Closing Bell: 5th Ave Ghost Bike in Bloom
One of the most wrenching sights in Park Slope is the ghost bike on 5th Avenue and Prospect Place, a memorial for Liz Padilla, the 28-year-old pro bono lawyer who was killed while riding her bicycle nearby in 2005. Sunflowers were recently added to the memorial, most likely because this week marks the third anniversary…
One of the most wrenching sights in Park Slope is the ghost bike on 5th Avenue and Prospect Place, a memorial for Liz Padilla, the 28-year-old pro bono lawyer who was killed while riding her bicycle nearby in 2005. Sunflowers were recently added to the memorial, most likely because this week marks the third anniversary of Padilla’s death. GMAP
I hope this bike is there 10 years from now, longer. It’s a quiet, beautiful tribute and it makes me sad but I like seeing it everytime I pass.
I think most people with a brain understand by leaving it there it’s more than a memorial to one person and one death but rather to all bicyclists hurt or killed. I’m really surprised to see some people are dense and don’t get that.
All this said, I am terrified of people on bicycles, as a pedestrian. The political power of this group makes it so you can’t even say that, for fear of sounding politically incorrect. Which sucks. They run red lights ALL the time, whizzing by me literally not even glancing at me as they nearly knock me over. No they do not toot the horn or ring the bell on their bike. I will wholeheartedly support rights and privileges of bicycle riders when they respect and support my rights as a pedestrian, especially while I am CROSSING THE STREET ON MY RIGHT OF WAY!
Hi, nope, I never jay walk. Knowing that will be the response from bicyclists because that’s always their only retort to a pedestrian complaining about nearly being hit by a bike. I’m not retarded, I know how people drive in NYC. So I mind the traffic lights. Many bicyclists are in denial how many bad drivers there are here, because they are super reckless.
People loved her. She died. They want to honor her memory.
i support a permanent memorial to fallen cyclists of NYC. I am sure there is an intersection in Manhattan somewhere covered in blood that would be very appropriate. It could include a wall w/ every name….
jeez, whatever happened to d.i.y.? i guess there’s no point arguing with you, other “guest.” some people do stuff, other people just complain. you’re just the brooklyn equivalent of mr. wilson yelling “you kids, get off my lawn!”
for those who live in the nabe, and “just can’t stand the sight of the ‘untended’ memorial,” ya know YOU can do something too!!!!!!!
just go to http://www.ghostbikes.org to learn
1) that numerous folks have cared for their “neighborhood” ghostbike (e.g. Andrew Morgan’s)
2) how to do it
3) why the memorials exist
4) the story behind each ghost bike (for NYC – http://www.ghostbikes.org/ghostbikes/New+York+City)
to paraphrase a famous line, its people folks. think beyond the bicycle itself!
peace out!
Actually 10:05 , passersby are not the people who should tend to a memorial. That responsibility should fall to the party who installed it. It’s not fair to plunck something down and then expect others who have no real part in it to care for it. If Ghost Bike is going to install these thing they need to maintain them too.
In other words:
I walk past this every day and I wish that someone would fix it up more often. I mean, it would only take a minute. Someone who passes it by pretty often should take a minute to do that. Just think: it would take less time to actually fix it up than it does to write comment after comment about it not being fixed up!
That’s fine, but then someone needs to tend to it on a regular basis. It’s not an honor to her memory to have a garbage strewn memorial decorated with fake weather beaten flowers with a plaque on top of it. Surely she deserves more than that.
It’s still a public St. you can’t control something like that. You may as well tell cars not to park in front of your house. My feeling is the memorial is there not only because of who she was and how much she gave to the community but her death is iconic.