JACKSONVILLE, FL - People often ask for a sign. A sign from above, a sign for guidance or a sign to remember.
To begin this story you need to know Bill Weeks. He was a local HR manager, a founding member and writer of the Coming Out Monologues Jacksonville and was an avid cyclist. He was just 59-years-old when he died.
"He bicycled as much as he could, he loved to ride his bicycle and he was extremely careful. Which is why this accident took me completely by surprise," said his close friend Mary Atwood.
It was April 19, 2018, at the intersection of Beach and Carmichael Avenue in Jacksonville. Bill was bicycling to work when he was struck by an SUV and killed. A man on verge of retiring, known for his compassion and humor was gone. His family was in shock.
"I just couldn’t imagine the world that he wasn’t in. I just couldn’t imagine he would be gone," tells his half-sister, Donna Aro.
Donna and Mary wanted to see the spot where Bill died carry his name, so Mary requested a memorial marker. The Florida Department of Transportation began the memorial marker program around two decades ago, so families wouldn’t endanger themselves or other drivers creating their own memorials on the sides of the road.
Bill’s marker, just like every roadway sign in the entire state, is made at the FDOT office in Lake City. But there is an extra layer of care that goes into the markers. The men and women who make it often never know the story behind the name they print, but they do know this is meant to honor a person’s life. So they take great care in making sure it is done correctly.
But just as Bill’s marker is done, a stack of blank signs sit waiting for the next round of names. Sadly, those names will continue to come in.
"We have a lot of wrecks across the state of Florida, and so many could be avoided because people are speeding or distracted or inebriated. There are a lot of crashes that could be avoided by driving safer and being cautious and mindful of where they are and what they are doing," tells Troy Roberts with FDOT.
That’s another lesson FDOT hopes the memorial markers will get across. Each name is underneath the boldly printed words: Drive Safely. These signs are not just memorials to grieve, but also a message to drivers going by that actions have consequences and hopefully more drivers will be vigilant.
"I hope those signs are effective, I hope they make people think about what can happen if you say 'oh I am late for work so I am going to run this red light'. No, there were no cars coming, but unfortunately, there was a bicyclist there," says Mary Atwood.
So the next time you’re driving, notice the memorial markers. Each is a life lost, but like the roads -- people’s lives are connected and intertwined. The pain of a person killed so suddenly is often far-reaching in a community.
"In a way, it is a death for all of us. A part of us is gone, and I think people need to consider that when they think 'Do I run this light? Do I speed'?" says Atwood, "Do I do whatever I want to do, instead of what I should do."
A simple thing that might have saved Bill or others and kept their names off these signs.
If you would like to request a memorial marker, click here.