Some of them were there when Kingston cyclist Devin Griffiths lost his life to a tanker truck near the Broadway roundabout on Sept. 18. Isabel Barreto lost her mother to a crash in 2019; they had just been walking along the road in Lake Katrine. Blanca Babits’ daughter was hit by a car while riding her bicycle in New Paltz in 2016; Gabby O’Shea is still recovering.

One by one, all 20 of the community members who came out on Sunday evening spoke eloquently and passionately about how traffic violence has personally affected them.

The group, a cross-section of residents from all walks of life, gathered near the new Broadway roundabout for a candlelight vigil for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, to honor all victims of traffic violence in Ulster County and across the globe, and hold a “ghost bike” dedication for Griffiths.

Christopher Cruz had been running errands nearby when Griffiths was killed in September. “I heard a person screaming, my first thought was a car accident,” he said. “People were saying it was really bad, but I wanted to try to help in any way I could. My dad worked in the hospital for 30 years, and I don’t know, I just wanted to comfort another human being’s soul, if I could.”

Cruz said he feels the City of Kingston should be held responsible because, he said, it was the construction and new flow pattern of traffic that contributed to Griffith’s death. “This is the reality of road violence,” said Cruz, “but we’re all in this world together.”

For many who regularly walk or bike around Kingston, traffic violence is a normal occurrence. LK Noller lives in a section of Kingston that doesn’t really have sidewalks — Wilbur. She noted how difficult it is to traverse the city with Lola, her famed Kingston Library dog. “It’s really challenging to get around,” she said. “We almost got hit by a car last year, it brushed us.”

Griffith’s death in September came just two months after seasoned cyclist John “Host” Lynch, 57, was struck by a car and killed while crossing Washington Avenue near the Best Western Hotel. In November 2020, 54-year-old Darryl Savage died after he struck the side of a school bus at the intersection of Greenkill and Wilbur avenues while riding on a cycling path that had recently been laid down by the state Department of Transportation as part of the Empire State Trail network.

Rose Quinn, traffic safety advocate and Lynch’s partner, crystalized what it means to be a bicyclist or walker in Kingston: “We are out here and we’re putting our trust in cars and people, that’s part of what the cycling experience is. It’s literally saying, I have enough faith in humankind that you’re not going to run me off the road,” she said, through tears. “But too often that’s not true, and too often when it is true, as is expressed here, families feel unheard. Part of changing this is changing the way we talk about it. These aren’t random accidents … We can do things to help people, other countries are doing it … People are stepping up to the challenge and saying I’m not going to do any harm. It’s not too much to ask and it’s not impossible.”

For many local victims of traffic violence, it often feels like little, if any, justice comes after the crash. Barreto, who attended the memorial in remembrance of her mother, Maria Jesus Falcon Colman, said she felt unheard by the Town of Ulster Police in 2019, who deemed her mom’s pedestrian death “accidental.”

“Where is the justice?” she cried. “She was the heart of our family. She was just trying to stay healthy and go for walks every morning before work. He was speeding like lightning and not even a speeding ticket.”

Pastor Fernando Salazar of the 2nda Iglesia La Misión on Elmendorf Street offered words of support and blessings and told of his own experiences with traffic violence. Pastor Fernando often has several bikes outside his church for folks who use the warming center inside. “It’s not easy, but we have to stick together,” he said, suggesting a bike parade to take back the streets.

Also on hand were Phil Erner, who will take office as county legislator representing part of Kingston, County Legislator Abe Uchitelle, who represents the part of Kingston where Griffiths died, and community activist Rashida Tyler.

“We need to make the streets safer for all users,” said Erner, who used a bike during his campaigns for office. “Poor and working folks aren’t necessarily going to have cars, and our culture doesn’t take that responsibility serious enough. There are things we can do here in Kingston, like lowering the speed limit. People want to see infrastructure and roadways improved — they need to be done with the safety of all users at the paramount, and I don’t see that on the new Broadway, unfortunately, as much work as went into it. As a cyclist myself, I don’t see the roads safe for people like me.”

“We have three new ghost bikes, three new memorials and it’s heartbreaking,” said Uchitelle, who noted that 43,000 Americans lost their lives on our roads in 2020.

‘We are claiming this person’

The newest ghost bike, on Broadway near the intersection of East St. James Street, was dedicated to Griffiths, after a poem was read in his honor.

Not many knew Griffiths, said Quinn. “No one has stepped up to claim this person, so we are claiming this person. We’re going to stand up for this person, because that’s what Kingston is, that’s what we’re about. He was a human being, he was just trying to get around, just trying to do what we all are trying to do every day, just survive.”

Tyler said just like everyone, we all can get frustrated while driving. “But if more people walked on the streets ... once you realize how difficult the city is to navigate without a car right now, then you’re going to start demanding changes,” she said. “And treating everybody like they matter.”

Tomorrow morning, Quinn will be leading a Thanksgiving ride to place wreaths on the five ghost bikes in our area. She’ll be leaving at 8 a.m. from the intersection of Downs and Tremper, taking a 3.4-mile ride to the BOCES Career and Tech Center in Port Ewen. From there the group will do an approximate 14.5 ride, stopping to place wreaths and have a moment of reflection.

The last stop will be near Marriott Road and Lucas Ave. (At that point it’s about eight miles back to Kingston; the entire route will be about 28 miles.) People are welcome to join en route and ride what they can. For info, Quinn can be reached at 845-266-6096.

For more information on traffic violence and advocacy, please visit: https://worlddayofremembrance.org/#top. Additional websites for consideration: https://visionzeronetwork.org/ and https://www.transalt.org/.