Deadly Worcester Street Gets Safety Inspection By Community Leaders

WORCESTER, MA — For business owner Alex Lavalle, it's the drivers who pass school buses that have their stop signs deployed. For resident Michael Santos, it's the ambiguous number of lanes. For local pastor Steve Barrett, it's that there are no speed limit signs.

There are many problems with Stafford Street in southwest Worcester, and more than a dozen people gathered Wednesday evening to walk along the road and get an up close view of them.

The walk, organized in part by District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, came about a month after the death of Candice Asare-Yeboah, a 5-year-old girl who was hit in April by a driver while walking in a Stafford Street crosswalk with her mother. She spent more than a month in a local hospital before she died on May 23.

Candice's parents, Asha Nyarki Asare and Simon Yeboah, attended the walk. Asha Nyarki Asare still sues a wheelchair due to lingering injuries from the collision. She carried a framed photo of Candice in her lap.

After a moment of silence for Candice near where she was hit, Asha Nyarki Asare asked for something to be done about the street and the "negligence" of drivers like the one who took her daughter.

The driver, Christopher Remillard, 57, of Leicester, has been charged with vehicular homicide and a host of other moving violations, including a crosswalk violation.

Remillard was speeding when he hit Candice and Asha, prosecutors have said. The crosswalk where they were hit is one of the biggest problems in the area, locals said during the walk.

Cars and trucks zipped down the road well above the 35 mph speed limit. At one point in the walk, attendees had to squeeze down a sidewalk cut in half because cars were parked on it. Where Stafford hits Park Avenue and Main Street, attendees witnessed a woman pushing a stroller with her children struggle to mount a tall curb. Nancy Garr-Colzie, who uses a wheelchair, discovered that she had to navigate around a telephone pole to use a curb cut.

There may be help on the way for Stafford Street. Haxhiaj is in charge of the Worcester City Council's transportation subcommittee, and fellow subcommittee member At-Large Councilor Donna Colorio also participated in the walk. They were collecting feedback to help city planners with future plans.

State Sen. Anne Gobi and state Rep. David LeBoeuf both attended the walk. LeBoeuf has carved out $750,000 for Stafford Street upgrades in the House transportation bond bill, plus another $1 million for the Webster Square area. Bond bill items need to be allocated by the governor, which LeBoeuf said is very possible with Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey poised to win the governor's race in November.

Representatives from the city's new department of transportation also attended the walk. Former city manager Ed Augustus created the standalone department this year, and it will officially open on July 1. The department will also oversee the city's Complete Streets Policy, which helps Worcester compete for funding to make streets more friendly for non-drivers.

Haxhiaj said she had heard the word "petrified" a lot from local residents in reference to Stafford Street. Wednesday's walk was one way for residents and business owners to take back control and have their voices heard following Asare-Yeboah's death, she said.

"[We] all have to have the ability to walk our streets and feel safe," Haxhiaj said.