Roadside memorials hit; families call for changes
Destruction of the remembrances “extremely frustrating” for cycling community
Two memorials for bicyclists killed in northwest Denver in December have been hit by motorists, prompting determination by survivors and the community to work toward making roads safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Logan Rocklin, 34, was killed Dec. 9 by a hit-and-run driver at the intersection of West 38th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, and Ainslie O’neil, 32, was killed Dec. 18 by a driver at West 35th Avenue and Federal Boulevard. The juvenile male driver who hit O’neil stayed on scene.
A memorial for Rocklin has been hit twice by motorists, while a memorial for O’neil has been hit once. None of those drivers stopped.
“It’s extremely frustrating. The families have suffered so much already, and then to have this happen,” said David Chen, a member of Denver Bicycle Lobby, a nonprofit organization advocating for bicyclists and traffic safety. “To have (the memorials) taken out by cars is a stark reminder of how they were killed. It is sickening.”
Er ic El l iot t , Rockl in’s brother-in- law, said the family held a vigil for Rocklin on Dec. 14 at the intersection, and he went separately to the intersection for 40 days after that vigil, frequently waving placards. He said family and supporters gather at the spot to raise awareness about deadly driving habits and the need for additional or improved traffic safety measures.
Rocklin’s family, and others, say drivers continue to speed through the intersection, run red lights, and make dangerous turns, endangering bicyclists, pedestrians and other motorists. Rocklin was killed when a driver ran a red light. A second driver also ran the same red light. Neither driver stopped.
Investigators have not been able to find either driver, Denver police said.
“There are two drivers who ran the red light. One of them hit him. They both know what happened,” said Andy Morris, Rocklin’s sister and Elliott’s wife.
Morris recalled her brother, a 34-year- old accountant, as outgoing and friendly.
“I’m going to miss his laugh,” she said. “There is a lot less laughter around the family table these days. He was a bright soul, and he liked to make people happy, he was good at it. He had a big heart.”
On the day Rocklin was killed, he had visited his wife, Hilary Van Noort, at a hospital where she was receiving a stem cell transplant as part of her treatment for leukemia. The couple would have celebrated their first wedding anniversary Jan. 22. A Gofundme page has been set up to help Van Noort.
“Hilary is getting better, and she is getting stronger,” Morris said. “She is home from the hospital. She continues to recover. It has been a very tough road though.”
From 2013 through 2022, 32 bicyclists died in traffic incidents throughout Denver, according to city data. Over the same time frame, 235 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes, 301 people in vehicles died in crashes, and 111 motorcyclists died.
O’neil was an “accomplished athlete, artist, photographer, instructor, landscape architect and student,” according to her obituary. “She rode her bike everywhere and with anyone who was willing.”
The two fatal crash sites, about two miles apart, are in City Council District 1.
“From what I understand, this was someone who ran a red light,” District 1 Councilwoman Amanda P. Sandoval said of Rocklin’s death. “That has to stop. People have to obey traffic laws.”
Denver transportation officials say they scrutinize every fatal crash involving pedestrians and bicyclists, including looking at traffic engineering and infrastructure at the crash site, with an eye toward possible safety improvements.
“We’re continuing to look at this intersection ( West 38th Avenue and Sheridan) to see what else we can do,” said Nancy Kuhn, a Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure spokeswoman.
Denver officials have an interest in reducing the speed limit on Sheridan, which is 35 mph through the intersection. The city is checking with the Colorado Department of Transportation about lowering the limit. CDOT has purview along Sheridan and Federal boulevards, which are also signed as Colorado 95 and U.S. 287, respectively.
Elliott, who has become all too familiar with the intersection while grieving his family’s loss, is dubious about a governmental remedy, noting that the busy area does not have a “no right turn on red” sign posted.
“All they care about is moving cars,” Elliott said. “They don’t care about safety.”
Elliott is no longer going to the ghost bike site daily, but he does plan to show up three or four times a week.
“I’ll keep going until some changes are made,” he said.