Ghost bike finds a resting place in Quebec museum

Since the early 2000s, the image of the ghost bike has been a moving reminder and memorial for those cyclists who have lost their lives for doing little more than pedaling on a city street, and a call to action. Now, in Montreal, one particular ghost bike will be added to the collection of the renowned Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City.

The Musée de la civilisation is the guardian of rich collections of over 225,000 objects that reflect the living environments, daily life, work, knowledge and know-how, leisure activities, aspirations, achievements, and the relationships with the world of people who live in Québec.

The ghost bike was placed under the Des Carrières overpass on Saint-Denis Street as a memorial for Mathilde Blais who died while riding her bicycle in 2014.

The area in question has been redesigned to make it safer for the thousands of cyclists who use it each day. The tragic accident awoke a movement for safer streets in the city.

“Like all the objects in our collections, this ghost bike illustrates the evolution of our society. As part of the grieving process, ghost bikes are a sober and meaningful marker of both a loved one’s absence and the context of their passing,” said Stéphan La Roche, President and Chief Executive Officer, Musée de la civilisation. “They are also strong artistic forms of expression that aim to unite and mobilize people. This mobilization succeeded in informing public authorities of a serious urban safety problem and led to its resolution. As such, this white bike marking Mathilde Blais’ death will forever remain a symbol of progress for cyclist safety.”

The ceremony organized by Vélo fantôme (the organization that puts the white bikes at sites where cyclists are killed) aimed to highlight the improvement in road conditions under the Carrières viaduct on rue Saint-Denis, where the cyclist was killed on April 28, 2014, after being struck by a truck.

The young cyclist’s mother, Geneviève Laborde, and Vélo fantôme co-founders Gabrielle Anctil and Hélène Lefranc presented the white bicycle to the Musée’s president and CEO, Stéphan La Roche, after a very moving ceremony.

“I am moved to know that my daughter’s death will not be in vain and that it will serve to make future generations understand that citizen action can lead to constructive change,” said Geneviève Laborde, Mathilde Blais’ mother.

The first ghost bikes were created in St. Louis, Missouri in 2003. Currently, there are over 630 ghost bikes that have since appeared in over 210 locations throughout the world.