ELYRIA, Ohio — The death of a young bicyclist in Elyria is inspiring action. This week, city leaders appointed members to a newly re-assembled Bicycle Advisory Committee.
Mayor Kevin Brubaker introduced a resolution to bring the group back after a years-long hiatus after the tragedy on Burns Road.
In October, 9-year-old Tide Bartlett was killed, and his 10-year-old friend was seriously injured when they were hit by an SUV while riding their bikes.
RELATED: 9-year-old killed, 10-year-old injured by car in Elyria
“It still affects me when I think about it and talk about it,” said Dan Hornbeek.
He’s lived on Burns Road for almost 40 years and said he and other neighbors have been keenly aware of the street’s hazards.
“It’s a 25-mile-per-hour speed limit. But you can see most people don’t go 25,” he said.
Tide had moved into the house next door to Hornbeek the summer before the crash. He said the 9-year-old was curious, precocious and quickly won over many neighbors.
Hornbeek was among the first neighbors to realize what happened when Tide was hit by a car.
“It was very sad. I just really felt terrible,” he said.
In the days following the tragedy, neighbors and Tide’s family spoke to News 5 about wanting safety improvements on Burns Road.
“It is a dangerous road, and they need to do something,” Tide’s mother, Sara Jobst, said in October.
Police have said there have not been many crashes or traffic complaints on Burns Road. However, city leaders have pledged to prioritize bicycle and pedestrian safety in Elyria.
In November, the mayor announced that the city would seek a state grant to improve Burns and nearby Abbe Road.
If awarded, the money would cover the estimated $1 million costs of adding sidewalks and bike paths to the area.
RELATED: Elyria pursuing safety improvements on road where 9-year-old bicyclist killed
The appointment of members to the Bicycle Advisory Committee this week was another step toward safety improvements in the city.
“When you have a death like that, it doesn’t just affect Tide and his family and even the neighbors. It was a community tragedy,” said Brubaker.
This is not the first time such a committee has existed in Elyria. Brubaker said a previous version was less effective than they hoped.
“From talking to them, I think the bulk of it was they weren’t taken seriously. No one listened to them,” he said of the committee members.
Hornbeek was appointed to the Bicycle Advisory Committee this week. An avid cyclist himself, he’s also served on previous committees. He believes this group will have the resources and support to be successful.
“We’ve got some good, experienced people,” he said. “Knowing a number of people on city council—they’re willing to listen to us on what we want to get accomplished.”
Committee members still require approval from the full city council next week. After that, the group will operate independently and offer recommendations to the city.
“[I hope] to see things accomplished that we recommend, to see more bike paths, to see more people biking, to see more safety features, more education for people - those types of things are what I’d like to see,” Hornbeek said.
He said it was frustrating that a tragedy happened before the committee was reestablished, but he hopes the group will be proactive in improving safety throughout the city.
The mayor agreed.
“Unfortunately we are reactive in this instead of being proactive, but now we’re getting on the proactive side,” Brubaker said.
