Ghost Streets

Traffic violence is an all too common experience in New York, but after a crash is cleaned up, what’s left? The violence is hidden, the infrastructure resumes its seemingly neutral existence, the streets continue to be dominated by cars, and the cycle repeats itself. Ghost bikes—bikes that have been painted white and placed near the site where a cyclist was killed—stand in opposition to this cycle.

Ghost Streets starts on a beautiful spring day in Queens, and you have the option to enjoy the city as a driver, cyclist, or pedestrian. And all of these storylines are happening simultaneously, so as the driver you encounter the cyclist and the pedestrian, and as a cyclist or pedestrian you encounter the driver.

From all modes of transport, you also encounter different sites of memory related to traffic violence, including ghost bikes. Will you stay and bear witness, or will you ignore them and continue on your trip?

The locations of traffic violence are all based on real locations in Queens I have visited, though I have taken liberties with how they are located in relation to one another in the game world.

Read more about how I built Ghost Streets.