First white ghost bike unveiled in Côte-des-Neiges–NDG honouring Montreal cyclist

Ghost Shoes and Bike Quebec paid tribute on Sunday morning to Michaël Rouzier, a cyclist who died almost 25 years ago in Montreal.

The memorial’s installation ceremony took place at the exact spot where he was the victim of the fatal collision he suffered, at the corner of Sherbrooke Street West and Madison Avenue in Montreal.

Rouzier died on Sept. 19, 2000, as a result of a parked motorist suddenly opening their door in front of him while riding his bicycle on Sept. 10.

“This type of collision, often fatal, happens regularly in Montreal. The risk is constant and nothing has changed here in 25 years,” said Shanti Larochelle, spokesperson for SVFQ, during the ceremony.

“Vehicles are parked along the sidewalk, forcing cyclists to move to the edge of the doors that may open in front of them at any time.”

Rouzier’s family, loved ones, as well as many cyclists and advocates for bicycle safety, gathered in large numbers at the ceremony. Etienne Grandmont, critic for the second opposition group for transportation and sustainable mobility, and Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, mayor of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, were also in attendance.

During the ceremony, SVFQ recalled that “the purpose of the memorial in the form of a white-painted bicycle is threefold. It is both a question of honoring the victim and allowing relatives to pay their respects at the scene of the collision, but also to erect a symbol to encourage reflection on the dangers of motor vehicles and to campaign for political leaders to act to avoid further deaths.”

This is the 34^th memorial for the organization in Montreal, but the first for the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.