WRT the placing of "ghost bikes" and other memorials at the roadside, I have mixed feelings about them. While I understand the heartfelt desire of family and friends to pay tribute to the fallen loved one, the location needs to be chosen carefully so as not to endanger others, including future visitors to the site. One such example recently occurred here, where the family of a victim asked for help from our local bicycle user group to overcome council objections to erecting a ghost bike right where he died, which was at the entrance of a narrow bridge on a busy regional highway. We couldn't comply in good conscience, as the council was quite rightly concerned about visitors stopping at such an exposed and dangerous location.
My main concern however, is that the proliferation of these memorials creates the very real impression that cycling is a highly risky business and fraught with danger. We have far too much of this already in Australia, and I think if faced with the choice, I would avoid this form of monument and find a different way to pay my respects.
