Allerton rallies for speed hump

Allerton rallies for speed hump

More than two months after the northeast Bronx suffered a tragic loss, the community is continuing to fight for a simple measure they believe could have saved a little boy’s life.

Local residents are now planning a rally in the young boy’s memory in a fight for a speed hump and with hopes that more young lives are not taken too soon.

Ten-year-old Michael Needham, Jr. was crossing the street with his bike on June 5, when a car struck him near the Allerton Library. After 18 days in a coma, the P.S. 76 student passed away.

Immediately following his death, community activist Irene Estrada-Rukaj initiated a petition drive for the instillation of a speed hump at the site.

Friends and family came out in droves to show their support and quickly collected more than 700 signatures. With the Department of Transportation’s traffic survey underway, the boy’s family and friends remain vigilant that action must be taken to prevent such tragic occurrences in the future.

“The fact is, I lost a son because we didn’t have a speed hump there and I don’t want any other family to go through this,” Michael’s father Michael Needham, Sr. said. “I don’t want this for my worst enemy.”

Needham explained that the Allerton Library, 2740 Barnes Avenue, is a popular gathering place for the neighborhood children, especially in the summer. He said that if the area’s excessive traffic speeds aren’t quickly contained, the community has much to fear for its future.

“If we have kids dying in this fashion, it’s going to make a dent on younger generations,” he commented.

Estrada-Rukaj agreed the area’s vehicular conditions are out of control.

“They just speed with no reservations,” she said.

On Sunday, August 24, community members will gather between Arnow and Barnes avenues from 3-6 p.m. to rally for a speed hump installation. 

While Needham said the last two months have been the worst of his life, he’ll do what he can to make sure no one else suffers such a great loss.

“I miss my boy. I miss him real hard, and I won’t get over this until the day I die,” he said. “The only thing we can use to slow the motorists down is that speed hump. When the hump is installed, life will be spared.”