Saturday was supposed to be celebratory for the Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation. That evening, they were planning on holding their annual “Bike the Night” extravaganza, but the real world entered the chat when dedicated Guelph cyclist and cycling supporter Susan Bard was killed in a collision on Victoria Road on September 6. Now, to precede the celebration at night, there was a “Ghost Ride” during the day.

About 200 people, most on their bikes, showed up at city hall on Saturday afternoon to honour Bard with a Ghost Ride. The procession Carden Street and headed towards the spot on Victoria Road North where Bard was struck almost a month ago, and, once there, they would place a white-painted ghost bike to mark the location as a memorial for Bard.

“I am overwhelmed by the amount of people that are out here in support of my mom and in support of bicycle safety awareness,” said Corinna Matteliano, Bard’s daughter. “Mom would love/hate this. She would love the fact that everyone was getting together as a group, she loved community, and she loved the more the merrier spirit because that just meant more people, but she would hate that it was all about her.”

“I hope the last time that we’d have a ghost ride for a cyclist kill in a collision while doing what most of us do every day: just trying to get somewhere and make it home alive,” said Mike Darmon, one of the members of GCAT. “Susan rode her bike everywhere and I always admired her when we crossed the paths for being such a great, quiet champion for active transportation.”

“Susan’s passing is a stark reminder of the risks that many of us face every day when we choose to walk, cycle, or roll in our community. It is a reminder that our city is not always designed with our safety in mind, and that we must continue to push for change,” added Adrian Salvatore, chair of GCAT. “But today, we do not just mourn Susan’s passing, we also celebrate her life, her spirit and her unwavering commitment to making her community a better place. We celebrate her courage, her energy and her enthusiasm.”

Ward 6 Councillor Ken Yee Chew, Guelph MPP and Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner were also on hand to help local cyclists remember the life of Bard, and so was Jennifer Juste, Manager of Transportation Planning at the City of Guelph. She said that her and her team were looking at the logistics of protected bike lanes on Victoria just before Bard’s fatal accident.

“We’ve worked so hard to try to build a plan and a vision to make cycling safer in Guelph, and I was very intentional about putting Vision Zero into our Transportation Master Plan back in 2022. We’re making good strides, but sadly not fast enough and not soon enough to prevent this from happening,” Juste said.

“I’m really just here today to show solidarity for all of us that ride our bikes for transportation, for fun, with our kids, with our seniors, with whoever we choose to bike with,” she added. “It should not be a question of life and death, and we are working super hard to try to improve those conditions.”

Before the ride, Matteliano also announced that there will be a celebration of life for her mother on Saturday October 19 and members of the community will be invited to take part.