Ghost Bike
White roadside memorial bicycle
Example
You see they replaced the ghost bike at E Wash and 1st?
No, did it get hit again?
Related Slang
BOLO | Be on the lookout |
IMS | If memory serves |
NUMTOTS | New Urbanist Memes for Transit-oriented Teens |
feels | Feelings |
Went ghost | Disappeared |
Ghost cheeks | The warmth on a seat left by another person |
Ghosting | Leaving without saying goodbye |
A ghost bike is a bicycle that has been painted white and placed on the roadside at the site of a bike vs. motor vehicle crash. Most often, these bikes (and associated flowers and decorations) are memorials for a bicyclist who was killed in a crash.
In addition to memorializing hit cyclists, ghost bikes are used to remind motor vehicle drivers to slow down and remain bike-aware on narrow or otherwise-fraught roads. Sadly, ghost bikes themselves are often hit by inattentive drivers, showcasing exactly how dangerous some roads are for cyclists.
Origin of ghost bikes
The first ghost bikes appeared in St. Louis, Missouri in 2003. After seeing a bicyclist get hit in a bike lane on Holly Hills Boulevard, Patrick Van Der Tuin placed a ghost bike at the site of the collision. Van Der Tuin then placed several more ghost bikes throughout St. Louis, at sites of other crashes, which inspired ghost bike movements in other major cities.