They're a reminder now with an expiry date.
Ghost bikes and other roadside memorials will only allowed to be up for six months. The Transportation Committee made the decision today, but council still has to pass the motion.
An initial proposal from city staff proposed having memorials dismantled after three months, but councillors got a lot of feedback and ammended it to six months.
"We heard a lot from all sorts of people across the city with all sorts of varying views...all quite respectful of one another, but all very different" says Keith Egli, chair of the Transportation Committee. "We had to find somewhere in the middle and I think the six months works."
Cyclists like David Barclay don't agree with the decision.
"The ghost bikes provide a really good way of drivers and communities to understand the threats that come to cyclists here," he says.
Barclay doesn't feel like there's any merit to the ghost bikes being a distraction to drivers.
"Anything can be a distraction if you make it. If drivers are feeling distracted by it, treat it as a reminder to be a bit more careful out there."
There are others who are respectful of the displays, but feel that they do get in the way.
"This actually does cause a little bit of blockage at this intersection which is very heavily used by pedestrians, cyclists and cars," says a female cyclist.
She's referring to the ghost bike at the corner of Bank St. and Riverside Dr. in honour of Meg Dussault, a cyclist who was killed at the intersection in 2013 after being struck by a cement truck.
"I understand the impulse for people who want to keep it and look after it, but I think a year is perhaps a good time for closure."
The motion passed the Transportation committee on Wednesday, but still has go to council. That's expected to happen at the November 12th meeting.
