I helped place a ghost bike today. Yesterday, around 4:00 p.m. a cyclist whose identity has yet to be released, was killed at the southwest corner of the intersection of 12th and Grand. He was waiting at the intersection for the light to change, when a large construction truck pulled up along side of him and made a right-hand turn, knocking the rider over and dragging him for an entire block. The man’s name hasn’t been released yet, so I have no idea who he was, just that he died right there, a location I’ve passed hundreds of times. It grieves me to hear of anyone suffering such a grisly death. For all I know, it may have been somebody I knew, or somebody I saw around from time to time, exchanged waves and nods with. Or it could have been a total stranger. At any rate, this person, whomever he may have been, deserves at least a moment of thought.
If you’re a cyclist, please spare a moment of thought for a fallen comrade. Think, too, about where you place yourself on the road, how bright the clothes you wear might be, and if you mightn’t benefit from a winkie-blinky.
If you’re not a cyclist, please spare a moment of thought for all of us small, squishable beings out there on the street. Think about all of those times you’ve gone “oh shit, I almost didn’t see that guy on the bike,” and then think about your state of alertness and environmental awareness when you are behind the wheel.
If you are a Kansas Citian, and you pass by the Ghost Bike on 12th & Grand, leave a flower, leave a stone, stop for just a moment and wish this poor man peace and wish yourself safe passage to wherever you need to go.