Tracey Sparling's Ghost Bike
Posted by: 
howarthe
N 45° 30.954 W 122° 41.268
10T E 524384 N 5040310
The ghost bike that served as a memorial to Tracey Sparling, the 19-year old art student who was struck and killed by a cement truck in 2007, became part of a permanent shrine in St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on April 14, 2010.
Waymark Code: WM8KDG
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 04/13/2010
Views: 9
On October 11, 2007 a bike and a cement truck were headed northbound on SW 14th Avenue and came to a stop at a red light on West Burnside. The rider was in the bike lane to the right of the truck, situated below the cab in the driver's blind spot. When the light turned green, the bike began to travel straight across the intersection and the truck began to turn right (eastbound) onto West Burnside when they collided. The truck driver was issued a citation for “failure to yield to rider on bicycle lane.” This is a Class B traffic violation and comes with a $242 fine. Since the crash, he has moved out of state and no longer drives a truck.
A memorial ride was held for Tracey the next day.
Following Tracey’s death, an activist installed a ghost bike in front of Ringler’s Pub near the Crystal Ballroom (just yards from where Tracey was struck) at the corner of West Burnside and 14th. The ghost bike remained for two years. Tracey's family decorated it for various holidays and made sure that the flowers were fresh.
Activists rallied for traffic safety improvements resulting in the creation of green safety zones for cyclists making right-had turns at certain Portland intersections, and on June 30, 2008 (nine months after the accident) a green safety zone was installed at the intersection where Tracey was killed.
In October 2009 (two years after the accident), Tracey’s friends and family, met with local activists at Ringler’s Pub to remove her ghost bike. The occasion was a reunion of sorts, along with a remembrance of Tracey, and a way for people close to her to move on in their grieving process.
On November 2, 2009, a shrine was dedicated at the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. At the service of dedication, clergy of St. Stephen's Episcopal Parish, the Reverends Dennis Parker and Kenneth Arnold blessed bicycles with chain oil. The shrine is named after the patron of cyclists, the Madonna del Ghisallo. The Portland Bicycle Shrine is believed to be the first US shrine dedicated to cyclists.
The shrine is open Sunday - Thursday 10:-1:00pm. All persons are invited to come and offer prayers, remembrances, and meditations: St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 1432 SW 13th Ave at SW Clay, Portland, Oregon 97201.
On April 13, 2010, everyone was invited, “to join in remembering this remarkable young woman whose promising life was cut short so tragically.” The bike was installed with a plaque donated to the church by Tracey’s parents, Lee and Sophie Sparling. The church is located just one half mile from the scene of the accident. Susan Kubota (Tracey's aunt): “Our family could not have hoped for a better place to let Tracey’s ghost bike rest.”
Sources:
- Church will give Tracey Sparling’s ghost bike a permanent home by Jonathan Maus, Bike Portland.org, April 8, 2010.
- Woman killed while riding her bicycle at W. Burnside and 14th by Jonatha Maus, Bike Portland.org, October 11, 2007.
- Madonna del Ghisallo Shrine at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 1432 SW 13th Ave at SW Clay, Portland, Oregon 97201.
- Tonight: Dedication of Tracey Sparling’s Ghost Bike and Spring Bicycle Blessing by Stephanie, Bicycle Transportation Alliance, April 13, 2010.
- Tracey Sparling's Ghost Bike, Ghost Bikes.org.
- Family of cyclist files lawsuit in her death by Lynne Terry, The Oregonian, March 18, 2009.
- McMenamins Allegedly Cuts Sparling Ghost Bike by Matt Davis, Portland Mercury, March 20, 2009.
- Ms. Sparling yell[ed] ‘Hey!’ by Amy J. Ruiz, Portland Mercury, January 10, 2008.
- McMenamins Reinstalls Sparling Ghost Bike by Matt Davis, Portland Mercury, March 21, 2009.