Photos: Ghost bikes in Denver and Boulder serve as haunting reminders

Last week, Westword contributor Emilie Johnson wrote about the bright-white bicycle that has been resting against a sign at the corner of East First Avenue and Clayton Street, in Cherry Creek North, for the past seven months. It's one of several "ghost bikes" that have popped up in the Denver...

By Jonathan Shikes

July 9, 2013

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Last week, Westword contributor Emilie Johnson wrote about the bright-white bicycle that has been resting against a sign at the corner of East First Avenue and Clayton Street, in Cherry Creek North, for the past seven months. It's one of several "ghost bikes" that have popped up in the Denver and Boulder areas over the past few years. "On November 7 of last year, Gelseigh Karl-Cannon was killed at that spot when, according to what witnesses told police, her bike hit the curb and she fell into oncoming traffic and was hit by a truck," Johnson wrote.

"The 23-year-old had just moved to Denver from New York. Now the painted bike...stands as a memorial to her, and as a way to heighten awareness of cyclists on the road," Johnson continued.

Sadly, hers isn't the only ghost bike in the area. The following pictures show several other ghost bikes that have been erected as monuments in Denver and Boulder over the past few years.

Continue reading for the stories behind a few more ghost bikes. Most ghost bikes fall on public property and are eventually removed. The one honoring Dan Peterson (above) stayed up for several months before being taken down.

Westword covered Peterson and bike safety in a series of stories last year: "Photos: Ghost bike memorial honors hit-and-run victim Dan Peterson"; "As Denver becomes a major bike city, can it put safety first?"; and "Dan Peterson, R.I.P.: Remembering hit-and-run victim who elevated bike-safety concerns."

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