A terrible tragedy at a St. Vital crosswalk occurred in February of this year. 8-year-old Surafiel Musse Tesfamariam crossed the road to get into school and was hit to death by a passing car.
Since then, his parents have been concerned about the safety of all the children of the city. Despite the death of their son, they try to remain optimistic. The couple brings up three more children and worries about the safety of their lives, as well as the lives of all Winnipeg schoolchildren.
Musse Meles and Adiam Weldeyohannes moved to Canada from East Africa, Eritrea. They are heavily worried about the loss of their son and intend to fight for lowering the speed limit in the districts where the schools are located.
Meles and Weldeyohannes forgave the driver and do not blame him for the death of their son, because he simply did not have time to stop. Instead of experiencing the negative emotions they want to achieve improved safety for children. Also, the child's parents expressed their sincere gratitude to the Winnipeg public for their support in a difficult situation.
The Winnipeg authorities have already reacted to this incident. In the city, trees are being cut and low traffic lights are being added so that children always notice the red light. The time of work of the crossing guards will also increase.
With the introduction of the speed limit of 30 km/h, the situation is more complicated, because the rule on speed limits in school zones does not apply to regional roads. City councillor Brian Mayes said that changing the speed limit in such places requires discussion with the provincial authorities and school representatives.
We would like to remind you that this spring the city rejected a proposal to reduce the speed limit to 50 km/h. So, whether it will be possible to implement the initiative to reduce the speed near schools is still a big question.