Holtmeyer said riders often use the park as a shortcut to avoid the four-lane freeway next to it, and added he believes the road shouldn’t be for driving, but for people and recreation.

“We should never have streets designed, especially in a park, where people can achieve speeds of 50, 60, 70 miles an hour … and kill people,” Holtmeyer said. “This is definitely a problem of this road being too wide and too straight. There’s nothing to slow anybody down.”

At least 41 people have been killed in car crashes in or near the popular park, according to data collected by Philly Bike Action. Suzanne Hagner, a member of Families for Safe Streets, said it’s heartbreaking when families lose a loved one, but Sunday’s event showed there is strength in community when working toward the same goal.

“We have younger people who ride bikes,” Hagner said. “They have children, and the children are out at 2 years old on balance bikes. They’re going to be kids who are riding big bikes soon. We have to make our streets safer.”

Calls to improve safety for pedestrians and bikers have been longstanding in Philadelphia. But there has been a renewed effort for safer streets following Fenton’s death and the death of CHOP doctor Barbara Friedes, after she was fatally struck by a speeding drunk driver in Center City last year.