Duluth’s Ghost Bike memorial honoring the life of Steven Hoover

Duluth community members gathered today for a memorial honoring the life of Steven Hoover. He passed away on December 4th in a bicycle accident crossing Mesaba Avenue. Vibrant Streets Duluth, an advocacy group created Duluth’s Ghost Bike memorial at the site where Hoover died.

Forrest Vodden, a Board Member of Vibrant Streets Duluth, says there needs to be changes to improve the safety of all pedestrians.

“Since 2016, 10 people walking or biking have died in Duluth needlessly. For such a small city as us, that’s a lot, sounds like a small number, but it’s a lot,” Vodden said. “It does not have to be that way. It’s not just an issue with the city, it’s a multi-person issue here. “

Vodden says this is Duluth’s first Ghost Bike memorial, but residents hope there will be more safety in the future. Vodden also said that the speed of cars driving down Mesaba has been an issue for several years.

“Speeding is obviously an issue, and speeding is one of the largest factors in whether or not somebody’s going to die if struck by a vehicle. From 32 miles per hour to 42 miles per hour, the risk of fatality doubles. So that’s a big difference. People don’t really recognize how dangerous it is to go 10 miles an hour over.”

The Vibrant Street Duluth group says its also working with the city to develop a Transportation Commission. The goal is to help provide more safety for everyone whether they are biking, walking or driving.