Officials and activists are looking for answers about the death of John Corcoran, 62, the Newton bicyclist who died Monday on Memorial Drive in Cambridge.
State Rep. Mike Connolly is demanding answers from Massachusetts State Police about why charges were not being pursued against the driver of the black Mercedes SUV that hit Corcoran, who was not in the roadway; the driver jumped the curb, leading to a head-on crash. Connolly reached out to “ask why there’s been no arrest or if there’s a citation,” he said Wednesday.
The driver lost control of his vehicle, state police said. There have been no further details explaining what that means.
“No one should die on our streets – especially when they are on a sidewalk. We need more infrastructure improvements in the short, medium and long term, along with stronger traffic enforcement,” Connolly said on social media.
Ken Carlson, a founder of the BU Bridge Safety Alliance and a volunteer with Cambridge Bike Safety, criticized the Department of Conservation and Recreation for a lack of response to the danger presented by the state-owned Memorial Drive.
“One of the problems is DCR itself. It’s not just speed, it’s DCR that’s complicit,” Carlson said.
Connolly posted a letter from last year raising concerns about the BU Bridge and Memorial Drive intersection. In the letter addressed to the commissioner of the agency, Brian Arrigo, Connolly and co-signers describe the site of the collision, saying it is “narrow, has broken pavement, numerous obstacles or debris and often floods.”
Those complaints were echoed by Carlson on Wednesday, saying nothing has changed, and that “the sidewalk is in pretty bad shape, and narrow.”
Cambridge Bike Safety met with city officials last week to make recommendations on safety measures at intersections they consider dangerous – including two where cyclists have been hit and killed this year. “We have to do better. We have to be proactive. We can’t wait for people to die in order to fix situations,” Carlson said.
Memorial Drive and city streets can be safer for Cambridge residents, Carlson said, but the key is to “build our cities for the people who live in them” and prioritizing the safety of local pedestrians and cyclists over convenience for drivers. (His advice for drivers? “Drive like your 62-year-old parent is walking or biking on the street.”)
The city has agreed to create more concrete islands surrounding sidewalks that might prevent a driver from turning into the bike lane – a potential life-saver in the previous two fatal collisions, Carlson said.
Because Memorial Drive is controlled by the DCR, state police have jurisdiction on investigating Corcoran’s death. It also means neither of the two recent collisions on Memorial Drive involving cyclists – one Sept. 5 resulted in minor injuries to the rider – appeared in the Cambridge Police Department’s daily log, which can delay notice. On Tuesday, state police also initially misidentified the deceased as “John Cochran.”
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Maybe the guy had a medical emergency. Bikers drive fast and crazy! Thru Red Stop Lights endangering pedestrians! Then the yell at you. They try to outrun cars! Plus scooters, electric bikes,skateboards etc. City dosent care about pedestrians! Bikers need to drive without phones, ear buds, talking on phone. They try to outrun cars going across a street. (Inman st. To Pleasent will have a bad accident) because bikes try to cross when cars are half way thru!!! It’s become awful! I dont ride my bike because of bikes!!!
The driver killed someone on a bike path/side walk. Stop the absolutely disgusting victim blaming. It is utterly shameless.