The Ghost Bikes Project Gives Voice to the Dead

Since New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed Vision Zero in 2014 — a program with the ambitious goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities by 2024 — traffic deaths are down.
But that’s cold comfort for Mirza Molberg, a volunteer with New York City’s Ghost Bikes Project, an organization that commemorates cyclists killed while biking via ad-hoc shrines of “ghost bikes” chained to street signs near accident sites.
Molberg feels that city officials should invest more resources into preventing the deaths of the dozens of bicyclists and pedestrians who are killed each year by motor vehicles. That’s because two years ago, Molberg’s girlfriend, Lauren Davis, was hit by a car and killed while biking in Brooklyn.
That morning, Davis was biking to work when she was struck by a driver who had failed to yield while making a left turn. According to the victim’s sister, medical records show that Davis sustained lung trauma and rib fractures, as well as blunt force trauma to the head.
“[When a loved one is killed], you feel helpless,” Molberg says. “I was looking for anything to help.”
Molberg’s involvement with Ghost Bikes predates Davis’s death. He had been volunteering with the organization since 2010, constructing memorial bikes in his local church parking lot in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. From the start, Molberg says that he “had a strong emotional response when building the bikes, and especially when meeting family members of the dead cyclists,” though at times he also questioned the usefulness of the project. But after David died, he says, “any doubts I had [about the effectiveness of the project] were blown out of the water.”  
Ghost Bikes are made by stripping brakes and chains off of beater bikes and then spray-painting them white. After a dedication ceremony, they are marked with a small plaque and decorated with flowers that are left to wilt. The memorials may be adorned with candles, small gifts and sometimes photographs of the victim.  
Since June 2005, 164 ghost bikes have been installed in New York City to commemorate 198 known fatalities, including 54 for individuals who could not be identified. Ghost Bike offshoots exist worldwide, and memorials have appeared in over 210 locations throughout the world, such as in Mexico, Singapore and Ukraine. Their mission is to advocate for cyclists — both living and dead — and to ensure that those who have died don’t become just another forgotten statistic. In addition to constructing memorials, Ghost Bike organizes a yearly memorial bike ride and advocates for street safety. They also provide a supportive community for survivors and friends of the dead.

Bicycle 2
Activist Mirza Molberg with his girlfriend Lauren Davis, a cyclist who was hit by a car and killed in 2016.

While the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration estimates there were 840 bicyclists killed in motor vehicle accidents in the United States in 2016, Ghost Bike charges that limited news coverage, changing statistical counts, and the lack of publicly available information make it hard to learn about every single death. And that lack of visibility has a lot to do with how accidents are presented in local news, they say. Research supports their claim that media outlets often blame cyclists for their own deaths or describe such tragedies as being the result of an “accident,” rather than a preventable collision.
Which is exactly what happened with Davis. She was initially “at fault” for the accident that killed her: Early news reports claimed Davis was riding the wrong direction down a one-way street. (The NYPD later conceded that was not the case and that the driver was at fault.)
The year Davis was killed, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams led Ghost Bikes’ memorial ride and spoke to the importance of combating victim-blaming and creating safer streets.
“We should not assume that the cyclist was always the person responsible for a crash, or had accepted the risk simply by climbing on a bicycle,” Adams said.
The memorials, probably most importantly, give a voice to the dead and to their families.
“If it wasn’t for the Ghost Bikes Project NYC, Lauren would be invisible in the public domain,” Davis’s sister, Danielle, wrote on Medium. Danielle describes the memorials themselves as “somber and sometimes violent reminders of lives lost to traffic crashes.” Ghost bikes, she says, “push cyclist deaths from the fringes of the roadway to the forefront in public spaces.”
In addition to setting up memorial bikes, Ghost Bikes volunteers pressure the city to conduct full investigations of crashes. Early in its inception, NYC’s Ghost Bike Project stood with the family of 14-year-old Andre Anderson, who was killed while riding his bike on a neighborhood street near his home in Far Rockaway, Queens, demanding a complete investigation of the Anderson’s death and safer street design of the parkway where the accident occurred.
In Maryland, Ghost Bikes Project volunteers pressured legislators to change state laws so that HAWK lights could be installed, after two bicyclists were hit and killed attempting to cross the same five lanes of fast-moving traffic. In studies, HAWK, or High-Intensity Activated crossWalK beacons, have been found to significantly reduce crash rates. That legislation, known as House Bill 578, passed the Maryland House and is currently with the Senate.
It’s hard to calculate the impact of ghost bike memorials. In spite of Vision Zero, cyclists continue to die, and they’re frequently still “at fault.” Some residents even complain the Ghost Bikes put people off cycling entirely.
But for Molberg, Davis’ death and his work with Ghost Bikes has only strengthened his passion for cycling. “It’s almost like Lauren’s death ignited something in me,” he says. The very day Molberg found out about the accident, he says, he rode his bike home from a friend’s house. “They were shocked and questioning whether I should do that, but I feel empowered being on a bike. I won’t let deaths keep me off the streets.”

