Mercedes Driver kills local cyclist

[KnottedYet]

This is just awful.

I know it's a shallow thought on my part, but will anyone be putting up a Ghost Bike for Kimberly Potter?

[smurfalicious]

Enlighten me? What's a ghost bike cuz I'm so on it! Did you see the other accidents in this town. Shameful considering there's a huge biking community around here.

[KnottedYet]

And it sounds like so many are on Third St.

A Ghost Bike is a bike painted white, that sits at the scene of a fatality. Members of a bike club (or other volunteers) maintain it for a week or so, folks can leave candles or flowers or what ever at the bike. Sometimes a placard is put up explaining what happened, or sometimes just a sign with the cyclist's name.

There are many Ghost Bike groups, and most major cities have a Ghost Bike organization of some sort.

www.ghostbike.org
www.ghostcycle.org
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/...stbikes03.html

[missymaya]

For this case, I think a ghost bike is neccessary. Not just because one persone was hit and killed, but according to the article, there have been several accidents in that area. People need to be aware of what the heck is going on.
I like the idea of a ghost bike.

[surgtech1956]

This is so terrible.

I can't imagine how people could ever live with themselves.

[KnottedYet]

Considering the cocaine the Mercedes driver and passengers were involved with and the previous criminal convictions, it sounds like they weren't living with themselves too well already.

They hit her so hard that I find it difficult to believe it wasn't deliberate.

[KnottedYet]

Smurf, can you find out if a Ghost Bike is in the works for that site? Is there a bike club that would have info?

If you have to do it yourself and need some $$ help to buy a junker bike and some white spray-paint, let me know. I don't have much, but I can send you something.

I think it's very important that a Ghost Bike be set up for Kimberly.

[markpedal]

This is so terrible.

I can't imagine how people could ever live with themselves.

Unfortunately this may sadly be true, but both are victims, to a degree.

Let me relay a story that Chris Phelan, the Ride of Silence's founder, emailed to myself and a few others last year.

Chris was at charity event in the Dallas area early in 2006, and noticed one of the "volunteers" going about his business, in very humble low key manner. Chris struck a conversation with the man, whom it turned out was doing community service work. As the conversation continued, the man sadly admitted why he was required to do this; He was the bus driver who had struck & killed Chris' good friend, endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz, the reason Chris organized that 1st Ride of Silence in Dallas in 2003.

The bus driver continued, that he had been sentenced to jail time, was now released to do 1,000's of hours of community service work, had lost his job, lost his family, was close to being financially destitute and deeply regretted what had happened, all without knowing who Chris was.

Chris felt that perhaps there is more than one victim when cyclist/motorist accident happens, that it not only impacted Larry Schwartz's family and friends, but the bus driver's as well. It was at this point that Chris was finally able to begin to forgiving process.

If Chris can forgive, so can I (we). It's not to late to organize a Ride, now in 197 locations worldwide, in 6 countries.

markpedal