SAN DIEGO — A San Diego mother wants to know who destroyed a bike memorial dedicated to her husband who was killed by a wrong way driver back in 2021.
"I'm devastated. I can't believe somebody would set fire to a memorial," said Laura Kennan tearfully. "We worked so hard to make this spot something human and special. It finally was a place visit on tough days. My son waves "hi" when we pass by and says "that's where daddy is.'"
The couple's young son, Evan, was just a year old when his father died.
The memorial located near the 2100 block of Camino Del Rio South, in front of the First United Methodist Church, paid tribute to Keenan's husband, Matt Keenan. He was riding his bike there when he was hit and killed three years ago. It's also dedicated to all cyclists who've been killed.
Keenan found out about the burned memorial over the weekend after someone messaged her on Facebook. Tuesday was her first time seeing it in person.
Keenan filed a police report. She believes the incident happened Friday night. She's hoping anyone with information will come forward and has checked with the church and the nearby businesses to see if anyone has surveillance video.
Keenan said she's also looking at the bigger picture in all of this. She's the founder of Families for Safe Streets San Diego. She said she desperately wants the City of San Diego to commit to its 'Vision Zero' initiative, to make the streets safer. She said she doesn't want another family to suffer the way hers has.
Plans for a new memorial for her husband are in the works. If you would like to help out, a Gofundme page has been set up to help with expenses.
CBS 8 reached out to the City of San Diego for a response on the Vision Zero effort. Here is their response:
The City of San Diego remains committed to the Vision Zero effort to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries in San Diego. Since 2015, more than $250 million for systemic and specific safety improvements has been allocated. In Fiscal Year 2024 alone, The City allocated more than $51 million under the Vision Zero initiative for new and improved bicycle facilities, traffic calming measures, guard rails, sidewalks, streetlights, medians and road modifications. The City has taken significant steps toward creating new policies to prioritize projects and investments aimed at making our sidewalks and roadways better for persons of all ages and abilities. The City recently adopted a Complete Streets Council Policy, and has also released a draft Mobility Master Plan that includes a list of projects and programs that prioritize safe transportation options for all users. This plan is available for public review and comment on our website. There will be several informational public meetings taking place in February and March for those who are interested in learning more about the Mobility Master Plan and our commitment to improving safety and circulation.
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