This Saturday, April 19th at 10am, Please BE KIND to Cyclists will be removing the ghost bike placed in honor of Gay Simmons who was struck and killed by a motorist in a tragic hit-and-run accident on April 17, 2006.  It was this incident that pushed Al Bastidas to the edge and to plead to drivers to BE KIND.  The placement of the ghost bike began a grass roots campaign to increase harmony between drivers and cyclists.

"The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has asked the group, Please Be Kind to Cyclists, to take down ghost bikes that pose as safety hazards to drivers on the road."  We will be removing the ghost bike and replacing it with an approved sculpture to honor the incident and continue to remind drivers to share the road.

• Who: Please BE KIND to Cyclists' friends and the Austin community
• What: ghost bike memorial replacement
• Where: North bound East side 360 ramp to Bee Caves Rd
• When: Saturday April 19th, 10:00 am
• Parking: UFCU in the shopping center located on Bee Caves on the south east side, before 360
  
  People can park at the bottom of the University Fed Credit Union parking lot, so as to not block customer parking and can ride or walk to the destination.  A vehicle will be there to shuttle people safely to the location.

You can RSVP to the event on Facebook here: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/1426875144236993/?context=create&source=49
Additional information about the removal of ghost bikes can be found here: http://www.kvue.com/news/TxDOT-orders-removal-of-some-area-Ghost-Bikes-for-safety-255584941.html

It is an unfortunate reality that there are so many cycling related injuries that take place each year.  This map created by Bikko.net makes it easy to search through the years and severity to see a history of cycling injuries in Austin.  Our mission is to keep this map blank going forward.  How do we propose to do this?

RAISE AWARENESS, and encourage harmony and tolerance between drivers and cyclists.
PROMOTE EDUCATION teaching safe road use.
OFFER AID to cyclists injured in crashes with motor vehicles.

Your support makes this possible.  For as little as $10 you can help support social change that aims to create more respect for all road users and create safer communities for all of us.
Please consider becoming a member today!  

Sometimes it takes a different perspective for us to take notice of what we're doing and whether or not it makes sense.  For most of us, having bike lanes and sharrows is a huge improvement over bike infrastructure of even five years ago but the commentary by this visitor helps us to realize how far we still have to go to make cycling safe AND enjoyable.