What that durn red nosed dog placed on the Brandie Bailey ghost bike’s seat is an irreverent but not totally unaesthetic addition. Those artificial flowers, still vibrant from the memorial in May, have tarted up the bike of late, possibly drawing the attention of the dog. Previously real flowers were used and when they faded, the dried remnants gave a more solemn air.
Collage from Video. Play below.
Beginning in June 2005, members of Visual Resistance have been creating small and somber memorials for New York City bicyclists killed by automobiles. Each time a biker is killed, a bicycle painted all white is locked to a street sign and a small stenciled plaque is bolted in place above it.
The installations are meant as reminders of the tragedy that took place on an otherwise anonymous street corner, and as quiet statements in support of bikers’ right to safe travel. It was inspired by Ghost Bike Pittsburgh, which was in turn inspired by a similar effort in St. Louis. In recent months, Ghost Bikes have appeared in cities across the country, as well as in the UK. visualresistance.org/wordpress/ghostbikes
May 8, 2007 the second anniversary of Brandie Bailey’s death.
A couple of days later someone used the left-behind chalk to leave the message. “Died on Fixed Bike.” There is some controversy concerning the safety of fixed gear bikes, braking is accomplished by pedaling in reverse. This seems a harsh thing to say at her memorial, seemingly blaming her choice of transportation on the accident. All chalk messages were gone the next day, after a heavy rain.
