For too long, cycling advocates have gathered together at the sites of cycling fatalities, to install a memorial bike and go on to have a memorial ride honoring those cyclists. It is an ad hoc group, with a volunteer collecting bikes no longer rideable. He then paints them white and delivers them to the site of the fatality.

One of the most recent installations saw around 600 cyclists attend. Families also attend, are are truly moved by the recognition of those cyclists, so they are not nameless fatalities.

There are many volunteers involved to make sure those cyclists aren't forgotten. Besides the volunteer who paints the bikes, there are others who touch up the paint, who organize the memorial, who ensure bikes that are damaged get replaced, and to also ensure that no cyclist memorials are missing.

Each bike needs at least 2 coats of weather-proof metal paint. People donate towards that cost when they think of it, but it often isn't enough. The Awesome Foundation grant will go a long way to being part of this incredibly moving and important grass roots initiative--it is important to keep cyclist safety in the forefront so that more protected cycle paths are constructed, so cyclists aren't afraid to get out and ride, and so that motorists understand cyclists are a part of our urban landscape and we have to find a way to exist together.