CINCINNATI- Pedestrian safety has become a huge priority across the state as cities look to decrease the number of deaths each year. Cincinnati is now proposing a new project to make improvements across several neighborhoods.
What You Need To Know
- On September 10th, 2018, Gabby Rodriguez, 15, was hit and killed while crossing the street to catch the bus to school
- The past four years have been difficult for the Rodriguez family as they grieve her death
- On Thursday, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval announced a proposed $1 million investment for improving pedestrian safety
- The Rodriguez Family is excited about the project and hopes it will help keep Gabby's legacy and spirit alive
Gabby Rodriguez meant the world to her family. Her mother Shawna says she was such a beautiful, caring soul.
“She had the heart of gold,” she said. “It didn’t matter if this person didn’t have the best shoes or the best attitude, she could make the unhappiest person happy. Her smile just lit up a room.”
And Gabby’s love for softball was huge. Her father, Eduardo, would practice with her and saw her talent.
“The beauty with her was she had an arm that was unbelievable,” he said. “And her throws weren’t looped. Her throws were a gunshot. I mean, it was straight. You could see other girls put an arch on the ball. Not her.”
Revisiting the spot on Harrison Avenue where Gabby died, just blocks away from home, is challenging for Shawna. In September 2018, two cars hit Gabby while walking across the street to catch the bus for school. Shawna says she’ll never forget that day.
“I still have nightmares about it,” she said. “There’s still a lot of what ifs, what if this, what if I had stayed home, and took them? It never goes away.”
On Thursday, Mayor Aftab Pureval announced the city is proposing a $1 million investment to improve pedestrian safety measures across the city. New artistic bump outs, speed deterrents, and speed cushions are just some installments they’ll make across the city. This was great news to Shawna and Eduardo who have been fighting for change.
“I’m just over the moon excited to hear about the speed cushions being put in that area of Harrison Avenue and I know it’s going to make a difference,” she said.
Every week, the Rodriguez family goes out to gabby’s burial site to pay her a visit. But this one was very special to them. They shared the news with her about the new project and hope that it will help keep gabby’s legacy and spirit alive.
“The horror that she went through is finally not in vain,” she said. “We are finally starting to see something happen.”
Pureval said the proposal will be brought to council to vote on. The improvements will be contingent on whether or not it passes.