Tragedy to turned to hope as the parents of a youngster killed riding his bike opened up a new cycle path.
Four years after the death of 12-year-old Steve Millington on Pack Lane, Oakley, a path connecting the village to Basingstoke was declared open.
Dozens of former classmates and supporters joined borough and county council top brass to mark the occasion on December 1.
Steve’s mum Anne, from Brookvale, said she was very proud of what had been achieved.
“Nobody needs to go through what we have been through,” she said. “But something positive has come through his death. It is now a safer area for everybody to enjoy.”
On January 2, 2007, Steve left his home in Alexandra Road to visit Oakley skate park. He was hit by a Vauxhall Corsa shortly after 3pm while cycling along Pack Lane.
He died of head injuries in Southampton General Hospital two days later.
His death sparked calls for action from concerned mums Wendy Stretch and Lorna Goodall, who tasked themselves with creating a safe link between the village and the town.
The new £100,000 track starts at St John’s Road, just after the railway bridge. The 1.4-mile route follows the railway, and then follows parallel to Pack Lane and ending at Kempshott.
Lorna said: “We are over the moon that it’s done. It has been a long time coming but we are pleased that we got here eventually.”
The route has been designed for cyclists, walkers and wheelchair users. At the launch, Steve’s dad, Paul, thanked the community for their support.
Steve’s lifelong pals Jake Bennett, 17, Aaron Burn, 16, and Matt Phartlow, 16, all turned up on their bikes wearing green T-shirts picturing their friend.
They were all pupils at Cranbourne Business and Enterprise College when Steve was killed, and said the route was a fitting tribute to their friend.
“He was so generous, and he was a great person, he was always happy. The last we saw of him was at his birthday party a few days before,” said Aaron.
“It is good something positive has come out of it. If something was done before it had happened it would of kept him alive - sadly it needed something big to get people to realise.”
