Last night about 15 cyclists placed a ghost bike in honor of Louis Bailey at the intersection of 12th and Burlington in North Kansas City. We were joined by Louis’ stepsister, KCMO City Councilmember (and cyclist) Russ Johnson, and a few other well-wishers.

The latest details indicate that Louis was on 12th Avenue crossing Burlington when he was hit by a southbound motorist. On the way to the vigil our group got stuck at this same intersection because the traffic light is not tuned to detect bicycles. It is very possible that Louis was running the red light because he was unable to get a green, a bad situation that all cyclists have to deal with from time to time.



Most media reports of this crash are focusing on the allegation that Louis’ bike did not have lights or reflectors. For this reason the motorist was not ticketed. However, Sarah Gibson at Acme Bicycle Company saw reflectors on the bike just a few days ago. Whatever the facts, it’s a sad reminder to that we have to make ourselves as visible as possible. Motorists are supposed to watch for us, but the reality is that we have to take responsibility for our own safety.

• Ornery Chick’s thoughts
• KC Star story
• Star columnist (and cyclist) Mike Hendricks’ thoughts.