Death of bicyclist, 24, angers bike community waiting for improvements promised by state
A bicyclist died Friday after being hit by a dump truck at Museum Way and Monsignor O’Brien Highway, near the Museum of Science. (Image: Google)
A ripple of rage went through the bike community Friday when it was learned a 24-year-old cyclist and Cambridge resident was struck and killed by a dump truck at Museum Way and Monsignor O’Brien Highway, near the Museum of Science.
The truck was reportedly trying to make a turn onto Museum Way shortly before 8:15 a.m., with the cyclist on the right waiting to make the same turn. “When both the truck and bicyclist began to make their right turn, the bicyclist was struck by a tire of the truck,” according to state police.
The bicyclist was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from injuries from the incident, police said. The crash is under investigation and police are withholding the name of the victim until next of kin is notified. Boston University student media identified the victim as Meng Jin, of Shanghai, who expected a graduate degree in economics next year.
The name of the truck driver, a 50-year-old man from Leicester, will not be released until the investigation determines if charges will be filed.
Last month dump truck driver Daniel Desroche, 54, of Methuen, was charged with negligent operation in connection with the crash that killed Cambridge’s Jie Zhao, 27, who was walking at Magazine Street and Putnam Avenue in the Cambridgeport neighborhood.
“This has to stop,” city councillor Quinton Zondervan said. “It is inexcusable that we continue to allow these dangerous trucks to operate on our city streets without requiring them to have guardrails, sensors, automatic braking, collision avoidance, backup cameras and all other technical and other safeguards to maximally reduce the chances of them running us over.”
Heather Allen, a Cambridge mother of four children who ride, pointed to the dicey nature of the stretch of road, where cars exceed the speed limit regularly and bicyclists are intimidated from taking the full lane, despite being allowed by traffic signs. “It is unconscionable that the Charles River Dam road still lacks bicycle lanes,” Allen said.
Bike advocate Jon Ramos of Somerville and Steve Bercu of Cambridge, who serves on the board of the Boston Cyclists Union, were more critical of state Department of Transportation oversight of the roadway, where safety improvements were promised for after the Longfellow Bridge was completed in the spring. “Where are the changes?” Ramos said, “How many deaths is it going to take to fix all of your known problem roadways?” Many in the cycling community shared that upset with the agency’s delay – one using the phrase “blood on their hands.”
The agency, through its communications department, said, “We express our sincere condolences to the family of the victim and will continue to work with key stakeholders to ensure ongoing pedestrian, cyclist and vehicular safety throughout this area and around the commonwealth.”
The agency’s plan for safety improvements – still on the books – is mostly for line striping; the Cambridge Bicycle Safety Group, citing an increasing number of fatalities since 2015, prefers protected bike lanes. Ramos said the solution that would have avoided the day’s tragedy was protected intersections.
Several years ago, DCR came to the East Cambridge Planning Team to discuss their “redesign” of the roadway on the old Charles River dam. They absolutely refused to even think about bike lanes, saying that the road is too narrow. There’s plenty of room on the Museum side, but the land is under lease to MOS until some time in the 2030’s as I recall. There needs to be a serious sit down between Cambridge, Boston, MassDOT and MOS to find a good solution. Old problem. New urgency.
P.S. According to the CPD officer first on scene (a neighbor) the event occurred as the truck and bike were making a right turn from Museum Way westbound to Rt. 28 northbound.
Correction:
MOS lease expires Dec. 1, 2046.
This is a sad situation, especially the way these bike advocates always use them to further their agenda. Not all streets can accomodate any type of bike lane, and adding them would actually make the road less safe. Bicyclists need to follow the rules and look out for themselves, the same way motorcyclists have for years. Ride as though you can’t be seen, because often you can’t. The bikes I encounter in the area are riding without helmets, speeding through intersections and red lights, refusing to stop or even slow down for pedestrians. It is out of control. Yet a Cambridge Councillor thinks it’s the fault of all dump trucks? This is the problem, start looking at the bicyclists who ride against the rules of the road and expect to be safe.
Marin, a few quick notes:
– the councilor is asking to leverage available technology and pledges trucking companies have adopted, it’s low cost and low effort
– you do not legally have to ride with a helmet.
– Not all the rules of the road apply to cyclists and while the behavior you are citing is not wise or civil, it’s more the exception and not enforces the way similar matter are on cars because of lack of ability to create lethal outcomes.
This accident has me so bummed : (
It happened one block from my office, and on a very problematic stretch of road. It’s one of the only roads that I bike on the sidewalk because it feels that dangerous.
I drive and cycle around Cambridge on daily. Marin, there are some bad behavior among cyclists, but a principle of proportionality is sensible. Truck > car > bike > pedestrian as far as potential negative impact to others. I personally hope this event will spur further action to make Cambridge friendlier to cyclists. This is speaking as a regular driver in Cambridge.