Streatham Hill’s Ghost Bike
I recently noticed a ghost bike chained to the railings at the top of Streatham Hill at the junction with the South Circular and Brixton Hill. Ghost bikes are old bikes which have been spray painted white and are placed at sites where cyclists have been killed in road accidents. The idea started in America in 2003 but soon spread around the world. This is one of ten ghost bikes that were put up around London about a year ago by a cyclist known as Greasy Slag.
This map of cycling black spots includes a few spots dotted around that junction as well as many more down Streatham High road. This is a reminder of how badly suited Streatham High Road is to cycling and how short sighted it is not to include Streatham in the cycle super highway plans. The A23 is a vital route in to London and in Streatham we actually have wide enough roads to accomodate decent segregated cycle highways, yet the recent road improvements in Streatham and Brixton have done nothing to address this. If you want to learn more about the problems with cycling in London there is a very good blog by an Englishman, now living in Holland, called David Hembrow.
You can see more ghost bikes below. The photos were taken by photographer, Nicholas Adams AKA Guerilla Photo.
And here is a BBC news report about ghost bikes.
I always see this lonely bike and wonder how it survives when I have had two stolen.
I can’t really see how they could include the High Road in the cycling highways scheme – it’s way too narrow.
to tell you the truth, I’ve been on a few blue strips in Tooting near colliers Wood, and some have appeared between clapham north and Stockwell – they’re very random, drivers don’t understand what they are and just drive over them – I don’t know. They reduced overall bike funding in London, then spent a chunk of the reduced budget on something half-arsed, if you ask me.
I agree that the new blue lines appearing in Tooting are a bit of a joke, but my point is that Streatham High Road is a lot wider than Tooting/Balham/Clapham, everywhere apart from the narrow section between the Odeon and St Leonards. Most of the rest of the High Road has three lanes each side and a wide central reservation. This could easily be redesigned to accomodate a decent cycle highway.
I have just read this and thing it is very fitting idea, i say this sitting here with my son of riding to rugby training.
I cycle past this bike several times a week and it always catches my eye, better I never knew the significance of it until i read this piece. It’s kind of chilling. I bloody hate riding down that road, but now i’ll be doubly careful.
-Yossarian Lives.