DENVER – While a family thousands of miles away from this northwest Denver intersection mourned the loss of their son, dozens of people from the Turkish and cycling communities on Saturday dedicated a white ghost bike in honor of Salih Koç, 21, an international student from Turkey who was struck and killed on July 21 while riding his bike at W. 38th Ave. and N. Tejon St.
'He was taken tragically too soon from us'
During the ceremony, a letter was read from Koç's family.
“Salih was in your country on a work and travel program to spend his summer vacation. He was there to support his family financially, improve his language skills and get to know your country."
Koç was riding his bike with friends around 9 p.m. when he was struck and killed by a driver who left the scene, according to Denver police, who later said 28-year-old Jonathan Jarabek was arrested in connection to the crash and was being held on leaving the scene of an accident involving death.
Koç had only been in Denver for around a month but had settled into the tight-knit Turkish community.
“Coming over here I know he had a lot of hopes, dreams and wanted to learn English and make life better for the community,” said a member of the Turkish community. “There are no words that can describe our sadness.”
Koç’s death comes as several hit-and-run crashes have been in the headlines and cycling advocates continue to highlight the need for improved infrastructure to better protect vulnerable road users.
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'We all share the streets together'
“I hope people do approach this corner and wonder, ‘why is there a white bike tied to this post’,” said David Chen, member of the Denver Bicycle Lobby (DBL). “Maybe slow down a little bit, maybe put their phone away. That's all this is – a reminder that we all share the streets together as a community and to watch out for each other, to use our transportation system responsibly.”
Over the last several months, biking advocates have sounded an alarm on the city’s overall approach to safer streets and embrace of Vision Zero, which aims to eliminate traffic deaths.
Back in May, Denver7’s On Two Wheels shared voices of concerned cyclists after flex posts were removed from several blocks of protected bike lanes along busy Blake and Market Streets in downtown Denver.
“They're that vertical delineation that really made it clear that this was a space for riders, and it wasn't a space that you were to encroach in as a driver,” said Rob Toftness, co-founder of the Denver Bicycle Lobby back in May. “It gives you that real sense of separation. If it's just a line of paint on the ground, all it takes is for someone to be staring at their phone and wander into the lane.”
Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) told Denver7 the posts were removed in part due to maintenance issues and flex posts remained at corners and other “key locations”.
There was another reason cited that didn’t sit well with the DBL and other cycling advocates.
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“They (DOTI) have told us that this was primarily an aesthetic concern, It had to do with making downtown more appealing. I think that we shouldn't be doing aesthetics over safety. That's kind of been a rallying cry of anyone on a bike or using the street for a long time,” said Toftness. “They (DOTI) also mentioned that they wanted to remove the posts because it would allow pedestrians to more easily see into businesses – it just doesn't make any sense.”
Toftness pointed out the flex posts stand at 36 inches tall. “It's a logical stretch to say that a 36-inch (tall) and two-inch diameter post is blocking the view into businesses, and to say that at the same time when we have parking at the curb all the way downtown with cars that are 5, 6 and 7-feet tall, and we haven't removed the vehicles, It doesn't hold up to scrutiny,” Toftness added.
- In the video player below, watch as Denver7's On Two Wheels hears from concerned cyclists over the changes to downtown Denver protected bike lanes.
DOTI said the posts were removed and replaced with Zicla travel lane dividers. Those dividers, which are several inches tall, were already in place along Blake and Market streets. They offer division between the bike and other lanes, but drivers can still roll over the dividers – something Denver7’s On Two Wheels captured on video, which you can see in the player above,
“It's frustrating that the city seems to take two steps forward and one step back, but we are heartened at how much public outcry we've seen in recent weeks and months for safe streets, for equitable transportation,” said Chen on Saturday. “Just at that last hearing with city council, there were so many important voices that we heard from calling on our leaders to do something, to tell them that this situation as it stands is unacceptable for a wide swath of Denverites.”
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Last week, June Churchill – a bike advocate who serves as the budget chair of DOTI’s advisory committee – talked to Denver7 about the bond proposal.
“It's $900 million of projects. Given the low cost of bike infrastructure, we should expect something, but there was nothing,” said Churchill. “If we want people to bike in Denver, you gotta make it so that they have a route from A to B to bike safely on. And currently, this bond doesn't present any of that.”
