View Poll Results: How long should a Ghost Bike remain at the scene of an accident?
1 Week
1
2.17%
1 Month
2
4.35%
1 Year
11
23.91%
Permanently
32
69.57%
Voters: 46. You may not vote on this poll
Ghost Bikes - How Long
#1
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Ghost Bikes - How Long
How long should a Ghost Bike remain at the scene of an accident?
#2
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according to wikipedia
I've been wondering why they're now using bikes that aren't damaged? I think it would be a hell of a lot more effective if the bike was deliberately damaged. Why *****-foot around the issue?
Yes, it's a bit morbid and grisly to use a bike that looks like it might have been run over but it gets straight to the point - a cyclist was killed because of a careless automobile driver.
The first ghost bike memorial project was in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in October 2003. After observing a motorist strike a bicyclist in a bike lane on Holly Hills Boulevard, Patrick Van Der Tuin placed a white-painted bicycle on the spot with a hand-painted sign reading "Cyclist Struck Here"...... They used damaged bikes, in some cases deliberately damaged to create the desired mangled effect.
Yes, it's a bit morbid and grisly to use a bike that looks like it might have been run over but it gets straight to the point - a cyclist was killed because of a careless automobile driver.
#3
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-Kurt
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according to wikipedia
I've been wondering why they're now using bikes that aren't damaged? I think it would be a hell of a lot more effective if the bike was deliberately damaged. Why *****-foot around the issue?
Yes, it's a bit morbid and grisly to use a bike that looks like it might have been run over but it gets straight to the point - a cyclist was killed because of a careless automobile driver.
I've been wondering why they're now using bikes that aren't damaged? I think it would be a hell of a lot more effective if the bike was deliberately damaged. Why *****-foot around the issue?
Yes, it's a bit morbid and grisly to use a bike that looks like it might have been run over but it gets straight to the point - a cyclist was killed because of a careless automobile driver.
#5
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I think that ghost bikes are just specialized forms of descansos, the roadside memorials that are becoming increasingly common. They have an educational function, and they have a function in the grieving process. Descansos, when new, can be quite striking. As they age, they tend to look like piles of roadside garbage. I think that both descansos and ghost bikes have a "sell by" date. I voted a year, which really means a vague longish time. But they shouldn't be permanent.
Speedo
Speedo
#6
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Sort of a ghost bike, I put a Sugino alloy crankset on a telephone pole. I put it up with three-inch drywall spikes, and a cordless drill. The spikes went thru the holes in the 8mm screws that hold the chainrings together.
It only stayed up for ten years! The girl who got hit is still dead.
It should stay up permanently.
It only stayed up for ten years! The girl who got hit is still dead.
It should stay up permanently.
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#8
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It should last as long as the person is within living memory. This memorial day, they read the names of fallen police officers back to 1900 or so. I didn't really see the point in that.
#11
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I never knew they were called descansos. Some of the roads in latin America are wall-to-wall descansos. They do look pretty ratty when they get old. Maybe they should be allowed to remain as long as the family maintains them in a good condition. I get a chill when I see those bikes or the descansos but to be honest with you, I don't think many people really even notice them they're so common.
#14
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In the case of the chainring, I put it up across the street from the High School, where the girl and the driver that hit her both were in the same homeroom class.
It stayed up for ten years, was difficult to remove on account I stripped the screw heads on purpose. They resorted to using a front-end loader to pry it loose.
It stayed up for ten years, was difficult to remove on account I stripped the screw heads on purpose. They resorted to using a front-end loader to pry it loose.
#15
it's easy if you let it.
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Sort of a ghost bike, I put a Sugino alloy crankset on a telephone pole. I put it up with three-inch drywall spikes, and a cordless drill. The spikes went thru the holes in the 8mm screws that hold the chainrings together.
It only stayed up for ten years! The girl who got hit is still dead.
It should stay up permanently.
It only stayed up for ten years! The girl who got hit is still dead.
It should stay up permanently.
In the case of the chainring, I put it up across the street from the High School, where the girl and the driver that hit her both were in the same homeroom class.
It stayed up for ten years, was difficult to remove on account I stripped the screw heads on purpose. They resorted to using a front-end loader to pry it loose.
It stayed up for ten years, was difficult to remove on account I stripped the screw heads on purpose. They resorted to using a front-end loader to pry it loose.
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I voted it should stay permanent.
There's nothing wrong with having a permanent ghost bike. Quite frankly, if it's given a fresh coat of white paint each year and flowers every month, it looks quite beautiful.
The Ghost bike in my opinion is the ONLY tool we have to educate the motorist on the importance of sharing the road.
There's nothing wrong with having a permanent ghost bike. Quite frankly, if it's given a fresh coat of white paint each year and flowers every month, it looks quite beautiful.
The Ghost bike in my opinion is the ONLY tool we have to educate the motorist on the importance of sharing the road.
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In some areas, "always" might lead to ghost-bikes existing almost all over the place, sometimes one being stacked atop another. This might sound appealing "ideologically" ("Yeah, people need to get the message"), but, practically, it's a terrible, trashy nuisance. I think the question of "how long" has to be answered by individual locales.
#22
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In some areas, "always" might lead to ghost-bikes existing almost all over the place, sometimes one being stacked atop another. This might sound appealing "ideologically" ("Yeah, people need to get the message"), but, practically, it's a terrible, trashy nuisance. I think the question of "how long" has to be answered by individual locales.
#23
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#24
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I'd say at least a year. But like someone else said, it should vary by locale. Too many and it not only starts looking trashy, people quit paying attention.