A memorial ghost bike for a cyclist killed in 2021 was destroyed by fire on Jan. 5, but thanks to the San Diego cycling community and his widow, a replacement memorial was installed Sunday.
Matt Keenan was killed at the age of 42 by a wrong-way driver while he was riding on Camino Del Rio South in San Diego in Sept. 2021.
A ghost bike -- a common a memorial to cyclists killed in traffic violence like Keenan -- was installed at the location where he was killed, said Will Moore of Circulate San Diego. On Jan. 5, someone set fire to Keenan's memorial ghost bike and destroyed it.
Multiple organizations and individuals donated to Keenan's wife, Laura, for a replacement bike, assistance in preparing and installing the ghost bike, and support for fundraising efforts.
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On Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at 2100 Camino del Rio South, Laura and allies from the cycling community joined together to install a new ghost bike memorial and banner for Keenan.
The replacement memorial was donated and prepared by San Diego Bicycle Collective, with support from Families for Safe Streets San Diego, Bike SD, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition and Circulate San Diego, Moore said.
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"I'm so grateful to have Matt's ghost bike memorial replaced and for all the community support today," Laura told the group of cyclists. "The most fitting memorial would be for San Diego to fully commit to implementing the promise of vision zero so this street -- and so many others -- are made safe.
It has strengthened Laura in her fight to make San Diego roads safer.
“I know that day when he was hit and killed, he was taking the safest route possible, but that route was still deadly,” Laura Keenan said. “If the street he was on had a protective bike line or if the street prevented cars from going deadly speeds with less straight design or speed bumps — those types of things — he’d be alive today.”
Over the past two years, Laura has worked with bike-safety advocacy groups and reached out to lawmakers and local leaders, calling for improvements to the city’s Vision Zero master plan, which is meant to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2025.
"Being here today is a reminder of how dangerous this street is and how preventable Matt's death was. We shouldn't have to worry about protecting these traffic death memorials because our loved ones should still be alive," Laura Keenan said.
