‘Ghost bike’ reminds drivers to heed cyclists
Honors life of Mark McLaughlin, struck on State Road 230 in June
It’s a roadside marker no cyclist ever wants to see: a retired bicycle painted white, propped up on the side of the road, peppered with flowers.
Ghost bikes mark the site where a cyclist’s life was lost, and a new one was placed in Taos County this month.
Members of the Des Montes community north of Taos will see a new bike alongside State Road 230 to commemorate the life of cyclist Mark McLaughlin, who was killed just outside of his home by a driver in June.
“I was home and I saw, out the bedroom window, people on the street,” said Stephanie Theodore. “I started walking down the driveway and I got close to where this descanso is, and straight out, I saw my husband lying there getting chest compressions. Then everything happened and I screamed and they held me back.”
Theodore and McLaughlin had been married for six years. The two had just moved to Taos and rented a home on State Road 230 in November.
According to neighbors in the area, the road has become a growing danger for cyclists and pedestrians alike in the past 10 years,
in large part, they say, because it has no sidewalks or bike lanes and drivers do not follow the speed limits.
“The traffic is not respecting the fact that this is a residential neighborhood,” said Elizabeth Burgess. “They often don’t make room for cyclists and they don’t understand the concept of ‘share the road.’”
Burgess has lived in the area for 26 years. She rarely rides her bicycle on the road due to distracted drivers, who often drive well over the speed limit.
While law enforcement hasn’t yet released the full investigation into the crash, Burgess said the road clearly poses dangers to those living in the community.
Cyclists across New Mexico face the dangers of the road each time they jump on a bike. From distracted drivers to those who are unaware of how to share to the road, collisions with cyclists can happen in a moment’s notice. Making contact with a vehicle even at slow speeds can prove fatal.
The cycling community across the globe is all too familiar with these realities and several members in New Mexico have made it their duty to raise awareness of cyclists on the road, partly by drawing attention to the many cyclists who have died on it.
“No matter how much you tell yourself you didn’t see them, it’s a life-changing event,” said Jennifer Buntz, of Duke City Wheelmen.
Duke City Wheelmen is a nonprofit organization based out of Albuquerque that advocates for cyclist, motorcyclist and pedestrian safety across the state. The organization is also responsible for setting up nearly 50 ghost bike memorials across New Mexico, including McLaughlin’s last week.
The bikes are stripped of their tires, chains and grips and are then painted their characteristic ghostly white to make them stand out as a constant reminder to watch for cyclists. Much like descansos, or roadside crosses placed for vehicle drivers and passengers who die in traffic accidents, these bikes dot the highways and backroads, marking the last ride of the cyclists they memorialize.
Buntz has been performing these duties since 2006, when her friend was killed in a cycling crash in Albuquerque. Since then, the group has been working to educate the public about how to keep a better eye out for cyclists.
Theodore contacted Buntz about McLaughlin’s memorial and was able to get the bike up to Taos shortly after the incident.
“Whenever [Mark] saw these ghost bikes we would slow down,” Theodore said. “He was so passionate about distracted driving. To have this happen to him is just beyond comprehension.”
Ghost bikes are known worldwide for their significance and have been popping up since around 2003. There are over 600 recognized memorials around the globe, according to ghostbikes.
org, with many more have been installed unofficially.
“Ghost bikes go up, but sometimes people just do them on their own,” Buntz said.
The bikes can be seen from bustling city crosswalks to lonely county roads. Often they are fixed to private property and outside the jurisdiction of road departments.
Buntz said a ghost bike installation is sometimes followed by a gathering to remember the cyclist who died.
A small ceremony was held on Wednesday (July 1) at the site of the crash, where neighbors and family members joined Theodore to dedicate the bike placed in McLaughlin’s memory. Father Angelo Marquez, of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, made his way to the ceremony to bless the bike, a first for the Wheelman memorials, according to Buntz.
According to a New Mexico Department of Transportation study, Taos County saw 29 reported cyclist related crashes from 2014 to 2018. In the past five years, two fatalities have been reported due to cyclist crashes.
Burgess said there is another ghost bike just down the road from the recent addition on State Road 230, but said it could be around 10 years old.
Efforts have been started through various groups to make cycling more safe in the Taos area, including adding bike lanes and providing more information about cyclists on the road.
Buntz said drivers have to be on the lookout for cyclists, as well as motorcyclists, when they’re on the road.
People often say cyclists come out of nowhere, “but [they] don’t really come out of nowhere,” Buntz said.
According to Buntz, cyclists also need to be aware of their surroundings and have to learn to peek behind them when riding. Another important skill for cyclists to develop is listening for vehicles and obeying local cycling laws.
As drivers pass by the white bike parked on the side of an open field, the color stands out in the green and brown surroundings. Buntz hopes it will be the last she’ll ever have to install.
Burgess is hoping to advocate for more safety in the neighborhood. She is encouraging everyone to have renewed respect for the speed limits and to look twice for cyclists and people walking their dogs.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get on a bike again,” Theodore said. “I left a big piece of my heart here.”