Ghost bike to honour cyclist fatally struck at busy Montreal intersection

Montreal -

Friends, concerned residents, and family members of a cyclist struck and killed last week at a busy Montreal intersection gathered Sunday to honour his life and to call for action on bike safety. 

Montreal bike safetey advocacy group Vélo fantôme installed its 15th memorial "ghost bike" -- a white bicycle -- to serve as a cenotaphe for Andrea Rovere, who died following an accident at Park Street and Mount Royal Avenue. 

On Sept. 27, at around 3:30 p.m., police received several 911 calls to report a truck driver allegedly hit the cyclist and fled the scene. 

A suspect was arrested a short time after in the Outremont borough.

Like the other 14 ghost bikes (one was removed in May) after the city installed a bike path where the accident occurred) Rovere's bike will be installed at the location of the crash. 

A DEAR FRIEND

Rovere's death was followed by an outpouring of condolences from his friends and community. 

"He was the kindest and most generous guy any of us knew," wrote Aurélie Petit, Rovere's friend, on a call for public donations to pay for his funeral services. 

Originally from Italy, friends of Rovere organized the fundraiser to transport his body back to his home country. 

"His family had not seen him for some years," wrote Petit. "And they deserve to see him again."

On the day of his ghost bike ceremony, the fundraiser had accumilated more than double the original ask of $20,000. 

Organizers say any extra money will be spent on Rovere's funeral or donated to his family. 

Rovere was also a multi-instrumentalist, and a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS).

“We are deeply shaken. His death is an invaluable loss for the INRS community and for my group, because we had forged strong ties, both personally and professionally. A fruitful future awaited him," wrote INRS professor Luca Razzari, who supervisied Rovere in his studies, in a public statement.

“Andrea was a very open-minded and cheerful person, always ready to help others," added Giacomo Balistreri, another postdoctoral fellow at INRS

"His disappearance leaves a great void."