Man charged after walking off with 'ghost bike' memorial on Claremont Access

A man who walked away with the ghost bike memorial for killed cyclistJay Keddy says he didn't know about the bike's significance.

Hamilton policesay they were called just after noon on Thursday about a man walking the white ghost bike down the Claremont Access.

Fifty-three-year-old Keddy was struck and killed riding his bicycle up the road in December of 2015 on his way to a prayer meeting

The stark, white-painted bicycle was marched by friends and cycling advocates up Claremont Access and installed on the side of the road where Keddy was killed, one of many similar memorial sites in Canada and around the world. The bike remained thereuntil a 50 year old male from Hamilton began walking down the roadwith the bike midday.

Police located the male, who was walking in a live lane of traffic, and located the bicycle approximately 50 feet away from its original spot.

The "ghost bike" was taken back to its original location, and the man told Hamilton police he did not know the significance of the bike.

Police said they explained thememoriam's importance to the manand issued a Provincial Offence Notice for Pedestrian Impede Traffic.

A wake up call for bike safety

Mountain resident Keddy was a junior and senior kindergarten teacher at Prince of Wales School, and was heavily involved with the West Highland Baptist Church community.

His death made waves in the community, bringing together pedestrians and cycliststo commemorate a death seen as one more casualty of a traffic system that favours automobiles.

The accident prompted Hamilton City Council to look into the Vision Zero Campaign, a multi-national road traffic safety campaign to bring the numbers of injuries and fatalities in road traffic to zero.