This happened about sixty years ago in Los Angeles, when I was a small child. Who Framed Roger Rabbit was based on the true story of what happened - except that the movie had a happy ending, while Judge Doom prevailed in my reality.

Despite building back some of the rail lines (at great expense, since they now have to buy back the property they gave away) the City still gears all its planning towards cars, not people. I've been asking for stop signs in our neighborhood for years. After a child was hit by a car on the corner next to me, I wrote (again) to the City Dept. of Transportation. I got a snarky reply from the City, making it clear that moving car traffic along was more important than pedestrian safety, and they claimed any stop sign would not be obeyed anyway.

Like you, we had a brief period during the pandemic when car traffic declined to the point that it was safe for children to walk in the street. But now, we've gone back to "normal" with cars roaring down the street, honking at any driver who dares to stop for a pedestrian.

Sorry for the rant, but you hit a nerve . . .