[*BCM*] Ghost Bike

[TSmith4918 at aol.com]

nicely put;  I passed this bike weekly for the past 18 months and was  also 
surprised it stayed up for as long as it did. it was a thoughtful  memorial 
 
In a message dated 1/5/2011 8:27:13 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
tjvitolo at tommyvitolo.com writes:

The  nature of the complaints were: it's time to move on.
We don't get it  restored.
The Town of Brookline owns the land; it was on the  sidewalk.

The bike was up for a year and a half, and was well  maintained and 
re-flowered on a regular basis by individuals and by the nearby  Trader Joe's.  I 
think that it was left up for a year and a half was  remarkable -- the Town 
showed some real community and understanding in leaving  it up that long.  I 
would add that the Brookline police officer who spoke  with both Rebecca and 
me about it said that the family visited the site on the  one year 
anniversary and was pleased that the bicycle was there at that  time.  That the 
bicycle provided the family some comfort -- and that the  police officers know 
that -- suggest that in addition to the comfort, the  bicycle provided a 
reminder to the police that bicycle issues aren't  important.

I believe that the Ghost Bicycle was an important piece of  both healing 
for the family and bicycle safety within Brookline.  But  Ghost Bikes aren't 
permanent fixtures, nor should they be.  I think that  the Town did the right 
thing in leaving it up as long as it did, and did the  right thing in 
removing it.


Finally, I thank the person who put the  bike there in the first place.  
She's an A-OK lady in my  book.

Tommy Vitolo
_tjvitolo at tommyvitolo.com_ (mailto:tjvitolo at tommyvitolo.com) 









Tim Smith

Associate
Tise Design  Associates
246 Walnut Street #303
Newton, MA 02460
617.581.6601  x224
tsmith at tisedesign.com
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