Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Ghost Bikes

Friday Video: How (and Why) To Paint a Ghost Bike

Roadside memorials can make the human costs of our traffic violence crisis visible — at least until someone tears them down. That's why filmmaker made it his mission to restore two ghost bikes that had vanished from Boston roads.

Roadside memorials to victims of traffic violence are an unfortunately common sight across America. Even more unfortunately, though, those altars are often removed by people who don't understand their importance to the people left grieving — and to advocates who refuse to allow the deadly impacts of car culture to be erased from the public realm.

Bostonian filmmaker Matt Ognibene made it his quest to restore two of his city's lost "ghost bikes," and help preserve the memory of two cyclists who were taken too soon. And he also included a handy how-to for anyone else who wants to call attention to the deadly roads where their neighbors were killed, and the slain riders whose stories deserve to be told.

Give it a watch, and check out our past coverage of the roadside memorial movement, including a 2022 interview with historian and author Peter Norton.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Tuesday’s Sprawling Headlines

Sprawl seems to be having a moment, but it remains a very shortsighted and environmentally disastrous way to solve the housing crisis.

July 1, 2025

Does Constant Driving Really Make Our Country Richer?

A new study reveals that constant driving is making America less productive and prosperous — and getting people on other modes could help right the ship.

July 1, 2025

‘We’re Not Copenhagen’ Is No Excuse Not to Build a Great Biking And Walking City

A team of researchers identified eight under-the-radar cities leading the local active transportation revolution — and a menu of strategies that other communities can and should steal.

June 30, 2025

Monday’s Headlines, Ranked

New reports rank the best cities for biking and the best complete streets policies. Plus, the robotaxi wars have begun.

June 30, 2025

Washington State Is About To Have the First Pro-‘Woonerf’ Law in America

Washington state is making it legal for cities to have people-centered streets in a first-in-the-nation law.

June 30, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Are Doomed

Philadelphia transit is falling off the fiscal cliff, with other major cities not far behind. And the effects of service cuts on their economies could be brutal.

June 27, 2025
See all posts