LB Islington removes ghost bike on Old St/Goswell Rd

I just cycled past two chaps in Islington Borough flouro jackets angle-grinding the lock of the ghost bike on Old Street. Two fellow cyclists and I challenged them but all they had to say was "Sorry guys, we know what it is but we're only doing our job."

Is this a policy or some just overzealous council department?

that's a bit rubbish, we need to put another one there.

What a joke!
Replace immediately...

They will remove 'hazards'. Its their responsibility to keep the streets maintained and free of obstacles. The GB was probably stickered for a bit (you know, 'council aware of this, will be removed shortly').

Obviously I would like GBs to be left too, but you can't really expect that.

+1 for just putting another one there though.

That's downright disrepectful. I wonder if the council actually knows what the ghost bike represents? Until i got on this forum I had no idea what the white bikes were for. They wouldn't remove a bunch of flowers and a picture/shrine whatever if someone had been stabbed and died in the same spot.

TIG weld them to the railings. The bikes, not the council workers.

Tell you who else were 'only doing their jobs'...

WARNING!INITIATES GODWIN'S LAW!INITIATES GODWIN'S LAW!INITIATES GODWIN'S LAW!WARNING!

TIG weld them to the railings. The bikes, not the council workers.

Let's start with yours ;)

They gave us 4 months, longer than most "obstructions" which is fair. city of london gave it about 3 hours....

I have spoken to council road planners and they are aware, some are more receptive than others i.e. they ride.

They have a duty to road users to keep the roads clear. its ok to fill the eye line with adverts, road warnings, road instructions, congestion charging signs speed cameras. there is not a lot of space left for memorials.

Lets replace it but cut it back so it pertrudes a lot less. with a lot more locks! but we don't want to aggrivate the council, they need to see them as street art/warnings/memorials.. what ever it is that will allow them to keep them out.

1 year - 18 months is long enough unless the junction is still dangerous or the family wants to revisit it.

this is why i think we should utilise the ghost bikes they cannot take away. for a long time i have looked upon the cycle lane bikes in this way. they need to be used more.

if it ever happens to me somebody please secretly spray up a fake cycle lane bike with a curly hetchins rear stay or put my initials and forum name by an existing one. cheers.

Yep +1 to Greasy & coppiT

They DO remove shrines to stabbed people, I saw a film by Ben Kinsella's sister the other night, showing her clearing the site after about a month, the council had waited a respectful time, and then politely requested it was cleared. Fair enough.

coppiThat I have a roll of replacement yellow-line stuff that road menders use where they've had to dog up some painted lines. I've been wanting to try and use it somehow in this way ... you just need a blowtorch to apply it. Get a few cones and some overalls and do it early one morning ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8106747.stm

i can get the overalls if need be

I can get the van and the shooters

also i noticed the one on pentonville Rise/Rd is gone

There is a chap in Camden who rides around at night sprays in cycle lanes where he thinks they should be. how cool is that!

i am all for white road markings, less obstruction, not so visible to the motorists but geting the cyclists to look after their own is a good start

I can get the van and the shooters

also i noticed the one on pentonville Rise/Rd is gone

Nice one! when can you get the van for? i got a few bikes waiting to get sprayed but i could do with the night time run around the city placing the bikes needed and spraying the white stencil at the other sites

this is why i think we should utilise the ghost bikes they cannot take away. for a long time i have looked upon the cycle lane bikes in this way. they need to be used more.

if it ever happens to me somebody please secretly spray up a fake cycle lane bike with a curly hetchins rear stay or put my initials and forum name by an existing one. cheers.

and leave a smart and polished pair of leather slip on shoes glued to the pavement next to the spot ;)

and leave a smart and polished pair of leather slip on shoes glued to the pavement next to the spot ;)

:-)

sorry if this has already been noted but has anyone else noticed James Fosters flower holder and plaque has gone now that Mosquito has gone and been replaced by a nameless bike shop in islington......its been a few years but such a shame to loose the mark of respect

There is a chap in Camden who rides around at night sprays in cycle lanes where he thinks they should be. how cool is that!

That is actually pretty rubbish and entirely unhelpful.

If you wanted to erect a permanent roadside memorial, you would have to apply for planning permission. If you erect a roadside memorial without planning permission, it will be removed, after the aforementioned respectful interval is observed (but as the example of the City of London shows, no such interval actually needs to be observed). Your best bet is to make a memorial that is not obstructive. There has been a memorial to Thomas Love, who was killed on Green Lanes outside Clissold Park when he was 16, for many years. It causes little obstruction, and has consequently remained.

http://splitbyscene.blogspot.com/2009/05/ghost-bikes-postscript.html

There has been a memorial to Thomas Love, who was killed on Green Lanes outside Clissold Park when he was 16, for many years. It causes little obstruction, and has consequently remained.

http://splitbyscene.blogspot.com/2009/05/ghost-bikes-postscript.html

Thanks for that. I cycle past it regularly but have never been sure of its history or how it's remained for so long.