6.25.2010

NYC backpedals on ghostbike removal policy


Ghost bike for Andrew Morgan, East Village NYC by Neil Fein, Flickr

Yesterday I linked up a story about how the New York Sanitation Department was planning to get rid of "eyesore" ghostbikes, the white-painted memorials to cyclists killed by cars. Via commenter Tskross comes news that they reneged, after pressure from the families of dead cyclists. The new policy, as reported by the Daily News:
"A memorial bicycle (ghost rider) will only be removed ... if the memorial bicycle meets the derelict bicycle criteria," the department said in a statement Monday. That means if the memorial bike is in bad shape - missing tires, handlebars, or pedals -- it still may be clipped from its post.
So the key is for families and friends to maintain memorial bikes: fair enough. As Tskross says, "score one for decency."

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