BUFFALO, N.Y. — Thursday morning, 15-year-old Luke Guetti passed away from the injuries he suffered after he was struck by a pickup truck while riding his bike Tuesday night.
The crash happened just after 8 P.M. at the intersection of Woodstock Ave and Yorkshire Rd. in the Town of Tonawanda.
Since the crash, a roadside memorial has grown at the corner of the intersection where the crash occurred.
When 2 On Your Side was at the scene Friday, several students were on hand consoling each other and leaving gifts of remembrance.
All the while, vehicles drove past the students gathered in the street. There are only two stop signs at the intersection where Luke was hit. Woodstock Ave, which runs north and south, doesn't have stop signs at the various intersections.
"It's devastating," said Justin Booth, executive director at GOBike Buffalo. "Unfortunately, we hear it too much."
Booth says that there is a disproportionate number of cycle-related fatalities in relation to the number of bicycle involved crashes.
"We know here in Erie County that 3% of all crashes represent bicycles pedestrians, but bicycle and pedestrians represent 25% of all fatalities and 45% of all injuries," Booth said. "So it happens more often than we think, and it's really unfortunate, because there's lots of simple solutions for us to address these traffic safety challenges."
GOBike works with municipalities with implementing more cycle-friendly road solutions. In 2023, the city of Buffalo consulted with GOBike to implement temporary changes to the intersection of Parkside Ave and Linden Ave in North Buffalo.
The temporary changes were met with mix-reaction by residents.
"Consistently in the work that go bike has done over the years, any time that we try to slow vehicles down and get them to go the speed limit, the reaction from some segments of the population is swift, and it's angry," Booth said. "No one likes to slow down, and unfortunately, that's something that we have to address as a community, as a society."
Booth says that painted bump outs, speed bumps, and enforcement are all affordable ways that local governments can work to make roadways safer for drivers and cyclists.
"We can demonstrate how these changes can happen," Booth said. "We can affect the design immediately and save people's lives tomorrow."
But Booth says that lawmakers need to be willing to use their influence to make what GOBike believes are necessary changes.
"We just need the political will to support some of these changes," Booth said. "It's really challenging when the mindset has been how quickly we can move cars from point A to point B for the last 80,90, 100 years."
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