A ghost bike has been erected in memory of a cyclist who was killed in east London.
Matheus Piovesan, 36, was killed in the early hours of July 6 in an alleged hit-and-run incident near the junction of Cable Street and Cannon Street Road in Shadwell.
He was a journalist and music producer from Brazil who had been in London since 2019. He is the second person to be killed while cycling in London this year.
He was described by one of his flatmates as a “person full of life”. She said: “He would always make the vibes, lift the mood in the room up. He was always laughing, making jokes. He always had a nice thing to say. He was a lovely person to be around and would always check up on you.
“He would go everywhere on his bike. He loved cycling. Sometimes he even cycled through the Rotherhithe tunnel. He cycled every day. He was concerned about safety. He would never leave without his helmet. He was wearing his helmet when he was killed.
“It’s devastating. A couple of weeks before the crash, we were making plans for the future and talking about how we would like to buy a house in London and how living in London was living the dream for him and me as well.”
Friends of Mr Piovesan and cycling activists from Critical Mass London unveiled the ghost bike – an old bike spray-painted white – on Friday evening near the location he was hit. Video of the event was posted on Critical Mass London’s Instagram feed.
An estimated 800 people were present at the event, which was part-protest and part celebration of his life. An earlier celebration had been held by his friends in Victoria Park on July 7, the day following his death.
Brazilian friends of Mr Piovesan had contacted Critical Mass riders via social media, and asked for support to mark the passing of their friend. He was from Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and had been living in London for more than five years.
He was a journalist and music producer, with a regular show on Brixton Radio, and also a keen leisure cyclist. He lived with friends in Limehouse and was returning home from central London after working a shift in a brewery at the time of the crash.
His family is due to repatriate his body to Brazil this week. An inquest has been opened and adjourned.
The Critical Mass ride headed to Shadwell, where friends and family of Mr Piovesan had gathered. The crowd paused in Cannon Street Road, and occupied the length of the narrow street.
Car traffic on this section of the street is usually fast moving, coming off the nearby A1203, but there are no calming measures on the road as it approaches the residential area and the first-generation CS3 "cycle superhighway" on Cable Street.
Tomorrow, last Friday of the month, is a #CriticalMass ride which intends to visit the site where cyclist Matheus Piovesan was hit by a driver and killed in Tower Hamlets, earlier this month.
— Hackney LCC (@hackney_cycling) July 25, 2024
This is not an LCC ride.
Cyclists who want to join, head to BFI Southbank, 26/7, 7pm. pic.twitter.com/X27kGpj12l
A bike donated by community bicycle shop Babyldn Bikes was locked to the fence adjacent to where Mr Piovesan had been killed. Cargo bike riders carrying mobile sound systems played his favourite music, as his friends spray painted the bike white and adorned it with colourful glitter. As the "ghost bike" was being spray-painted, nearby residents watching out of their windows applauded.
According to one of those present, Mr Piovesan's ex partner addressed the crowd, thanking them for their support, saying that the carnival atmosphere and energy was something Mr Piovesan would have loved.
Many of the friends and family were crying, as smoke flares were lit as a sign of cyclists in distress. They then applauded as the ride moved on after a stop of 20 minutes.
Mr Piovesan had been returning from work at the time of the collision. The Met Police said that a car had failed to stop at the scene. Despite the efforts of emergency services, Mr Piovesan died at the scene.
Two women were later arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision.
The Standard understands that the women have been de-arrested and are no longer under suspicion, but that officers are looking for the driver of another car. The investigation is understood to be ongoing.
The first ghost bike was unveiled in London in memory of Eilidh Cairns, who was killed by a HGV in Notting Hill Gate in 2009.
Separately, a car driver who has been charged in relation to the alleged hit-and-run death of cyclist Harry Webb has been adjourned until October 28.
The case against Tiffany Treanor-Johnson has been delayed by an 18-month backlog in Metropolitan police forensic investigations, Thames magistrates’ court was told on Thursday.
The first cyclist to be killed in London in 2024 was a PhD student at the London School of Economics.
Cheistha Kocchar, who was originally from India, died in collision with a bin lorry in Clerkenwell Road in March. She had been riding a Forest e-bike at the time. Her husband is believed to have been cycling just a few yards ahead of her at the time of the incident.
