RALEIGH, N.C. – Activists in a growing number of cities, including Fort Wayne, are erecting bicycles by the side of the road as memorials to cyclists killed in crashes with cars. They're called ghost bikes because many are painted white so that they stand out, like memorials at the sites of fatal car crashes.
But the bikes are as varied as the people they memorialize. At least one is bright pink. Some are smashed with sledgehammers to signify the wreckage left after the collision.
Ghost bike creators say the first memorials were put up about 10 years ago. They say the ghost bikes are also meant as reminders of the hazards cyclists face to share the road.
Hundreds of cyclists are killed in crashes with motor vehicles each year in the U.S.
Among them was Brian A. Craig, 15, of Fort Wayne. Craig died of blunt-force trauma Nov. 11. He was riding with two other bicyclists in the 3000 block of North Clinton when he was struck by a car. Fort Wayne Police said none of the bicyclists was wearing a helmet or reflective clothing on the four-lane street.
The bike to remember Craig, along with crosses, is in front of the Salvation Army, 2901 N. Clinton St.
–Lisa Esquivel Long of The News-Sentinel contributed to this story.
