Update on Chuck Gilbreth’s Ghost Bike

Despite the message from Councilmember Marti Emerald’s office to not have Chuck Gilbreth’s ghost bike removed, the City of San Diego did so anyway. The Storm Water Department Spokesperson, Bill Harris, chose to instead make up facts about where Gilbreth’s ghost bike was placed insinuating that Gilbreth’s ghost bike was blocking wheelchair access or right-of-way regulations – when the ghost bike wasn’t blocking any sort of access except serving as a grim reminder that our city streets aren’t safe for bicycle riders.

A couple of local advocates including Penelope Robles then tracked the ghost bike down and reported back that the ghost bike was now located downtown and that after chatting with with Harris, Robles learned that the Storm Water Department would return the bike if someone went down to the City Administration Building to pick it up.

I contacted Forrest Brodsky who is one of the many volunteers at SDSU’s Bike Cooperative, The Bike Stand, to learn whether his organization intended to pick up the ghost bike to return it to its original location. The Bike Stand was the group that originally placed the ghost bike to honor Gilbreth’s life. Brodsky said that he would first contact Gilbreth’s family to ensure that replacing the ghost bike would be in line with and respectful of the Gilbreth family’s wishes.

This morning Brodsky informed me that Chuck Gilbreth’s widow, Ginny, was more than willing for the ghost bike to be replaced at its original location on Montezuma Road – a road that has yet to see any road design improvements that would make it a safe corridor to ride on.