Over the weekend, members of street safety group Right of Way commemorated pedestrians and bicyclists who had died from traffic collisions by putting up spray-painted stencils all around the city. The stencils were created by Robyn Hasty — a pair of wings surrounded by roses. Below the design, the group and families of victims added the name of the deceased, the date of their death and a personal message. They traveled over 60 miles on bike to complete the project. Their website describes the recent action:
After each memorial was installed, the family members spoke of their losses, read poems, scattered flower pedals, and called for changes in street design and policing to prevent future tragedies. The victims memorialized were three cyclists and nine pedestrians, from ages 3 to 22, who died as recently as last year to as long ago as 1997, all of whom are missed every day, and inspire powerful advocacy.
Hasty told the New York Times that she intended to influence social behavior with her design. “These are directing a physical viewing angle and creating a physical response, the way a sculpture or an installation would. That can be evocative and help people feel a connection to these tragic events,” she said.
“This action was intended to honor the dead and the courage of their family members, who have pressed on despite unimaginable grief to advocate on behalf of all of us,” Keegan Stephan of Right of Way wrote on the project’s website. (Photo: Right of Way)
