There are few things more moving and powerful than a ghost bike planting. Last night, the Eastside Bike Club, cooks from the Bike Oven and other cyclists made the somber ride to the spot where Jocelyn Young was struck by a hit and run driver in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Young's tragic story was picked up by Bike Portland, because she graduated from University of Oregon and lived in Portland. Bike Portland adds the life details to the story missed by the local press and shows how much the world has lost from Young's passing.
Andrew Plambeck attended UO with Young and reacted to her death today. "We had a lot of close mutual friends. She was such an always-on wonderful presence. Always warm and cheerful. So, so sad. Another wonderful, unique person killed senselessly in the road."
Meanwhile, Nicholas Avila, who was booked on suspicion of hit-and-run and driving under the influence and was released from the Pasadena Police Jail yesterday pending charges. Unless charges are filed, the police cannot hold a suspect and the Pasadena Star-News reports that the police are making sure their case is airtight before presenting their case to the District Attorney's office. There's no stated reason why Avilia isn't charged with vehicular manslaughter. The police are currently interviewing witnesses and collecting video information.
Young was riding with her boyfriend when she "fell off her bike" for unknown reasons. Avila then allegedly ran over Young, causing injuries that would kill her in the hospital. While Young lay dieing in the street, Avila fled to his house in Alhambra, where he was arrested after another driver followed him to his residence.
Last night, Young's memory was memorialized with a ghost bike. While the bikes are a powerful reminder that we still have a long way to go to make our roads safe for all road users, I think we can all agree it's a type of traffic calming that we could do with less of.
