LITTLETON, Colo. – Next week will mark one year since Liam Stewart, a Littleton 7th grader was struck by a driver and killed while riding his bike to Euclid Middle School.
Since that tragic day, advocates have called for better road design and improvements for people who walk and ride bicycles in the city.
It’s a call for change at the center of a rally to honor the life of Liam next Thursday, October 17 – the one year mark since he was killed at a roundabout at S. Elati St. and S. Arapahoe Dr.“
This Thursday, October 17 – a year to the hour after Liam Stewart was killed – we are gathering the community, students who knew him, teachers, friends and relatives of the family,” said Patrick Santana, chair of Vibrant Littleton, a group that advocates for places to live that are safe to walk and ride.
“Anyone that's in the neighborhood, activists around bike and pedestrian safety – it's open to everyone,” he added.
They are determined to not only remember what happened to Liam but to fight to protect other families from this kind of unimaginable pain and loss felt by Liam’s dad, Josh Stewart.
“Josh is my hero in a lot of ways,” added Santana. “To go from a tragedy like losing your 13-year-old son, days after his birthday in an awful collision like this. To find the will and strength to try and improve the future for other people’s kids is tremendous.”
Josh Stewart and supporters have made their voices heard in front of Littleton’s City Council, but progress has been slow to come.
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“Liam, making his way to school, pedaling a bike he was still growing into – a bike that he bought with his own allowance,” said Josh, addressing the city council in December 2023.
“There wasn’t anything changed there for a year. Recently, within the week, the city has thrown up some barriers around the bike lane. It’s still not a great intersection design. It’s not anything like what the community, I think, hoped for,” said Santana.
Advocates are urging improved infrastructure to include speed reductions and a protected bike lane between schools in that corridor. “It was a minimal kind of intervention and we applaud any movement,” he said.
So organizers of Ride for Liam will continue to push forward next Thursday in front of Euclid Middle School, inviting riders, walkers and anyone in the community – whether they knew Liam or not – to hear from Liam’s father, Littleton mayor Kyle Schlachter and the teen’s friends.
“To accelerate the small steps they've started in making the road safer here,” said Santana.
Thursday’s rally will start at 9 a.m. at Euclid Middle School followed by a walk and ride to Bemis Library where a bench will be dedicated in Liam’s memory.
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It's a movement to celebrate a bright life cut short, support his family and to make sure elected officials and road design planners hear their calls for changes to infrastructure that better protects pedestrians and cyclists.
“Our view is that when roads are safe for kids, they're safe for everybody,” he said.
For those attending the rally and ride, another way to honor Liam’s memory is to wear something in red, his favorite color.
Here is the event schedule for Ride for Liam, provided by Vibrant Littleton and Littleton Social Cycle:
The event begins in front of Euclid Middle School with a rally and some words from Liam’s family and friends. Then the “Ride For Liam” gathering will proceed on foot and bikes to Bemis Public Library. At the library, we’ll dedicate a new stone bench installed in honor of Liam’s memory on the library’s front lawn.
9:00 A.M. — Meet at the West Parking Lot at Euclid Middle School (we encourage everyone to walk or ride to Euclid M.S. since the school is having conferences that day and parking will be limited).
9:15 A.M — Brief comments by the Stewart Family and close friends
9:30 A.M. — Walk and ride bikes together to Bemis Library (any media should stay a safe distance away to avoid causing traffic issues)
10:30 A.M. — Bench dedication by the City of Littleton and the Stewart Family
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