Ride for Liam rally to call for more action one year after the death of a teenage cyclist

Ride for Liam rally to call for more action one year after the death of a teenage cyclist

A year after the death of 13-year-old Liam Stewart, a group of community activists are gathering to march by bicycle and demand more city action for safer streets in Littleton.

At 9 a.m. on Oct. 17, a year after Liam Stewart was struck and killed by a motorist while riding his bike to school, community members gather outside Euclid Middle School for the “Ride for Liam” event. Local groups Vibrant Littleton and Littleton Social Cycle are organizing the rally.

The group will start about a block from where Liam was killed on the same day last year. Participants then march and bike a mile to the Bemis Public Library, where a stone bench with a dedication to Liam will be unveiled.

“We want to remember and honor Liam,” said Josh Stewart, Liam’s father. “To achieve this, we want to remind our community that the road is for everyone.”

a selfie of a man and a boy in Boy Scout uniforms
Josh Stewart with his son Liam Stewart. / Photo courtesy of Josh Stewart.

Josh, Mayor Kyle Schlachter and friends of Liam will speak at the event to honor Liam and highlight the need for further change.

In the past year since Stewart’s death, activists and families have called for protected bike lanes, traffic calming measures, slower speed limits and other street design changes to make roads safer for all users.

Since then, the city has launched the Safer Streets Littleton campaign, which includes studies and street improvements to move the city toward that goal. Some activists acknowledge that some measures have been taken, but say there needs to be further and faster change in the city.

“In the year since Liam’s murder, some small steps have been taken,” Josie Haggerty, co-founder of Littleton Social Cycle, said in a press release. “But our urban streets remain largely as they were in 2023. We are still waiting for significant changes.”

Schlachter said the event was important to him not only as mayor, but “perhaps even more important as the father of one of Liam’s classmates at Euclid.”

“It is important that our entire community honors Liam’s life and continues our work to ensure that no other families have to endure the pain of losing a child while biking or walking to school,” he said.

He said the city has done a lot to advance this effort and there is much more it can do.

“I know the city council stands firmly with the community and will continue to work with city administration and staff to ensure we can achieve our goals as quickly (as possible),” he said.

More: Information about the event can be found at https://vibrantlittleton.org/ride-for-liam/. The entire community is invited.