Pedestrian safety top of mind on first day of school after student, mother killed in June

It was a heart-heavy start to the school year for some students in Westchester County.

Kids returned to classes in Mamaroneck after mourning the loss of one of their classmates and his mother.

6-year-old Michael Donovan Volpe and his mother Molly died last June after they were hit by a minibus while crossing the street on Mamaroneck Avenue.

Michael was just days away from graduating from Kindergarten.

As the new school year kicked off, changes near Mamaroneck Avenue Elementary School designed to improve pedestrian safety were put into place.

Additional crossing guards and expanded sidewalks painted in white were part of the safety initiative.

"Before that tragic incident there should have been a crossing guard at that corner so yeah there have been some nice changes and I'm glad that the town addressed them." Jennifer Mateus, a parent, said.

The speed limit in the school zone has always been 20 miles per hour, but on other stretches of the busy thoroughfare, the limit has been lowered to 25.

"It's great to see that there have been some changes around. I would like to see a 4-way stop at the intersection where the tragedy was," Tara Paonessa said.

The traffic lights have been adjusted so that traffic stops in all four directions when a pedestrian activates the crosswalk button. This will prevent any vehicles from turning into the intersection.

"There will be a countdown on the light to alert to pedestrians this is how long it will be all exclusive and that gives them a little more security as they cross the street. There will not be interaction of people and traffic," Charles Strome Mamaroneck Interim Village manager said.

There is an ongoing traffic study to determine the viability and cost of permanent changes such as reconfiguring intersections in the village.

The bus driver involved in the crash that killed the kindergartner and his mother outside of the school will not be charged.

The driver was issued three traffic summonses, two for failing to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and one for using his cell phone while driving, although he was not on his cell phone at the time of the crash and was not speeding.

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