This bike is a memorial for a widley loved member of the Wellfleet community. It was created as part of the “Ghost Bikes Project”( a project that remembers those injured or killed on bicycles) by two of Miles best friends. Miles was creamated and so there is no grave or tombstone to act as a memorial. Allowing the bike to remain where it is helps Miles’ family friends and community memorialize him, it gives them a place to remember what an amazing young man we lost.
CLICK HERE to sign the petition
Does everyone remember this story about the Mass. Department of Transportation removing a memorial to a 16 year old Wellfleet kid that was killed on his bicycle? Well we received a few emails from the folks trying to save it and they are doing everything they can to stop the removal. Apparently (and shockingly) they haven’t been able to get very far with the Mass DOT so they started an online petition.
CLICK HERE to sign the petition
Listen unless we are running a contest or something we very rarely ask people so share our articles but all bets are off on this one. Everyone needs to share this, share it again and then tomorrow share it again. I want this petition plastered all over social media until every Cape Cod resident has signed it. If you don’t want to help a bunch of mourning kids be able to keep a memorial they made for their dead friend then I don’t want to know you. Cape Cod needs to come together and fight for common sense on this issue. If you aren’t convinced yet read the original story, it will make your blood boil.
CLICK HERE to sign the petition and then click below and share the ever loving shit out of this story.
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“This week, state Department of Transportation officials plan to remove the bike because they say it is a driving distraction, a threat to visibility and a safety hazard if a car were to hit the bike, and because there have been complaints about the bike.”
Driving distraction? It should be a distraction—from texting, from going about your merry business without thinking actively about the more vulnerable people who use the roads. Ridiculous that people are bothered by an unmanned bike, but can’t bother to keep an eye out for live cyclists. A close friend was killed in a bike accident this past summer, and the ignorance of people responding to his death showed that MANY drivers have no idea what the laws are regarding cyclists. “He should have been on the sidewalk!” “There isn’t room on the road for bikes!” No. If you can’t be bothered to know the laws of the road, get off it. Too many bicyclists, and motorcyclists for the matter, are killed because drivers think they rule the road. How can the bike be a risk to a driver hitting it? If you aren’t paying enough attention to the road to not hit the ghost bike, you shouldn’t be on the road. If you can’t be trusted to not hit a stationary white bicycle, you can’t be trusted to not kill a cyclist.
It has to stop. And I think the ghost bikes are good reminders and memorials—reminding motorists to keep an eye out and allowing loved ones to grieve.
So well put, Morgan, thank you!
And many thanks to The Real Cape readers and community — the petition is now near 1300 signatures.
It is very meaningful to my kids and also Miles’ family to see just how much folks are supporting us with this Ghost Bike memorial.
1493 … seven more signatures delivers this petition to those knuckle-heads at MA DoT.
Over 1500 and now re-set toward goal of 2500 petition signatures, see new support at http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2014/02/18/24170-residents-cyclists-support-petition-save-wellfleet-ghost-bike-memorial
[…] original rant on the issue can be read here, and there was a petition here if you want to get the entire history of the […]
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