DKNY Marketing Campaign Co-opts Ghost Bikes

Noel writtificated

Quoted message said:

Regardless of whether the resemblance to the ghost bikes was
intentional or not, the backlash was immediate. The DKNY bikes were
installed on Thursday and at once began receiving attention from
vandals. By Saturday they were all gone.

In other words, by Saturday they'd all been nicked by common criminals (tho
that was prolly the idea).

Used to think Ghost Bikes were a good idea, but I'm now of the opinion that
they're an alarmist over reaction to a danger that isn't of the magnitude
that their proponents think it is - when cycling KSI rates are comparable
to pedestrian rates it seems strange not to have 'Ghost Peds'

Akshurly, Ghost People would be a good idea - a 'chalk' outline of a person
on the spot where someone was killed by a motor vehicle, be they
pedestrian, cyclist or even a moton themselves. It'd have to be highly
illegal permanent paint, and apart from the obvious problems of arrest they
would tend to be in areas where you'd want drivers' attention on potential
hazards rather than chalk outlines.

On Feb 14, 11:40 am, Mark T
<pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>

Quoted message said:

Akshurly, Ghost People would be a good idea - a 'chalk' outline of a person
on the spot where someone was killed by a motor vehicle, be they
pedestrian, cyclist or even a moton themselves.  It'd have to be highly
illegal permanent paint, and apart from the obvious problems of arrest they
would tend to be in areas where you'd want drivers' attention on potential
hazards rather than chalk outlines.

They do something like this in France, somewhere near Clermont
Ferrand. Not paint on the road, but a cardboard cut-out of a person,
roughly life size for adults, smaller for children. The only text on
them was "J'ai 40 ans" (or whatever).

I assume they mark accident sites, but I don't know how accurately
they do it. There seemed to be more of them than I would expect, so I
don't know if they trawled back a long way for data.

Anyway, they made me slow down a bit, I think they are a good idea.

Rob

Quoted message said:

On Feb 14, 11:40 am, Mark T
<pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>

Quoted message said:

Akshurly, Ghost People would be a good idea - a 'chalk' outline of a person
on the spot where someone was killed by a motor vehicle, be they
pedestrian, cyclist or even a moton themselves.  It'd have to be highly
illegal permanent paint, and apart from the obvious problems of arrest they
would tend to be in areas where you'd want drivers' attention on potential
hazards rather than chalk outlines.

They do something like this in France, somewhere near Clermont
Ferrand. Not paint on the road, but a cardboard cut-out of a person,
roughly life size for adults, smaller for children. The only text on
them was "J'ai 40 ans" (or whatever).

I assume they mark accident sites, but I don't know how accurately
they do it. There seemed to be more of them than I would expect, so I
don't know if they trawled back a long way for data.

Anyway, they made me slow down a bit, I think they are a good idea.

Near where I live there is a pedestrian crossing, beside which is a small
white cross with a nameplate fixed on, and it usually has some flowers. A
woman and her two children were crossing when an impatient or unobservant
driver ploghed through the crossing.

She only managed to grab one and pull it out of the way.

Mark T said:

Akshurly, Ghost People would be a good idea - a 'chalk' outline of a person
on the spot where someone was killed by a motor vehicle, be they
pedestrian, cyclist or even a moton themselves. It'd have to be highly
illegal permanent paint, and apart from the obvious problems of arrest they
would tend to be in areas where you'd want drivers' attention on potential
hazards rather than chalk outlines.

This was an idea mentioned by (if not thought up by) Richard Neville (he
used to edit Oz) in the book Playpower. The original proposal was that
the culprit should carve the figure in the road and fill it with pale
cement. IIRC.
It's a good vintage radical read, but you'll probably only find it on
abebooks.
Roger Thorpe