In Cambridge MA, 8-mile ride for change after cyclist killed

Dozens of cyclists stopped traffic near Memorial Drive Friday evening as they circled the Boston University Bridge rotary to bring attention to the lives lost in recent bike accidents and demand safer roads.

The rotary was part of a nearly 8-mile ride hosted by Critical Mass Boston, a group that organizes monthly social bike rides across the city. Around 100 riders of all ages, wearing colorful helmets and bright safety vests, set off around 6 pm from the Boston Public Library and ended their ride around 8 pm at the Boston Common.

On Monday, John Corcoran, 62, of Newton, died after he was struck by a car while riding on Memorial Drive in Cambridge near the Boston University boathouse, which is not far from the rotary. In June, two other riders died in Cambridge after their bikes collided with box trucks, one near Harvard Square and one near Kendall Square.

Takanori Underwood, 20, of Roxbury, an organizer for Critical Mass, led the ride and recalling seeing Corcoran’s family honoring him near the boathouse, where a white ghost bike was placed earlier in the day..

“I was crying for the length of Memorial Drive,” he said. “It was the most saddening thing I’ve seen.”

The circumstances of the crash that killed Corcoran remain Murky. State Police said in a statement earlier this week that a man in his 20s, who was not identified, “lost control of his vehicle and struck” Corcoran.

The incident was still under investigation last week, the Middlesex district attorney’s office said, and no charges had been filed.

Roadway safety advocates have long worked to call attention to the area where Memorial Drive approaches the Boston University Bridge, particularly for cyclists who are headed west and suddenly come face-to-face with cars driving quickly up a ramp.

Near the Boston University boathouse, a bike lane separated from busy Memorial Drive comes to an abrupt end and merges into a narrow sidewalk adjacent to the heavy traffic.

“There’s no reason why we should be forcing cyclists and pedestrians on that same section,” said Underwood.

Cyclists urged the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which manages Memorial Drive, to take action.

As they circled the rotary, a sign zip tied to a traffic signal read “DCR + CAMBRIDGE: PROTECT OUR CYCLISTS!!! 3 DEAD IN 4 MONTHS,” a stark reminder to the city and the drivers watching in their cars.

Alexa Jakob, 23, of Somerville, another organizer for Critical Mass, said the biking community is “really tight-knit” and it is always scary to learn of a community member’s death.

“A lot of us know each other,” she said. “There’s always the, like, 12 hours of anxiety when someone gets hit by a car and they don’t release the name, and you don’t know if it’s one of your friends.”

She said she hopes that the ride can provide some comfort for the community to heal.

“He should have been able to be safe,” she said.

At the Boston Common as darkness settled, cyclists rang their bells and shouted “rolling for safer streets” with their neon wheels and red lights blinking. Some carried children. Others carried their dogs in backpacks and some rode unicycles.

James Gerity, 35, of South Boston, said it was “gutting” to hear the tragic news of Corcoran’s death.

“It could have been a pedestrian,” he said. “That car could have killed somebody on foot as easily as somebody on a bike.”

He said the roads need “better separations” to avoid future tragedies.

“We were talking to some of the drivers waiting at the rotary just telling them this doesn’t have to happen,” he said.

Material from previous Globe stories was used in this report.

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Kiera McDonald can be reached at [email protected].