Bike Tribute on the Side of 9W Near Kingston, New York

Sadly we will hear about it more before the summer is over. A person riding a bike that is struck by a car or some other type of motor vehicle.

The Governor'sTraffic Safety Committee has a lot of information regarding safety on the roads and that includes the sad statistic that the number of bicyclists hit on our roads has gone up since the beginning of the program

What is a Ghost Bike

This past week I saw on social media that a large conversation has begun over the fact that riding your bike in some places can be dangerous. A person had taken a picture of the Ghost bike on 9W in Ulster County. They had posted the picture with a caption that said they were amused by the site of a bike on the side of the road.

Quickly, the comments on the post instructed the poster that nothing was amusing about the bike on the side of Route 9W in Esopus. They wanted the poster to know that the bicycle painted on the side of the road that was painted stark white is what is called a Ghost Bike.

Why Do People Create Ghost Bikes

Ghost Bikes are placed at the scene of an accident where a bicycle rider has been struck by a car and lost their life. Much like the white crosses you will see on highways a ghost bike represents a person lost and a reminder to slow down and watch for bicycles.

Why is there a White Bike on the Side of Route 9W in Ulster Park, NY

The bike that was referred to was one that pays tribute to a man named Justin Boyd who was struck and killed on his bike in May of 2018. So the next time you see a white bicycle on the side of the road take a moment to slow down and realize that we are sharing the roads with bikers so as car drivers we need to be alert.

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Thinking of Taking Up Bike Riding