Personal Injury Attorney wants to donate "Ghost Racks."

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Permalink Reply by Andrew on June 7, 2013 at 1:51pm

I similarly find this distressing, but suspect that limited resources available to the reporter may have been a significant factor as well.  Best-practice journalism doesn't mesh well with the economics of how many/most large media conglomerates (like the Tribune) operate in today's environment.

It doesn't excuse it, but I would be surprised if the author wasn't at least slightly pained to have used that.

I (don't really) look forward to the day someone from the Sun Times pops up in a Chainlink forum asking if anyone has taken appropriate photos for accompaniment to an upcoming article.

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on June 7, 2013 at 3:16pm

In Ellen's defense, she did make a pretty solid effort to reach out to various representatives of (dis)organized Chicago cycling, but found a dearth of respondents interested in making any public statements.

Andrew N said:

I similarly find this distressing, but suspect that limited resources available to the reporter may have been a significant factor as well.  Best-practice journalism doesn't mesh well with the economics of how many/most large media conglomerates (like the Tribune) operate in today's environment.

It doesn't excuse it, but I would be surprised if the author wasn't at least slightly pained to have used that.

I (don't really) look forward to the day someone from the Sun Times pops up in a Chainlink forum asking if anyone has taken appropriate photos for accompaniment to an upcoming article.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Freeman on June 7, 2013 at 5:15pm

I helped install the first ghost bike in Chicago some years ago, and it seemed to me the last thing we were worried about was whether or not the bike was an eyesore or if it was stolen or stripped.  To me, the idea behind installing a ghost bike is to make drivers think about the gravity of the responsibility they assume when they get behind the wheel.  I do not believe that is accomplished by installing a memorial bike rack. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for more bike parking, but I don't think it really serves the community to have a bike rack at a dangerous intersection.  I'm trying to imagine how useful it would be to have the  Alicia Frantz "bike rack" under the expressway at Division.  Is that really a place that has high demand for bike parking?  Who is going to use a bike rack there?  In contrast, think of the number of drivers who have passed her ghost bike and paused for a moment to contemplate the gravity of their actions as a driver.  Alicia's ghost bike was never an eyesore in my opinion, and it served a noble purpose. 

Sue Clark said:

I appreciate that he's trying to do something, but I don't think he understands the group he's trying to reach. End result, it comes off as a publicity grab on someone else's tragedy.

Ghost bikes are moving to me and serve as a solid reminder. A white rack, unless there's something to draw attention to why that rack is different, doesn't have the same impact.

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Permalink Reply by Barse5 on June 7, 2013 at 5:57pm

 I can't count the number of times people I know/meet bring up the subject about Ghost Bikes. I answer there questions  and then the dreaded one did you know any of them.  Yes yes I did Tyler was an amazing friend of my son Marcos.Then a family friend lost Bobby last week. It is all about awareness (seeing the bike brings it to drivers attention)  and honoring the cyclist that was killed.  While I feel there is a need for more bike racks this is not where they should be provided. 

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