Ghost bikes raise awareness of cycle lane dangers
A strange sight has appeared on the streets of Logroño; bicycles that seem to disappear into thin air.
But the unusual installations in the capital of Spain’s Rioja region are designed to send a strong message by highlighting the dangers that cyclists across Spain face when using poorly designed cycle lanes.
An intiative by “social collective” Intervencion Urbana has seen the placement of half-bicycles in unusual settings across the city to illustrate the fact that sometimes, cycle lanes just disappear.
El colectivo "Intervención Urbana" denuncia con una intervención artística la mala gestión del carril bici en Logroño. #SemanaDeLaMovilidad pic.twitter.com/f50wY586pH
— Emilio EL BUENO © (@EmiliodelRiver) May 21, 2017
One installation is named Cycle Lane 9 ¾ to Hogwarts – a reference to the fictional platform at Kings Cross Station from which wizarding students such as Harry Potter catch the train back to Hogwarts. To do so they must run at what appears to be a brick wall, emerging the other side to a platform not visible to muggles.
“We want to illustrate a daily reality for cyclists, that of the technical negligence of cycle paths that means they can suddenly come to an end or disappear into the wall of a building,” said the group in a statement.
“We are trying to raise awareness through thought provoking installations”.
More than 400 cyclists have been killed on Spain's roads in the last decade, according to El Pais, with the number of accidents involving cyclists and cars doubling between 2009 and 2015.
Earlier this month three cyclists were killed on a road outside Oliva, on Spain's Costa Blanca, after being ploughed into by a 28-year-old woman who tested positive for both alcohol and drugs.
READ MORE: Spain steps up roadside tests to clamp down on drunk drivers
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But the unusual installations in the capital of Spain’s Rioja region are designed to send a strong message by highlighting the dangers that cyclists across Spain face when using poorly designed cycle lanes.
An intiative by “social collective” Intervencion Urbana has seen the placement of half-bicycles in unusual settings across the city to illustrate the fact that sometimes, cycle lanes just disappear.
El colectivo "Intervención Urbana" denuncia con una intervención artística la mala gestión del carril bici en Logroño. #SemanaDeLaMovilidad pic.twitter.com/f50wY586pH
— Emilio EL BUENO © (@EmiliodelRiver) May 21, 2017
One installation is named Cycle Lane 9 ¾ to Hogwarts – a reference to the fictional platform at Kings Cross Station from which wizarding students such as Harry Potter catch the train back to Hogwarts. To do so they must run at what appears to be a brick wall, emerging the other side to a platform not visible to muggles.
“We want to illustrate a daily reality for cyclists, that of the technical negligence of cycle paths that means they can suddenly come to an end or disappear into the wall of a building,” said the group in a statement.
“We are trying to raise awareness through thought provoking installations”.
More than 400 cyclists have been killed on Spain's roads in the last decade, according to El Pais, with the number of accidents involving cyclists and cars doubling between 2009 and 2015.
Earlier this month three cyclists were killed on a road outside Oliva, on Spain's Costa Blanca, after being ploughed into by a 28-year-old woman who tested positive for both alcohol and drugs.
READ MORE: Spain steps up roadside tests to clamp down on drunk drivers
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