(C) Verite News New Orleans This story was originally published by Verite News New Orleans and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Cyclists to commemorate traffic deaths ahead of ‘ghost bike’ sculpture removal [1] ['Bobbi-Jeanne Misick', 'More Bobbi-Jeanne Misick', 'Verite News', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width'] Date: 2024-05-16 Whenever a cyclist in New Orleans is killed in a traffic crash, Clark Thompson of New Orleans Ghost Bikes, sets about stripping, welding and painting a retired bicycle in the deceased person’s memory. Over the years, Thompson has created dozens “ghost bikes,” which are posted at the sites of crashes to commemorate the cyclists who’ve died. Thompson hoped he wouldn’t have to make one more memorial bike this May, given that it’s National Bike Month. But on Sunday night (May 12), an SUV struck and killed a man on his bike at the intersection of Clouet Street and North Claiborne Avenue in what police categorized as a hit-and-run. “It hurts every time,” Thompson said of learning of a new death. “I guess I’m becoming somewhat numb to it because there’s a constant state of pain. It’s constant for me because I am so involved in this fight.” The latest death comes just before Thompson and other cycling safety advocates will gather this Sunday (May 19) for memorial events dedicated to the cyclists who have died in traffic accidents in New Orleans and the loved ones they’ve left behind. The May 12 incident was the second fatal traffic crash involving a bicycle this calendar year (the self-confessed driver, 21-year-old Christian Rand, was arrested this week). The first, also a hit-and-run, killed a 59-year-old man on his commute home from work. Last year a report by the League of American Bicyclists declared New Orleans the deadliest city in the country for cyclists. Federal data showed the Crescent City had an average of just under four cyclist deaths per year between 2017 and 2021, meaning it had the highest rate of bicyclist fatalities per capita among U.S. major cities. Preliminary data for 2023 showed five cyclist deaths in Orleans Parish, the highest in the state for that year. The most prominent display of the city’s white ghost bikes stands at the intersection of Elysian Fields and St. Claude Avenues, where an unsanctioned sculpture of twisted and tangled frames and wheels first mysteriously appeared in March 2017. On Sunday (May 19), Thompson will lead a dedication to the unsanctioned sculpture, whose creator remains anonymous, just before the city dismantles it next week. A cyclist rides past the “ghost bike” memorial on the neutral ground of Elysian Fields Avenue on May 14, 2024. Credit: Minh Ha / Verite News “Ghost Bike representatives have addressed community concerns regarding the deterioration of the large memorial,” a city spokesperson said in an email. “The Department of Parks and Parkways will assist with site clearing and turf restoration needs. We look forward to reviewing permitting for any future proposals at this site.” Thompson plans to fashion a single ghost bike and mount it at the site of the former sculpture in June. He hopes to eventually replace that bike with a piece of commissioned artwork, which Ghost Bikes is currently fundraising for. Ghost Bikes is seeking city permission for the permanent installation, Thompson said. Thompson said he understands why the city would want to replace the current sculpture, which has rusted over time. But to him, the sculpture’s decay makes it a “perfect” symbol for structural failures that have contributed to cyclist deaths, such as the absence of bike lanes in some parts of Elysian Fields Avenue leading up to the intersection. “It’s perfectly representative of the pain of people losing their lives and it screams for the loved ones that remain living. These people have been stolen from them.” he said. Ghost bike memorials appear at or near all four corners of the intersection, where multiple fatal crashes between bicycles and motor vehicles have occurred. Last July, Thompson also installed a ghost bike for 36-year-old Dustin Strom, a cyclist struck and killed in the summer, one block away from the intersection, on the neutral ground at St. Claude Avenue and Marigny Street. On Sunday, Thompson will lead a group of cyclists to the bike sculpture following the Ride to Remember, a separate memorial event organized by cycling advocacy nonprofit Bike Easy. The organization has coordinated three group rides around the historic grounds of Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery, once a horse racing track. The cemetery will host a memorial service with comments from local transportation safety advocates. The social cycling group Get Up N Ride will provide bicycles for attendees who need them. People impacted by bicyclist deaths are invited to share messages about their lost loved ones and advocates will place plaques with the names of deceased cyclists around a ghost bike. Thompson will install the plaques at the sites of the corresponding ghost bikes throughout the city in the coming months. Allene La Spina, executive director of Bike Easy, said she hopes the event can empower the community to be involved in bicyclist safety. The memorial is especially bittersweet, as the most recent cyclist death looms heavily over the local bike community, La Spina added. “It’s tricky to have this event while things feel so fresh,” La Spina said. “But at the same time, it’s important to create those spaces for people to find healing.” Related Republish This Story Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. [END] --- [1] Url: https://veritenews.org/2024/05/16/cyclists-traffic-deaths-ghost-bike-sculpture-removal/ Published and (C) by Verite News New Orleans Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 US. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/veritenews/