Alice Swanson's Ghost Bike - Washington, D.C. (LEGACY)
N 38° 54.762 W 077° 02.698
18S E 322697 N 4309076
Chained to a traffic light just north of Dupont Circle at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and R Street NW in Washington, D.C., USA.
Waymark Code: WM4C6Q
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 08/04/2008
Views: 124
From the
Ghostbikes.com website:
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Age:
22
Alice Swanson was killed by a private garbage truck while riding her bicycle in a bike lane on her way to work near Dupont Circle. The garbage truck, struck her just before 8:30 a.m. in the crosswalk of 20th and R Streets in NW--just a mile from her office. The truck was owned by KMG Hauling Inc. No charges have yet been filed against the driver.
Alice had recently moved from the Boston area to Washington D.C. Alice was fluent in Arabic and Spanish and had recently begun working at the Middle East Institute in the publications department. She was a graduate of Amherst College and was originally from Northborough, MA.
Speaking about her love of life, her father was quoted in the Boston Globe:
She is so energetic and enthusiastic. She always wants to explore or travel. She’s got a room full of maps here, world maps and things like that. She wanted to travel.
I just feel that she had so many things that she wanted to do—to help people. Now it’s not going to happen.
In the evening of July 9, 2008, more than 150 people, many holding helmets and leaning on bikes, gathered at for a dedication ceremony. The crowd included several Swanson family members, according to the Washington Post.
"She's exactly the person you want as your daughter -- or niece," said Brookland resident Philip Blair Jr., Swanson's uncle, at the memorial.
Additional information posted on the Ghostbikes.org website:
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association installed a ghost bike for Alice Swanson on July 9, 2008 in an effort to highlight the need for better bicycle safety and driver education efforts in the D.C. region. WABA is calling for a full investigation into the crash and hopes this incident will draw attention to the need for improved traffic enforcement, increased penalties for drivers who strike cyclists and pedestrians, and more safety public service announcements to encourage everyone to share the road safely.
Established in 1972, WABA is a local non-profit bicycling safety and education organization dedicated to promoting safe cycling for transportation and recreation. The association offers free Confident City Cycling classes to adults and reaches thousands of area school children each year with its bike and pedestrian safety courses. WABA has also produced a variety of safety materials including a Safe Bicycling in the Washington Area guide, a Pocket Guide to DC Bike Laws, and numerous others designed both to encourage cycling and to make it safer.