The Denver City Council advanced the Vibrant Denver bond package with the final vote set for Monday. If approved, voters would have the final say in November.
Denver7 political reporter Brandon Richard took biking advocate’s concerns over the bond package to Dr. Ben Sanders, the city’s chief equity officer, who as part of the bond’s executive committee, recommended a list of projects to Mayor Johnson.
"The thing that I'd say about the bond overall is that the city, the residents of the city of Denver, should be really proud of it,” said Sanders, who added hundreds of ideas were submitted.“We tried to build the most equitable bond that creates the best and most opportunities for folks who need it most,” said Sanders.
Here is an interactive map of the proposed Vibrant Denver bond projects and you can compare what's included this year against bond programs and infrastructure projects from previous years.
Denver7 reached out to DOTI last week to gauge how the city views its progress on building out Denver's bike network.
Nancy Kuhn, DOTI Communications Director said in an email Denver has on average built "27 miles of new bikeways a year between 2018 and 2023 as part of a multi-year push to accelerate out installation of the network."
Kuhn added that in 2024, the city completed 15 miles of bikeways "and began designing more for 2025, continuing our commitment to building out slow and safe streets that include bikeways as well as pedestrian safety improvements and treatments that slow down and divers vehicle traffic."
DOTI said the goal for 2025 is to "deliver 20 miles of slow and safe streets with bike lanes in 2025 and we are on track to meet that in addition to another 18 miles through 2026."
The number of families that live within a "high comfort bike facility" is a data point DOTI is working to increase, said Kuhn, who provided the chart below.
Denver Streets Partnership defines a "high comfort" bikeway as infrastructure that creates a physical barrier between a cyclist or "buffer of protection between them and passing traffic."
Last week, the Denver cycling community also gathered at the intersection of South Marion Street Parkway and Bayaud Avenue to remember Alexis Bounds, 37, who in 2019 was struck and killed by a dump truck driver in 2019.
Bounds, a mother of two, was riding in a designated, but unprotected bike lane when the driver of the truck turned east onto Bayaud, failed to yield the right of way and struck and killed her.
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At that vigil, Denver7 asked DOTI executive director Amy Ford about the community's concerns that the city is lacking dedicated bike infrastructure projects in the bond program.
She said the DOTI team is working to add more protected bike lanes.
"This is our end game. This is our end game when we talk about protected bike lanes," Ford told Denver7. "It's an end game with concrete infrastructure, bollards, a protected environment that allows people to go."
When pressed on if the number of miles of bike lanes built has decreased over the years, Ford said:
"Oh, it's not," she said. "No, I think you're seeing the 38 [miles] over the course of '25 to '26. Those projects cross over. And so, no, I think we're continuing to see those investments. You continue to see us invest in those slow and safe streets."
Of the miles expected to be added to the bike network, it's not yet clear how many will be protected vs unprotected and Denver7 is working to learn more.
The debate on infrastructure dollars and priorities is happening as Colorado’s vulnerable road user fatality rate continues to climb.
As of Sunday, CDOT’s dashboard recorded 60 pedestrian and 9 bicyclist deaths in Colorado so far this year. Denver7's On Two Wheels is tracking Colorado's traffic fatality trends in the infographics below.
To view in fullscreen mode, click this link.
Denverites passing through W. 38th Ave. and N. Tejon St. will now see yet another ghost bike chained to a pole as a real reminder of the human cost behind the statistics.
“I just hope this is the last ghost bike we install – my heart just goes out to Salih’s family,” said Chen, who added he is hopeful by the community’s turnout.
“There were a lot of neighbors that came out that had… experience at this intersection – that knew long before this crash that this was a dangerous intersection,” said Chen. “My hope lies in that, in that these people who might not be bike advocates are getting involved. Are making their voices heard. Are starting to learn, you know, what the process is like, who to contact, who their council person is, getting contact with the mayor's office and with DOTI.”
Denver7's On Two Wheels is dedicated to raising awareness to the dangers of biking in the Mile High City. If you have something we should check out, or someone in the cycling community that deserves a shout out, shoot me a message below or leave a voicemail on our hotline at: 303-832-0207.
- You can watch our first special report in the video player below as Denver cyclists share real world examples of navigating the roads.
