Replacing Houston's Missing Ghost Bikes

A Houston couple is asking for help installing 'ghost bike' memorials, a stark reminder of the dangers of unsafe roads to cyclists.

1 minute read

December 19, 2021, 9:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Ghost Bike

Rory Finneren / Flickr

Ghost bikes—the stripped-down white bicycles memorializing cyclists killed on the road—are disappearing in Houston, writes Jay R. Jordan for the Houston Chronicle. The bikes, installed primarily by Steve and Melissa Sims, are sometimes stolen for parts, defaced, or removed by neighbors.

Thanks to the Houston Ghost Bike Facebook group, the Sims have accrued a sizable collection of replacement bikes. But the work of preparing and installing them is time-consuming, and the couple is calling on other Houstonians to volunteer their time and help them install the ghost bikes. "Their work is often thankless, but the memorials they place serve as solemn reminders for drivers and riders about the dangers of Houston's roadways."

Usually placed, informally, by volunteer activists like the Sims, ghost bikes have proliferated around the world as a somber memorial drawing attention to road safety and the dangers facing cyclists on urban roads. In 2017, the Chicago Tribune published a map of that city's ghost bikes.

Monday, December 13, 2021 in The Houston Chronicle

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight