Bikes Of May

Ghost Bikes
Spray-painted a spectral white and chained to a streetlight pole, this "ghost bike" commemorates the life of Habian Rodriguez, who was struck and killed there last September by a city bus while riding his bike in Flushing, Queens. He was 31. The first-ever ghost bike appeared in St. Louis, Missouri in 2003. Since then, similar memorials have appeared in more than 35 cities across the world, from Sao Paulo to Budapest, with each city adding its own touch. In Sao Paulo, for instance, bicycles hang down from the street lights. "I think for the families it helps them know they're not alone," said Leah Goldstein, one of the organization's volunteers, "We all experience these unsafe streets together."

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