Remember. Support. Act: Join us in McKeesport on November 17th for a memorial and walk audit
Held annually on the third Sunday of November, the World Day of Remembrance is about remembering the fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways, supporting all people impacted, and acting in a way that helps to change and prevent future crashes from happening.
This year, World Day of Remembrance is on November 16th. On November 17th in McKeesport there will be a memorial and walk to remember victims of traffic violence in recent years, including Taylor Mehalcik who was struck and killed while biking in June, a wheelchair user who was critically injured while crossing Lysle Blvd in 2022, and McKeesport native Quanisha Lashay Ball who was struck and killed by a speeding driver in Atlanta, Georgia in 2022.
This global movement started as a way to bring awareness about the scope of these crashes and to help nations shed light on their impact locally, nationally, and globally.
Major world organizations including the World Health Organization, United Nations Road Safety Collaboration members, and UN Member States, adopted a resolution in 1995 to call for this annual day of remembrance. The WDoR website describes this day’s significance best: “It is a high-profile global event to remember the many millions who have been killed and seriously injured on the world’s roads and to acknowledge the suffering of all affected victims, families and communities – millions added each year to countless millions already suffering: a truly tremendous cumulative toll.”
Traffic Crashes Locally
Allegheny County is no stranger to traffic crashes. Our area is home to some of the most dangerous intersections and streets in the state, especially for people who bike and walk. According to PennDOT Crash Facts & Statistics, from 2020 to 2024, Allegheny County reported 258 pedestrian injuries and 74 pedestrian fatalities. We also know there were 7 bicyclist deaths due to roadway-related incidents across the County in that time.
In the City of Pittsburgh, pedestrians and cyclists suffer a disproportionate number of serious injuries and fatalities, with pedestrians and bicyclists accounting for about one-third of all traffic deaths. Over the same 5-year period within the City of Pittsburgh, traffic violence claimed the lives of 107 Pittsburghers, including 27 pedestrians and 5 bicyclists, with another 107 pedestrians seriously injured (see the data here). There are likely many more crashes that result in serious injuries because many go unreported.
The official data doesn’t include 2025. This year we are aware of these pedestrians and bicyclists who were killed by drivers on our streets:
- Jeremy Leval, pedestrian killed at Forbes & Pride in Uptown
- Andre Reynolds, pedestrian killed ar Vine & Fifth in Uptown
- Dana Fountain, pedestrian killed at Rhine & Buente in Spring Hill
- Yvonne May, pedestrian killed at 28th and Sidney in South Side
- Indipile Shea, pedestrian killed on McKnight Rd in Ross
- Taylor Mehalcik, bicyclist killed on Eden Park Blvd in McKeesport
- Bobby Paige, pedestrian killed at Forbes & Oakland Ave in Oakland
And we expect there are more who were not reported on.
No matter how many tools are out there and analysis done, it doesn’t bring back a life that is lost, nor the toll that each death has on a community. It is important that we use this World Day of Remembrance to call on us to pay attention to this public health crisis that roadways bring to a community.
What you can do in Pittsburgh to make our streets safer
Get involved locally. BikePGH helps local bike and pedestrian neighborhood groups work on making their streets safer for people who are biking and walking. These groups learn how to organize and advocate for their communities. Email advocacy@bikepgh.org to get connected with your local group, and sign up for our Outspoken Newsletter to get the latest advocacy opportunities in your inbox each month!
Learn about policies and laws that can improve roadways. Many traffic engineers, designers, advocates, and policy makers believe that well designed streets can encourage safer driving behavior. Unfortunately, there are a lot of policies out there that dictate what engineers, planners and local government agencies can legally design for a street. Learning more about advantageous policies that give flexibility and tools to the designers, engineers, planners, and government to fund projects can help give more control to those who want to improve and update outdated policies and design guidelines. Advocating and encouraging things like Complete Street Policies and Vision Zero Policies in your area is one place to get started.
Join the movement! Starting local and getting involved are two great places to get started. Reaching out to organizations like BikePGH and getting involved with our work is another way to get involved. We’ll be happy to put you in touch with other organizations who are doing similar work in the City and of the greater Pittsburgh area.
Call to Action: Memorial Walk on Monday, November 17th
Although the World Day of Remembrance is officially on Sunday, November 16th, we will be observing it on Monday, November 17th with a memorial and walk audit of Lysle Blvd in McKeesport during rush hour that morning. The event is being organized in collaboration with local safe streets advocacy organization QCares Foundation, which was started by McKeesport resident Courtney Thompkins after the death of her daughter Quanisha Lashay Ball who was struck by a speeding driver and killed in 2022 at 31 years old in Atlanta, Georgia.
We will gather at 8:30am to remember people who were killed while walking or biking in McKeesport and beyond. Then, we will go for a walk along Lysle Blvd to observe how the current design of the street creates an unsafe environment for people walking and biking to work, doctors appointments, the Senior Plaza, grocery stores, and the McKeesport Transportation Center. We will conclude with a brief discussion of what can be done to improve those conditions and ensure nobody is seriously injured or killed by traffic crashes.
Event Details:
Date: Monday, November 17, 2025
Time: 8:30am – 9:45am
Location: Eat’n Park Parking Lot (near Coursin St Bridge), 805 Lysle Blvd, McKeesport
RSVP: https://bit.ly/wdor-pgh or email advocacy@bikepgh.org to let us know you’ll be there and get more information.
This event will happen rain or shine, and the walk will be about .5 miles along Lysle Blvd from Coursin St to Sinclair St and back.
NEWSLETTER