Last night saw a quiet memorial ride honoring the two cyclists who were struck and killed last week. Both Alvaro Olson and Jian-Lan Zhang were killed by trucks last Wednesday, April 16th. Olson died at West 36th Street and Broadway. Zhang died on Hester and Allen Street. The memorial ride of about 25 cyclists brought flowers to the ghost bike memorials, where they were joined by the curious passing by, and paid their respects. The deaths of these cyclists, the first reported in 2008, are a sad reminder of how unforgiving the streets can be and how much more the city needs do to make them safe for everyone.

The NYTimes has a photo gallery and some words on the ghost bikes Times Up! and Visual Resistance have installed in places bicyclists have been killed.

According to the Department of Transportation, 109 bicyclists were killed on city streets from 2000 through 2005, and 11 more have died this year. Bicycle advocates are lobbying city officials to make New York a friendlier place for bicyclists.

While the last statement is accurate, most policies being pushed by bicycle advocates, particularly traffic relief proposals, benefit the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians alike.