Ride for Solidarity
This ride is being organized by the family and friends of Will Lindsay to honor all three of the bicyclists who died recently in Philadelphia.
As written by the ride co-organizer and Will’s girlfriend, Sylvie Feathers, on her Instagram story, “We cannot bring back Will. We cannot bring back Nadir or Sam. But, we CAN commit to the future of cycling in our city. We MUST advocate for ourselves. We MUST center preventative measures. If we BELIEVE in our collective power, if we CHANNEL our grief and our anger and most importantly our love…we WILL move mountains. We WILL save lives. We HAVE the power. Together, let’s make it happen.”
Will’s family and friends have established a Go Fund Me page “in honor of those who lost their lives too soon.” Donations made to this fund will be shared between the Bicycle Coalition and Neighborhood Bike Works.
Will Lindsay died on July 12th when hit by a motorist and left to die on the side of the Ridge Avenue, right across from the Laurel Hill Cemetery. Nadir Nafis Holloman Jr. died while crossing Kelley Drive at the intersection with Sedgley Drive on July 7th. Sam Ozer was killed on Henry Avenue while riding home from his job at Manayunk Trek on Father’s Day on June 21st.
Three bicyclists killed is less than 30 days is unacceptable. All of these roads — and countless others — were not designed for city living and have long since needed engineering changes to keep motorists under control. Many of these are high-speed roads dividing neighborhoods and are responsible for a disproportionate amount of vehicular carnage in Philadelphia. Action is needed now to make these and other roads safe with better designs such as parked car protected bike lanes, and new technology such as speed cameras and radar. Vision Zero needs to be prioritized by Mayor Kenney and our elected officials in Harrisburg. The city and State need to address these issues before more preventable deaths occur on our streets. William Lindsay, Nadir Nafis Holloman Jr., Sam Ozer, their families and friends, and countless others who’ve experienced traffic violence, deserve better.