MEMORIAL BIKE RIDES
May 18th Ride of Silence 2011
In Cleveland, about 40 cyclists ignored the pouring rain and thunder to join Jody Orlovick who organized the ride. A number of councilmen, representatives from the Mayor's office and local members of the police were also present. Emelio DiSabato, Sylvia's friend and roommate, spoke about Sylvia. His moving speech is posted on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSkaaczl-d0. Pictures and other videos of this event can be found on the Ride of Silence, Cleveland, Ohio Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103040559783700Steve and Francoise with their friend Angelo Douvos joined local cyclists for a Ride of Silence in Tiburon, in Marin County, California. The event was organized by The Marin County Bike Coalition and was dedicated to Sylvia. The turnout was small, 15-20 riders, but more than twice as many as last year. The weather was perfect and the route around the peninsula spectacular. Thank you to all of those who joined us for this event.
Here are some pictures:
Anniversary Bike Ride One Year Later
In the morning of Sept 15 2010, exactly a year after the tragedy, Steve, Francoise, their nephew Alfred, Sylvia's close friend Jill and a group of other friends and bike activists left Sylvia's house in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland to retrace her route to work at Hard Hatted Women. They stopped at the corner of Prospect and 21st Street and placed flowers on the Ghost bicycle, which is still there, then completed the ride to Hard Hatted Women, where they were received by the director, staff and board members and Americorps VISTA volunteers.
Memorial Ride in Cleveland on September 22, 2009
On Tuesday September 22, 2009 about 150 Cleveland friends, neighbors and sympathetic bike riders joined a silent memorial ride to commemorate the death of Sylvia Bingham. She was killed on September 15 while riding to work.
Ride of Silence Cleveland OH USA Alex about Sylvia
Sylvia Bingham memorial ride: i ride for everyone who can’t
Pre-event article posted at 4000more.orgThe Sylvia Bingham memorial ride will be taking place this Tuesday, September 22nd, at 8:00am (that’s the same day as the general interest meeting, just 12 hours earlier). Here are the details: Meet at Sylvia’s Tremont home at the intersection of Fairfield and West 11th at 7:30 AM. The ride will begin at 8:00 on Tuesday, September 22nd–on the 1 week anniversary of Sylvia’s accident. We will have a limited number of white “I RIDE FOR SYLVIA” T-shirts available for a goodwill donation. Please wear white shirts. Helmets are required, and loaners will be available at the site if you don’t have your own.
This is an incredibly important event for all of the greater Cleveland cycling community, and we hope you can make it out. 4000 More will be helping organize carpools (with bike racks, of course) to head out from Oberlin in time for the ride– if you have a car and want to help get people out, or you don’t but you want to be there, PLEASE email 4000moreoberlin@gmail.com and we will help you get transportation.
I RIDE FOR SYLVIA T-SHIRTS
These are our shirts. The design, inspired by Sylvia's idea, was a collaborative effort by her friends. On Monday night, Ayla and Alex went to the Oberlin College Silkscreen Studio to print shirts for Tuesday's ride. Thanks to guidance and help from Asa, a senior at Oberlin, they were able to print 200 shirts by hand. Above is Alex holding a freshly printed shirt in the studio and two bikers at Sylvia's house before the ride. We will be printing more "I Ride For" shirts for the next ride on October 17th so be sure to let us know if you would like one. We ride for Sylvia.
Second Memorial ride for Sylvia Bingham to include Community Service Projects
Pre-event article by David BeachStart: Oct 17 2009 - 10:00am
End: Oct 17 2009 - 4:00pm
Location: Edgewater State Park beach (lower pavilion) Cleveland, OH
A participatory celebration of the life of Sylvia Bingham, killed on September 15 in a traffic incident while riding her bike to work as a VISTA volunteer. Sylvia's Cleveland friends invite area cyclists and and non-cyclists alike to remember Sylvia's commitment to making her adopted home a better place; with a day of cycling, serving the community, and thoughtful discussion of what more we can do -- individually and collectively -- to improve bicycle traffic safety awareness here.
Rides of 5 to 25 miles will visit local community events to participate in bicycle safety education clinics, environmental remediation projects, and other community service activities; then return to Edgewater for food, fellowship, and an inclusive discussion of future plans.
Rides will be led (and followed) by experienced cyclists, and maps will be provided, but will be over open roads in normal city traffic. All riders are expected to obey all traffic laws; a mechanical bike safety check and traffic law briefing will be held at the start. Please dress appropriately for the weather, and helmets are required for the ride: a limited number of helmets will be available for $20 each at the start.
