SAN ANTONIO – Two weeks after a six-year-old boy riding his bicycle was hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver, the city of San Antonio is pushing to make our streets safer.
There’s some hope for his heartbroken neighbors, and families all over the city.
The street where he was killed, Autumn Sunrise, is often a shortcut for drivers on their way to Loop 1604 and Braun.
That was the wake-up call for the city to do something to make all neighborhood streets safer.
Neighbors say drivers get momentum at the start of the short street and by the time they get to where little Brandon was killed, they’re often going 40 or 50 miles an hour.
But soon, they’ll be forced to slow down.
Losing Brandon Abrams changed the neighborhood forever.
"It was disturbing,” neighbor Scott Priegel says.
And the people who grew up on the street say something else needs to change forever.
"We were never really allowed to go outside in the front because the cars do drive very fast,” neighbor Ann Hyltin says. "We've asked for speed bumps over and over again."
Now, the city is fast-tracking plans to install speed humps and all-way stop signs in Brandon’s neighborhood.
"As the father of a six year old, it was an unspeakable tragedy what occurred there,” District 7 Councilman Cris Medina says.
And that’s why he’s proposing major changes that would make it easier for all neighborhoods to get results.
"Residents in neighborhoods are going to have more local control on and have a more direct say on speed humps and traffic calming measures in the community,” Councilman Medina says.
In the past, the main hurdle has been money. The city estimates each speed hump costs about $26,000, paid by city council funds, and there’s only so much to go around.
So Brandon’s neighborhood is going the extra mile.
"We need signs to remind people to slow down,” Hyltin says.
She has one in her front yard. It’s a reminder of a life cut short.
“I think about a little boy riding his bike,” she says.
But a boy whose legacy might change drivers’ habits forever.
“People do live here and this is a nice shortcut for you, but this is our home,” Hyltin says.
Slowing down is a good message for every neighborhood, so Hyltin is selling those signs with all the proceeds going to Brandon’s family.
Click here to email Hyltin and purchase a sign.