America’s 10 Best Bike Lanes

It was just seven short years ago that that New York City created the United States’s first protected bike lane. Since them, as part of an effort to get more cyclists on the road, more communities across the country have embraced safer bike lanes.
Currently,  there are 183 projects throughout the U.S., according to PeopleForBikes, an advocacy group based in Colorado. The organization recently mapped out the best projects and designs cropping up; as protected bike lanes become the norm, smaller cities should take note of these standout designs.
“Last year there were only a handful of cities building protected bike lanes. It was really the cool cities — the innovative, creative leaders,”says Martha Roskowski, head of the Green Lane Project program. “Now, we’re seeing a lot of other cities are getting on-board and implementing them.”
Among the top is San Francisco’s Polk Street, which is distinguished by its separation from cars and opposite flow of traffic, according to Martha Roskowski, who heads PeopleForBike’s Green Lane Project program.
Here are the top 10 projects, according to PeopleForBikes:

  1. Polk Street, San Francisco
  2. 2nd Avenue, Seattle
  3. Riverside Drive, Memphis, Tenn.
  4. Rosemead Boulevard, Temple City, Calif.
  5. Furness Drive, Austin, Texas
  6. Broadway, Seattle
  7. SW Multnomah Boulevard, Portland, Ore.
  8. Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh
  9. King Street, Honolulu
  10. Broadway, Chicago

While many Dutch and European bike lanes are uniform design, Roskowski notes that American projects have taken on distinct characteristics based on each city. Chicago and Seattle have prioritized low-cost strategies, while San Francisco bike lanes are focused more on aesthetic. But each design has its benefits. For example, the cheaper model, she adds, helps cities get more residents to adapt the model.

“As you get more people riding, it builds support to go back and do more robust facilities,” Roskowski tells Fast Company. “The big jump in ridership happens when you really make those connections — point A to point B — and people can get where they want to go.”

MORE: The Verdict on Protected Bike Lanes
 

This Company Wants to Bring Back American Bike Manufacturing

Americans are fast embracing cycling as a means of commuting.
But as more and more cities make room for bike lanes, the price tag that comes with the pedaling lifestyle is a hefty one. In fact, a conventional bike costs upwards of $1,000, while more specialized bikes can retail for more than $10,000.
Despite the popularity of cycling in the United States, 99 percent of the 16 million bikes sold across the country in 2013 were made abroad — mostly in China or Taiwan — according to the National Bicycle Dealers Association. But a Portland-based startup is looking to change that statistic by bringing back jobs to Oregon and creating affordable custom bikes all at once.
Circa Cycles uses a manufacturing process that can produce a 21.5-pound custom bike in just 10 hours or less, compared to the typical 50 to 100 hours of hand labor that other companies require to make an average bike.
Founder Rich Fox broke down the process of manufacturing a bike and then found ways to reduce the time required. “It goes together almost like a Lego set. It’s kind of like a combination of Ikea, and Lego, and Swatch, in a way,” Fox tells Fast Company.
The one-of-a-kind bikes are put together with a specialized glue used to construct race cars and airplanes. And rather than using a hand-painting process, Circa bikes are anodized at a Portland shop, allowing a customer to personalize the color. Fox uses all local milling and piping suppliers to ensure a fast turnaround.
Customers can also decide on size, handlebars, drivetrains and tires using computer-controlled milling (CNC) machines to produce customized designs in a short period of time. Frames cost $1,100 with the completed bicycle starting at $1,500.
“Typically, making a custom bike takes anywhere from three months, up to as much as five years,” Fox tells Fast Company. “So the idea that you can turn a bike around in less than 10 days — it’s pretty innovative to go from zero to bike that quick.”
While the price tag is still high, Fox hopes the more affordable option will encourage more cyclists to opt for an American-made bike. Ultimately, he hopes to bring more jobs back to Oregon.

“I moved to Oregon about 15 years ago and I really love it here, and I really wanted to contribute to the local community by creating something here to boost the economy,” he says. “I just wanted to make where I live a better place.”

MORE: What Has Two Wheels, Two Pedals and Can Boost the Economy?

How Boston Is Looking to Mirrors to Protect Cyclists

Building safer roads for cyclists is fast becoming a priority in many cities across the country, but Boston is taking it a step further by asking other drivers to take safety precautions, too.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is proposing an ordinance asking that all trucks weighing in at 10,000 pounds or more begin installing side guards and curved mirrors designed to help prevent cyclist deaths.
“The Act to Protect Vulnerable Road Users” was created in partnership with the city’s New Urban Mechanics innovation lab. The design was developed in the wake of an increase in Boston cyclist deaths in 2012, which mostly involved accidents with large automobiles like trucks and buses, according to New Urban Mechanics program director Kris Carter.
Between summer and fall of 2012, five cyclists were killed, according to the Boston’s Cyclist Safety Report. This past July alone, two cyclists were injured after colliding with trucks, Boston.com reports.

