GHOST BIKES: Draw attention to recent deaths of inland cyclists
Press Enterprise
Published: Jun, 26 2014
The “ghost bike” on Central Avenue in Riverside. (STAFF/Bernstein)
It was only a bicycle, but it was completely white: frame, seat,
pedals, spokes, tires, handle bars, grips, gears. All white. Which made
the red roses, so fresh and vibrant the first time I drove by, all the
more striking.
The bike was there for days, chained to a city sign on Riverside’s
bustling Central Avenue near Poly High. I assumed it was a “makeshift
memorial.” But no candles, cards or photos. Just a bike. A “ghost bike.”
“Last year, 22 cyclists were killed in Riverside and San Bernardino
counties,” said Mark Friis, director of the Inland Empire Biking
Alliance, whose mission includes making cycling safer. Friis knew about
the ghost bike on Central Avenue because his organization put it there.
“We’ve put up four ghost bikes in the last four years.” Two within the
last month.
The ghost bike on Central appeared after David Mendez, 22, set out
for a Sunday, Jan. 5, ride. Mendez, who was studying to be a pharmacist
at RCC and worked for Kaiser, left his Riverside home about 3:30 p.m.
Seventeen minutes later, he was hit from behind as he traveled east
along Olivewood Cemetery.
Cyclist David Mendez, 22, was hit from behind on Central Avenue in Riverside. (Contributed image from Marlene Mendez.)
RPD said the driver kept going, but a witness who tailed him
convinced him to return to the scene. Christopher R. Banning, 31, was
arrested on suspicion of vehicle manslaughter and driving under the
influence.
“He was the only son,” said family friend Wanda Gomez. “He never
married and had no children. Cycling was his love. This is devastating
for the boy’s mother and father,” Sylvia and Miguel Mendez. Devastating
for his kid sisters, Marlene and Genie.
The previous Sunday, Dec. 29, Phillip Richards, a retired postal
worker and father of six, was hit head-on in Calimesa. The 64-year-old
Beaumont resident died on Jan. 11. William Donald Johnson, 42, was
booked into jail on suspicion of felony hit and run. The ghost bike for
Phillip Richards was placed near a Calimesa utility pole.
Cyclist Phillip Richards, retired postal worker, was hit head-on in Calimesa. (Contributed image from Annette Richards.)
“He was my world,” said Annette Richards. They had been married 15 years. “It was a passionate, incredible relationship.”
Phillip Richards loved to cycle and garden and read. “It’s very
surreal,” said Annette. “I just want to be pinched and woken up from
that dream.”
Bicycle deaths are toted up and broken down. But they are more than
stats. They are more than the 575 white bicycles put up worldwide since
2003. They are sons and brothers, fathers and husbands. Their deaths
shatter families.
The ghost bike, says Mark Friis of the bicycle alliance, is meant to
“draw attention to a fallen rider.” It stays in place “until somebody
removes it.”
Olivewood Cemetery removed the bike for David Mendez from its
property last week. (Their memorials are forever; they do not encourage
makeshift.)
But even though the appearance of the ghost bike is fleeting and the
brilliant roses inevitably wither, both remind us that the deaths of
David Mendez and Phillip Richards — and the wounds to their families —
are permanent.
Reach Dan Bernstein at 951-368-9439 or dbernstein@PE.com
Published: Jun, 26 2014
The “ghost bike” on Central Avenue in Riverside. (STAFF/Bernstein)
It was only a bicycle, but it was completely white: frame, seat,
pedals, spokes, tires, handle bars, grips, gears. All white. Which made
the red roses, so fresh and vibrant the first time I drove by, all the
more striking.
The bike was there for days, chained to a city sign on Riverside’s
bustling Central Avenue near Poly High. I assumed it was a “makeshift
memorial.” But no candles, cards or photos. Just a bike. A “ghost bike.”
“Last year, 22 cyclists were killed in Riverside and San Bernardino
counties,” said Mark Friis, director of the Inland Empire Biking
Alliance, whose mission includes making cycling safer. Friis knew about
the ghost bike on Central Avenue because his organization put it there.
“We’ve put up four ghost bikes in the last four years.” Two within the
last month.
The ghost bike on Central appeared after David Mendez, 22, set out
for a Sunday, Jan. 5, ride. Mendez, who was studying to be a pharmacist
at RCC and worked for Kaiser, left his Riverside home about 3:30 p.m.
Seventeen minutes later, he was hit from behind as he traveled east
along Olivewood Cemetery.
Cyclist David Mendez, 22, was hit from behind on Central Avenue in Riverside. (Contributed image from Marlene Mendez.)
RPD said the driver kept going, but a witness who tailed him
convinced him to return to the scene. Christopher R. Banning, 31, was
arrested on suspicion of vehicle manslaughter and driving under the
influence.
“He was the only son,” said family friend Wanda Gomez. “He never
married and had no children. Cycling was his love. This is devastating
for the boy’s mother and father,” Sylvia and Miguel Mendez. Devastating
for his kid sisters, Marlene and Genie.
The previous Sunday, Dec. 29, Phillip Richards, a retired postal
worker and father of six, was hit head-on in Calimesa. The 64-year-old
Beaumont resident died on Jan. 11. William Donald Johnson, 42, was
booked into jail on suspicion of felony hit and run. The ghost bike for
Phillip Richards was placed near a Calimesa utility pole.
Cyclist Phillip Richards, retired postal worker, was hit head-on in Calimesa. (Contributed image from Annette Richards.)
“He was my world,” said Annette Richards. They had been married 15 years. “It was a passionate, incredible relationship.”
Phillip Richards loved to cycle and garden and read. “It’s very
surreal,” said Annette. “I just want to be pinched and woken up from
that dream.”
Bicycle deaths are toted up and broken down. But they are more than
stats. They are more than the 575 white bicycles put up worldwide since
2003. They are sons and brothers, fathers and husbands. Their deaths
shatter families.
The ghost bike, says Mark Friis of the bicycle alliance, is meant to
“draw attention to a fallen rider.” It stays in place “until somebody
removes it.”
Olivewood Cemetery removed the bike for David Mendez from its
property last week. (Their memorials are forever; they do not encourage
makeshift.)
But even though the appearance of the ghost bike is fleeting and the
brilliant roses inevitably wither, both remind us that the deaths of
David Mendez and Phillip Richards — and the wounds to their families —
are permanent.
Reach Dan Bernstein at 951-368-9439 or dbernstein@PE.com