Asif Rahman Memorial Ride update courtesy of NYC Street Memorial Project

Posted June 24, 2008 by k_c_ in Events

Memorial bike ride for Asif Rahman on Monday June 23, 2008
Join fellow riders and Asif's family and friends on to remember him and demand a bike lane on Queens Boulevard. Bring flowers and candles.

From GhostBikes.org

On February 28, 2008, Asif Rahman, was doing what he loved to do -- riding his bike on his way back home from work -- when he was crushed to death by a reckless truck driver on Queens Boulevard. He died instantly from internal injuries. The truck driver was not charged or ticketed. Asif's mother said:
"Asif was on his way home after a hard day of work. I was waiting for him to come home. He will never come home. I still wait everyday to hear his voice. But he doesn't come home and say 'hi mom'. He will not say it anymore. He was brutally killed by a reckless truck driver."

Memorial Ride for Asif Rahman, Monday June 21, 2008

Mother Nature smiled upon monday's memorial ride for Asif Rahman, despite predictions of downpours, flash-floods and hailstones, a group of around 15-20 rode on two rides from Manhattan and Brooklyn out to 55th Ave in Flushing on a beautiful (though a bit humid) night. At Asif's ghostbike, we met up with about 20-25 of Asif's friends and family who gathered to remember his short life full of poetry, education, beat boxing, rapping, bike riding and love. Many of those riding with us had never been on a memorial ride before. some were from the Transportation Alternatives Queens Committee and several were Asif's friends. When we arrived at the memorial, Asif's friends taped pictures of him to our shirts and had were holding candles with which they lit a ring of candles around the ghostbike. The ghostbike was filled with flowers and had large photos of him leaning on it.

Often drowned out by the roar of cars and trucks barreling down Queens Boulevard at alarming numbers and speed, the NYC Street Memorial Project volunteers discussed details of the crash, in which Asif was crushed by a truck while he attempted to pass another truck which was double parked. Asif's mother, Lizi, and his little brother and sister told us about their dream for a bike lane on Queens Boulevard to help keep cyclists safe and their plans to publish a book of his poems and release a CD of his music. They also plan to set up a foundation for a scholarship in his name. They also spoke about how appalled they were at the public and media response to the crash, which generally was very anti-cyclist and one sided. We told them we are used to it by now.

We heard about the many activities that Asif was involved in from his friends, one said it was just like Asif to have a gathering of people who knew him for a long time, knew him only slightly or didnt know him at all, as he was always putting people together for projects. We invited everyone to get involved in our pedestrian memorial project this summer and to come back to meet us at this ghost bike during the the annual memorial ride on the first Sunday in January 2009..

The community we felt together made us glad that we had been able to connect in person with Asif's friends and family at the place where he spent his last moments. Lizi said she often comes to that spot, just to think about Asif and contemplate how things could be safer with a different streetscape. There was a lot of energy in the crowd both to continue Asif's work and memory as well as help Lizi start her vision for Queens Boulevard.

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