Ofrenda Blossoms for Ghost Bikes

I was asked by a reporter, “Why did you do this project?”

One of the important lessons I learned while I served on Houston City Council, was that when you make roadways safer for bicyclists, you make roads safer for everyone. Learning how consistently dangerous Houston City Streets are for just about everybody -- for drivers, for pedestrians, and for cyclists, shaped my focus as a Houston City Council Member.

The number of crashes, fatalities, and serious injuries consistently exceeds those of other major Texas cities. Houston ranks very poorly in national data as well. Houston’s traffic accident statistics are a serious concern, and while there are many contributing factors for the high crash rates, there are actions that can be taken to save lives.

In my eight years on city council, I devoted significant time and funding to improving infrastructure to make Houston streets safer. I was term limited from Council at the end of 2023, and since then numerous bike and pedestrian safety projects that I had led, funded, or even already installed, have been cancelled or physically removed by the new administration.

Since leaving Council, I have redirected my energy into another passion of mine, art. And I am funneling some of my frustration into art projects that advocate for safer streets, such as my civic art project this Fall at MECA’s Exhibition of Ofrendas -- altars dedicated to the memory of those who have died. My entry, ‘Ofrenda Blossoms for Ghost Bikes’ is in part funded by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance. The goal of the project is to raise awareness about bike safety, to honor cyclists who’ve lost their lives, and to inspire advocacy for safer streets.

I’ve come to realize that many people who regularly pass by the white bikes on the side of the road, don’t know what the bikes actually represent. Each Ghost Bike represents a particular person who was riding their bike and was killed in a crash at that site. ‘Ofrenda Blossoms for Ghost Bikes’ has helped tell the stories of regular people who were going about their day, and were riding their bike, and never expected their lives to end this way. The Ofrendas honored them as “real people”, and not just statistics or a white bike on the side of the road.

Learn more about the project, the amazing artists, and the community partners that made this project so successful.