)

The white bicycle memorial to recent Reed College graduate Mark Angeles, 22, was wrecked late Monday or early Tuesday, apparently by the wheel of a motor vehicle.

The collision tore through the flower bouquets that had been piled on the bicycle at the corner of Southeast Gladstone Street and Cesar Chavez Boulevard, leaving piles of stems and pedals behind.

Photos after the collision were shared by Josh Chernoff on his Twitter feed Tuesday morning. Chernoff said he lives next door.

“It would’ve been somebody going south on 39th and turning east on the Gladstone crossing over oncoming traffic,” Chernoff wrote in response to our questions. “I hate to say but it looks intentional. … It’s kind of hard to tell.”

[Read more…]

A ghost bike for Brett Jarolimek (L) has been removed by ODOT.

[Read more…]

The ghost bike at SE Cesar Chavez Blvd and Salmon St (photo taken a few hours ago).
(Photo © J. Maus)

[Read more…]

A ghost bike from southeast Portland that was stolen and then recovered by a TriMet bus operator sits in lost and found at the Center Garage.
(Photo: Bob Cummings)

[Read more…]

Filmmaker Meaghan Wilbur
(Photo: Marcus Griffith)

New York City independent film maker and bike enthusiast Meaghan Wilbur is in Portland and Vancouver this week filming interviews for her ghost bike documentary, a project she says is about “exploring the intersection of street art, activism, and mourning on the streets of cities around the world.”

In an interview Friday night, the gregarious 27 year-old talked about her project and her motivations. “I hope to expand people’s horizons; I want everyone to understand what a ghost bike stands for.” However, in her quest, Wilbur is being mindful of the inherent sensitivity surrounding the subject. “When I started [the ghost bike project], I didn’t want to be in people’s face while they were grieving… Right now, I am focusing on connecting with people and letting them share their stories.”[Read more…]

Tracey Sparling’s ghost bike, as it
stood on the corner of W. Burnside and
14th from October 2007 to October 2009.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The ghost bike that served as a memorial to Tracey Sparling, the 19-year old art student who was struck and killed by a cement truck on W. Burnside back in 2007, will become part of a permanent shrine in St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in downtown Portland.

The bike will be installed along with a plaque in the Portland Bicycle Shrine that the church dedicated last year. A ceremony will be held in conjunction with the event this Tuesday (4/13) at 5:30 pm.[Read more…]

Alice’s ghost bike at 20th and R Street in Washington, DC (Photos by Elly Blue)

[Read more…]

(Photo © J. Maus)

As many readers have already noticed, the ghost bike for Brett Jarolimek at N. Interstate and Greeley has gone missing — again.

Back in February, a confused thief took the bike, only to return it soon after with an apologetic note.

This time, the bike has been stashed along the side of the N Greeley Avenue about a mile away and the mementos at the site have been strewn about in bushes nearby.[Read more…]

The bike is back, with a letter from the thief.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Yesterday’s case of the mysterious disappearance of Brett Jarolimek’s ghost bike at N. Interstate and Greeley has come to an unexpected close.
Just a few hours after my story, I got an email and a phone call from local TV news crews who had sent reporters out to investigate. They were surprised to find the ghost bike back in its place. But the interesting thing is that, wedged into the rear wheel of the bike is a note from the thief that reads:[Read more…]