Ghost bikes honor the fallen

By Megan Veschio

Roadside memorials remembering victims of car crashes dot our communities’ roads: the flowers, candles, and white crosses. Some members of the bicycling community have wanted to tell more of a story through those memorials. That’s philosophy and aim has led to the ghost bike movement. Ghost bikes are bikes that have been painted entirely white and are accompanied by a small sign with the bicyclist’s name. They are placed at crash sites around the world as poignant reminders to share the road.

“When a cyclist is killed, it should be noticed,” said Howard Kaplan, a cyclist involved in the ghost bike movement. Ghost bikes are a powerful way of making people notice as well as send a message that people care. Kaplan hopes that people who see ghost bikes will take them as a sign that there is a community of cyclists in Chicago.

Ghost bikes first appeared in St. Louis in 2003 after an enraged biker watched as a fellow cyclist was hit when a driver drifted into the bike lane. Since then, ghost bikes have spread to more than 100 locations around the world. Based on a belief that if a bike is rideable, it should be ridden, ghost bikes are assembled from various bike parts that are then welded together. This has the dual purpose of only using non-working parts as well as deterring theft or vandalism.

The first ghost bike in Chicago was installed at Augusta Boulevard and Western Avenue on Jan. 27, 2006 to memorialize Isai Medina, a beloved and well-known figure in the Chicago biking community. Over the years, a small group of people, including Kaplan, has kept up the effort to memorialize cyclists and raise awareness in Chicago.

The group has already seen an increase in awareness of cyclists.

“Incidents involving cyclists are now getting coverage they wouldn’t have gotten even five years ago,” Kaplan said, adding that he has seen an increase in drivers behaving more cautiously toward cyclists in the last few years. He hopes that when people read about incidents involving cyclists, they will take a moment to think about how it has affected both the driver and the cyclist, thus making the event not about motorists versus cyclists, but about people.

Installing a ghost bike can be a meaningful event for everyone involved, especially the victim’s family. Often times, if the cyclist had ties to the cycling community, friends or family will put up a ghost bike within days; other times the group waits for the family to contact them.

Ghost bikes can often be a painful reminder to friends and families of what they have lost.

After Tyler Fabeck’s death, his friends and family created and installed a ghost bike for him. “For me it's like a grave that I get to visit every now and again and just a reminder for myself and others to be careful and aware, even if it's late,” said Tyler’s brother, Jason Fabeck.

Often times, if the cyclist had ties to the cycling community, friends or family will put up a ghost bike within days; other times the group waits for the family to contact them.

Ghost bikes can be a painful reminder to friends and families of what they have lost.

“I don't go by much and I use the excuse that I'm busy, but I think it's probably just really hard to look that sign in the face and know he's gone,” Fabeck said.

Kaplan said sometimes the family is not ready to install a ghost bike immediately after a death. But, with time, the family may reconsider and ask for a ghost bike to be installed, usually around the one-year anniversary of the crash.

“To families, a ghost bike can be a sign that people care, that their loved one is not just a passing mention in a newspaper,” he said.

The international Ride of Silence is also working to memorialize fallen cyclists. The Ride of Silence was started in Dallas in 2003 to honor Larry Schwartz after he was killed while riding his bike. News of the ride, which was intended to be a one-time event, quickly spread. In 2008, more than 7,500 people participated in the Ride of Silence in more than 204 locations worldwide. The ride is held on the same day and time across the world and all riders are asked to treat the ride as a funeral procession.

The Chicago Ride of Silence starts at Daley Plaza and visits some of the ghost bikes around the city, ending at the site of Medina’s memorial. Other Chicagoland Rides of Silence include Arlington Heights, which starts at Recreation Park, Evanston, which starts at Chandler Center, and Joliet, which starts at Memorial Stadium. This year’s Ride of Silence events will be held on Wednesday, May 19 at 7pm.

Megan Veschio is a ModeShift contributor.