After young mom killed in hit-and-run, Cobbs Creek community calls for change
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Nearly two weeks after a hit-and-run crash killed a young mother, neighbors in the Cobbs Creek section of Philadelphia are coming together to ask for change.
They want safety upgrades to prevent further tragedy on their streets.
Her grandfather called her his heart. That piece of his heart is gone forever because of the tragic hit-and-run crash that killed 25-year-old Avante Reynolds.
On Thursday, her community gathered near Cobbs Creek Parkway, the same area the young mother was struck by two cars back on August 21.
RELATED: Over 100 gather to remember Cobbs Creek hit-and-run victim: 'Her heart was big'
Residents along Cobbs Creek Parkway say they have been demanding significant safety changes for far too long.
They are fed up with the lack of traffic calming measures that reduce excessive speeding.
Philadelphia's Register of Wills, The Honorable Tracey Gordon, demanded the area be equipped with speed bumps, stop signs, crosswalks and cameras.
She cited a study done back in 2016 that deemed the 1.5 mile stretch of Parkway dangerous but said none of the solutions were implemented.
"I was a part of that study, and that was a central part of that city planning, because Cobbs Creek's families matter too," Gordon said.
READ MORE: Woman struck twice in deadly hit-and-run, search for driver in Cobbs Creek
"Avante Reynolds' death was not the first, but let's be clear: its' our mission to make sure it's the last," said Alicia Burbage of the Cobbs Creek Environmental Center.
Reynolds leaves behind a 2-month-old son.
Police are still looking for the first driver who struck her.
If you have any information that could help police you're asked to call investigators.
