The road the Amico family has walked since the tragic 2006 death of their son, Jarrid, has been long, hard, and unforgiving. At the end, they’ve always hoped for stop signs on Midland Avenue at Palisade Road. They believe one could have prevented their own nightmare.
By Jim Byrne
The road the Amico family has walked since the tragic 2006 death of their son, Jarrid, has been long, hard, and unforgiving. At the end, they’ve always hoped for stop signs on Midland Avenue at Palisade Road. They believe one could have prevented their own nightmare.
Stop signs appeared on the horizon at the October 5 City Council meeting, and not as shiny, red mirages. Going against the recommendation presented by Brian Dempsey of TRC Solutions, the Council agreed to install a pair of temporary stop signs.
Maggie Amico, Jarrid’s mother, passionately detailed the events of that April day, and spoke of the 2010 accident when a fourth grader was hit at the same intersection. “I battled and defeated cancer, lost my hair, and had a hysterectomy, but nothing has been as difficult as getting a stop sign,” she said.
On October 19, City Manager Scott Pickup said that, due to the offset of the intersection and the crosswalks, an engineering firm was asked to design the temporary stop sign configurations. He expects the firm’s draft of the plan in-hand next week.
Mayor Doug French noted the City will follow two criteria for the pilot: “Not jeopardizing any federal stimulus money and doing it the right way.”
“I’ve always been of the belief that traffic needs to be stopped on Midland,” he added.
At the intersection, construction was completed last year using $85,000 in federal money. The crosswalks, bump outs, and pedestrian ramps have slowed traffic, Mr. Dempsey reported, with speeds reduced by as much as 11 mph. The Pedestrian Safety Committee chair said a smaller portion of the stimulus could be lost if stop signs are installed.
One week after the meeting, the Amicos expressed pleasure at the City moving forward, but were wary of the pilot being “set up to fail”. Ms. Amico said her family never asked for the traffic calming measures – just the stop signs.
Jim, Jarrid’s dad, took exception to the idea that new stop signs would confuse drivers. He feels they are the only traffic signs clear and precise in their instruction.
“My objective from Day One has been to keep children from getting killed,” he said. “They’ve made this all about me … well, frig me. The moral of the story is safety.”
Mr. Amico added, “I am grateful this might finally becoming to an end – closure is within reach. My family needs closure, Jarrid needs to rest in peace, and there are other streets that need attention as well.”