Dozens of bikers participate in the Ride of Silence, hoping for a change

This event was quiet but made a loud sound for a change.

The goal is to make the streets safer by taking a stand and riding five miles around the city.

Many who participated have endured the loss of someone close to them, including friends and family members.

Grace Allore is one of those; she lost her father, John Allore, Durham's Budget Director, who was killed while riding his bike in a hit-and-run crash two months ago.

"My dad bought me my first bike," Grace said. "I love biking. I hate that I'm scared of it now. I miss my dad."

Other bike riders around the city also share the pain she has.

"We have to prioritize lives and safety first and foremost," Grace said.

The city of Durham has recognized the requests and taking the intuition to fix the issues. Earlier this week, Durham's city manager proposed millions of dollars to improve pedestrian and biker safety.

Next year's budget could include:

$22.5 million for new sidewalks, bike routes and more.

$10 million for sidewalk repair

And a new position in city government dedicated to keeping bikers and pedestrians safe.

"For me, support continues to be the single most important factor in being able to continue on," Allison Simpson, bike rider, said.

Simpson lost her husband, Matt, last year.

She says she'll be watching closely as the city council decides whether to keep these budget changes.

"It's such an important investment. It affects every single citizen in our community," said Simpson.

Grace says even though she was scared and it was hard, she did ride her bike in the middle of that crowd today in honor of her father.

She also had family fly in from Montreal to support.