134 weeks ago, I uploaded this photo onto my Instagram account:
At the time, I thought it was so “hipsta” and unique. My friend, who commented under the photo, apparently thought so too.
Then I began to see more and more white bikes pop up around New York City - some even adorned with flowers. Pretty soon, I realized that these bikes were not meant to be decorative; they were probably roadside memorials.
My suspicions were confirmed yesterday, when I happened to pass by the very spot I was in when I snapped that Instagram picture.
This time, a plaque was installed:
When I got home that day, I visited the listed website and learned a lot about ghost bikes. These memorials - made from junk bicycles painted in white - are generally set up close to the scene of biking accidents.
The bikes serve two main purposes: first, they act as physical reminders of the tragedies that took place and second, they advocate a cyclist’s “right to safe travel.”
Today, there are over 630 ghost bikes in over 210 locations in the world.
