Ghost bike memorial unveiled for cyclist killed in Longueuil this summer

Friends and family of René Tremblay, 52, gathered at a memorial on Saturday afternoon, in the place where he was struck and killed by a vehicle three months ago.

On the evening of July 23, Tremblay was cycling across a designated crossing on Jacques-Cartier Boulevard in Longueuil when he was fatally hit by a car.

A white ghost bike has been installed in his honour next to the site, nearby a cross set up by Tremblay's family.

This is the first ghost bike installed on Montreal's South Shore, according to organizers. They say there have been 11 such memorials installed in the Montreal area since 2013.

Tremblay's brother, Fabien, told CBC that visibility at the bike path crosswalk is very low at night and he want something to be done about it.

He's hoping the City of Longueuil will install some additional lighting there to prevent another accident like this from happening in the future.

"It's always dark over here," he said. "The lights, they don't go on at night."

If the crosswalk is made safer, he said, his brother's death "won't be in vain."

"I come here everyday to pray beside the cross I made over here for my brother."

During the memorial, people in attendance released white balloons into the air following a moment of silence.

Maxime Juneau-Hotte, a spokesperson for the ghost bike group, said that cyclists aren't necessarily safe on the roads, even when they are using designated bike paths maintained by the city.

The group is also pushing for Longueuil to increase safety on the bike path network, in order to prevent similar incidents.