VPS Ghost Bikes Program
VPS’s P.S. Cares safety community outreach program also includes a Ghost Bike Project which is a somber roadside memorial for bicyclists who are killed while biking. Ghost Bikes are painted all-white and placed at or near the site of the fatal accident. It reflects a quiet statement in support of cyclists’ right to safe travel.
Ghost Bikes appear in cities and small towns all over the world and the U.S. and represent a sobering reality that injuries and fatalities of cyclists continue to rise. Most all involve vehicle-bicycle accidents. Many accidents involving injuries are not reported and difficult to track. A fatality becomes the focus of these Ghost Bike installations.
Each Ghost Bike will include a plaque with the words – Cyclist Killed Here – Rest in Peace – framed within a heart. Each installation will be in place for 30 days. No other tributes (candles, balloons, etc.) will be allowed at the site and will be removed. The installation becomes a stark reminder to share the road safely as well as acknowledging the loss of a life.
The bikes which will be painted all-white have been donated by the Palm Springs Police Departments’ unclaimed storage of bikes. PSPD and Office of Sustainability with the City of Palm Springs have partnered with VPS for this project as well as the ‘Blink for Safety’ Bicycle Program.
Building a better community through these partnerships will not only raise the dialogue of the need for safer streets but proves that a community working together can indeed make a difference – and possibly save lives in the process.
VPS welcomes your support for safer streets, more visibility for bicyclists and taking a moment to respect a life lost through the Ghost Bike Project.
Read the Palm Springs Post Article:
‘Ghost bikes’ will stand as somber reminder to motorists, memorials to cyclists killed on area roads
‘Ghost bikes’ will stand as somber reminder to motorists, memorials to cyclists killed on area roads