“If a cyclist is continuing straight, a common crash is a vehicle turns right and doesn’t necessarily see the cyclist,” Carter tells Fast Company, noting that the danger lies with those bikers getting pulled under a vehicle. “It’s pretty rare that a cyclist who goes underneath the vehicle survives.

The New Urban Mechanics lab ran a pilot program using three designs on 16 trucks. Should the new ordinance pass, oversized trucks will be required to be outfitted with the side rails and convex mirrors along with bright, reflective stickers to indicate blind spots for cyclists and pedestrians. Carter estimates that the new features will cost about $1,200 to $1,800 per vehicle.
“Really, this is a public health issue, because before we can talk about cycling and wanting to strengthen, improve and expand infrastructure, we must first be honest that the critical component is to improve ridership,” says Councilor-at-Large Ayanna Pressley, who is one of the lawmakers spearheading the ordinance. “People have to feel safe.”
While it may be new territory for American municipalities, mandatory side guards have been in practice in many European cities. In fact, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board made a recommendation earlier this year that regulators should make side guards mandatory on new trucks.
We’re glad to see one American city driving change for safer roads.
MORE: The Verdict on Protected Bike Lanes

How Raised Bike Lanes Can Protect Bikers and Drivers Alike

Cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen have long been recognized for their bike-friendly streets, and now Chicago and San Francisco are looking to their European counterparts for tips on road safety for cyclists.
Next year, San Francisco will unveil its first raised bikeway, a one-block long “showcase” project as a part of the Mission Valencia Green Gateway project, which includes other street improvements like wider sidewalks. Chicago also began building its first one-and-a-half block of raised bike lane this summer, and if the pilot is successful, it will lead to more stretches of the separated path throughout the city.
Raised bike lanes are a subtle way to protect cyclists, separating bikers from cars without the physical bulkiness of barriers. Protected lanes involving barriers can also sometimes make it difficult for drivers who are turning right to see a biker. Barriers can also prove to be confusing to pedestrians and hard to drain or clear away snow.
But the elevated bike paths, which are typically raised by just a few inches above street level, easily prevent cars from interfering, while also remaining separate from the sidewalk. Aside from aesthetic differences, raised bike lanes can also be less costly, according to Fast Company.
Chicago and San Francisco are not the only two cities to experiment with elevated bike lanes. The Oregon cities of Bend, Portland and Eugene, as well as Atlanta and Denver have also incorporated the smart design into their streets.
As more cities recognize the benefits of supporting cyclists, it’s good to see American cities embrace infrastructure that’s proven successful elsewhere.
MORE: What Has Two Wheels, Two Pedals and Can Boost the Economy?

The Verdict on Protected Bike Lanes

New York City traffic can be brutal, and adding bike lanes had some locals concerned it would only add to the congested Manhattan streets. But the protected bike lanes has actually improved traffic flow, according to a new report from the city.
The city’s Department of Transportation amassed empirical data on the 30 miles of protected bicycle lanes added across the city since 2007, finding that the bike-friendly paths are a boon to both reducing traffic and pedestrian safety.
The report found that some streets with the newfangled lanes are now faster, due in part to a safety feature requiring cars turning left to wait in a pocket. The new design reduces risk of cars hitting pedestrians and also eliminates cars blocking traffic while waiting to turn.

“Having that left turning area, where you’re able to get out of the flow, you can see the cyclist, the cyclist can see the turning vehicle, you can pause and not feel the pressure from behind to make a quick movement,” says Josh Benson, director of bicycle and pedestrian programs for the city’s Department of Transportation. “That’s a major major safety feature of these type of bike lanes. But it also helps the flow.”

Safety is one of the biggest benefits of adding the lanes, as pedestrian injuries have dropped 22 percent while total injuries are down 20 percent. Crashes with injuries have also decreased by 17 percent. One possible reason why: The bike lanes have shortened crosswalks and made them more visible to drivers.

More interestingly, the city points out the bike lanes have been economically beneficial. Local businesses on streets redesigned with the paths saw an uptick in retail sales and have been associated with more jobs and more tourism foot traffic.

For the city’s anti-cyclists, the new report means the bike safety program is here to stay.

“It’s our plan to do five miles of protected bike lanes every year going forward,” Benson tells Fast Company. “That’s actually about 100 city blocks of protected bike lanes, so that’s a huge chunk of city streets every year.”

But as the report reveals, adding bike lanes is beneficial for every type of transportation on New York’s crowded streets. Next time you’re grumbling about passing cyclists, remember, they’re helping you move faster.

MORE: Here’s a Simple Way to Get Your Community Interested in Better Bike Lanes