Bicyclists and friends remember woman killed riding her bike to work
By Joe Guillen, The Plain Dealer
October 17, 2009
Originally posted on Cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As someone who was passionate and city living and the environment, Sylvia Bingham's preferred way of getting around Cleveland was on her bicycle.
While riding her bike to work about a month ago, the 22-year-old died when she was hit by a truck near East 21st Street and Prospect Avenue.
On Saturday, Bingham's family and friends gathered for memorial bike rides -- here in Cleveland and others in her home state of California -- to remember the way she lived and to promote safer roads.
"It makes all of us involved in organizing it feel like something positive came out of her accident -- even if it's just all of us being together," said Alex Nosse, 25, who was Bingham's boyfriend.
Nosse was among about 30 people who arrived on Saturday morning at Edgewater Park, the starting point of the memorial bike ride here. Bingham, who lived in Tremont, liked to swim at the beach at Edgewater, Nosse said.
From there, the bikers planned to split up into groups and head to different destinations: Clark Fields in the Tremont neighborhood for a bike education event; the Morgana Run trail in Slavic Village to paint a mural Bingham helped design; and an East Side urban garden that supplies produce to local markets.
After the bike ride, everyone planned to meet at Edgewater to pick up some of the litter nearby -- a tribute to Bingham's concern for the environment.
"I just want to keep thinking about Sylvia and things she wanted to do," said Jill Collins, Bingham's best friend, who lives in Ohio City.
Bingham's parents, meanwhile, organized a separate set of bike rides in California to honor their daughter, who grew up in San Rafael, Calif.
Bingham arrived in Cleveland not long after graduating from Yale University in May. She had friends here and found a job at the Hard Hatted Women office, where she helped women working in the building trades become mentors to other women.
Stephen Bingham, her father, said he wants to prevent similar deaths. He said his daughter was almost certainly in the truck driver's blind spot when she was hit. She was not wearing a helmet, he said, but it would not have prevented her death because the truck struck her in the midsection.
The driver faces possible criminal charges, police said.
Stephen Bingham said he is dedicated to making sure trucks, within the next five years, are required to have technology to alert them when somebody is in their blind spot.
"If there's something we can do so that her death means that a whole bunch of other young people may not die, then we can get some meaning out of this horrible thing," he said by telephone Saturday.
Nosse, Bingham's boyfriend, said drivers on the road need to be more aware of bicyclists and their right to the road. Nosse said he has been car-free for six years. Instead, he relies on his bike and public transportation -- a philosophy Bingham held as well.
"She and I both thought biking was a healthier way to live," he said.
As he got ready to begin riding, Nosse fixed a helmet on his head -- a requirement for Saturday's ride in Cleveland.
Ride Of Silence To Remember Cyclists Killed On The Road
On May 19, 2010, bicyclists by the thousands were on the roads across the U.S. and overseas for a ride like none other. The "Ride of Silence" honored cyclists who have been killed or injured on public streets and promote the safe co-existence of cars and bikes.Read Article >>
INFORMATION ABOUT RIDE OF SILENCE
Ride of Silence events are held every year on May 18 at 7:00 PM in hundred of locations world wide.The first Ride of Silence took place at White Rock Lake in Dallas in 2003. This unformal event, attended by 1000 cyclists, was organized by Chris Phelan to honor the memory of his friend Larry Schwartz who was killed by a school bus mirror on May 4 2003.The mission of the world wide Ride of Silence is to honor bicyclists killed by motorists, promote sharing the road, and provide awareness of bicycling safety.
For more information go to http://www.rideofsilence.org.
2010 Ride of Silence Events Report
Total 2010 Riders: 1138
Total Reported: 3 Cities
Ohio
Cleveland, 350 Riders
Two starting points (Cleveland City Hall and Whole Foods Market) converged at a central meeting place (University Hospitals). 350 riders, mostly wearing white.
We had wonderful support from Cleveland Police as well as a number of other police departments along the route. It was an uplifting and inspirational event that included speakers who talked about the growth of bicycling for transportation and the need for all road users to respect each other and share our roadways.
Speakers also included Bob who has rebuilt his life after being partially paralyzed in a crash, Alex who read a statement from the parents of Sylvia who was killed by a right-turning truck and Gary who talked about his co-worker Charles who was killed while commuting to work.
This event has helped galvanize and strengthen the budding bicycle advocacy movement in northeast Ohio.
Photos From Rides of Silence in Cleveland
Photos From Other Rides of Silence by Friends and Family Members