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Ghost Bike Memorial

After shopping at the IKEA in Canton, Michigan, we drove through a neighborhood and saw a "ghost bike" right next to a busy road. It was the first I'd seen -- sorry I couldn't post a photo.

Whenever a cyclist is killed as the result of an auto accident, people will put up a memorial on the site by painting an old bike all white, chain it to a post, decorate with flowers, etc. Now that I think about it, I'm glad I haven't seen more of them. But an interesting way to raise awareness on busy streets.

created by viola on Jul 22, 2012 at 10:32:20 pm     Other     Comments: 10

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a lot of bigger cities do that. i recently saw some in NYC that really touched my heart

posted by upso on Jul 22, 2012 at 10:50:44 pm     #  

Meh. Not a fan. The end result would be people having a negative view of biking, and that'd be a bad thing.

We should put up Ghost Car Memorials...

posted by BusterBluth on Jul 22, 2012 at 11:19:25 pm     #  

While touching, seems to me that they would be removed eventually.
Remember the construction workers who died while building the skyway bridge in Toledo? There was a make-shift memorial put there against the chain link fence. Had a big piece of metal with their names cut out of it, I think a work boot and a hard hat. Know what happened to that stuff? I think it got bulldozed with the rest of the stuff when they built "Tribute Park".

posted by hockeyfan on Jul 23, 2012 at 12:03:32 am     #  

hockeyfan posted at 12:03:32 AM on Jul 23, 2012:

While touching, seems to me that they would be removed eventually.
Remember the construction workers who died while building the skyway bridge in Toledo? There was a make-shift memorial put there against the chain link fence. Had a big piece of metal with their names cut out of it, I think a work boot and a hard hat. Know what happened to that stuff? I think it got bulldozed with the rest of the stuff when they built "Tribute Park".

What do you base the bulldozed hypothesis on?

posted by justread on Jul 23, 2012 at 05:58:15 am     #  

I'm not sure what you are asking, but it was there attached to the chain link fence, now no where to be found. Unless someone removed it and put it elsewhere, it's gone.

posted by hockeyfan on Jul 23, 2012 at 12:02:53 pm     #  

I'm asking what made you "think" that it was bulldozed, as opposed to moved to the Ironworkers local hall or something?
You said "know what happened? I think it got bulldozed..."

posted by justread on Jul 23, 2012 at 12:14:53 pm     #   1 person liked this

If I recall correctly, hockeyfan was regularly in that area up to (and possibly even the day of) the bulldozing while building that hockey rink.

Perhaps he saw there close enough to the actual bulldozing to think that someone might not have had time to grab it?

(Or perhaps he's surmising based on the way they bulldozed over all of his stuff without giving him notice or a chance to remove it?)

posted by mom2 on Jul 23, 2012 at 12:22:00 pm     #  

He didn't say. I didn't want to assume anything.

posted by justread on Jul 23, 2012 at 12:28:52 pm     #  

justread posted at 12:28:52 PM on Jul 23, 2012:

He didn't say. I didn't want to assume anything.

I'm with you.

posted by slowsol on Jul 23, 2012 at 12:40:29 pm     #  

I do not officially know if it was moved to another location. I'm assuming it wasn't because there didn't seem to be any concern for it as they did extensive work in the area and never "roped" that off or appeared to avoid the area from digging, etc. Also, as things fell off the fence due to time/weather, etc., it didn't seem like there was a caretaker to keep it neat.
I'd like to know if it actually was.

posted by hockeyfan on Jul 23, 2012 at 05:24:07 pm     #  

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