Dozens of bikers gathered under the giant deer statue in Cambridge’s Inman Square on Thursday to ride to Boston City Hall Plaza for a vigil honoring Louisa Gag. The Boston transportation planner and adviser in Somerville died while biking in Mission Hill on July 9.
Before setting out from Inman, an organizer with Boston Café Bikers reminded the group to ride safely and watch out for pedestrians. The convoy rode down Hampshire Street to Kendall Square and passed through the Portland Street intersection where MIT graduate student Minh-Thi Nguyen was killed while biking June 21, 2024. Like Gag, Nguyen was killed by being struck by a truck.
The group continued over the Longfellow Bridge and took Cambridge Street to reach Boston City Hall. Dozens soon became hundreds as they converged with other bikers, transit advocates, families and locals. Many wore yellow and brought yellow flowers in support of Vision Zero, an initiative to eliminate all transportation crashes through safer street design.
The vigil began at 6 p.m. with remarks from colleagues of Gag, who shared stories of her passion and dedication to her work and her friends. Stacy Thompson, former executive director of the LivableStreets Alliance, led the event.
“For so many years, when we lost someone in our streets, Louisa was the one who would compassionately draft the social media post,” Thompson said. “She bought the flowers. She collected the names to make sure that no one would be reduced to a statistic.”
The event began with stories from guest speakers, who shared memories about Gag’s advocacy work and what she was like as a person. Many fought tears.
“Louisa worked tirelessly because she knew that we all deserve safe streets,” said Sarah Davis, a former transportation department employee who now works in Cleveland. “Louisa deserved safe streets too.”
Gag previously worked on street safety issues at the Livable Streets Alliance and South Boston Neighborhood Development Corp. During her time in Boston’s Transportation Department, Gag helped expand the Bluebikes program and build 80 stations.
“Standing on a balcony at the Wang Theater, you ask me how many bikes I have,” said Joshua Barber, a senior planner in Boston’s Transportation Department, recalling a conversation with Gag. “In response to whatever I said, you said ‘That’s cool. I have 5,000’” – the number of Bluebikes in Metro Boston.
People in the crowd sniffled and laughed as they listened to the stories. Pairs embraced and leaned on each other.
Other City Hall co-workers who spoke included Hannah Fong, Heyne Kim, Kim Foltz and Nate Lash, who shared a song he’d written after Gag’s death, “A Perfect Leaf.” Brendan Kearney of WalkMassachusetts and Tiffany Cogell from the Boston Cyclists Union joined to discuss the need for safer streets.
The final speaker
Thompson prepared the crowd for the final guest of the night by acknowledging their frustrations with city leadership. “We’ve asked this person to come and mourn with us,” Thompson said, before introducing one more member of the community.
It was Boston Mayor michelle Wu.
“I really struggled with whether I should come here tonight,” Wu said. “whether it would help with the healing that is still needed for a community in such grief and pain, and whether I would be able to get any words out at all.”
Many of the street safety advocates in the crowd have been calling out Wu’s administration for stalled street safety projects – including one at the intersection where Gag was killed. In the days leading up to the vigil, 4,000 people had signed an open letter to Wu calling to resume these projects with public timelines and restore street-safety funding.
As a city councilor, Wu worked closely with Gag, who was then a policy fellow. This working relationship continued as Wu became mayor and served in the transportation department. Through tears, Wu explained that Gag’s family had urged her to attend. “We want to hear your vision,” Gag’s mother had told her.
Boston plans actions
To the hundreds gathered at Boston City Hall Plaza, Wu shared ways the city would take action, including a full analysis of street design to complement the law-enforcement investigation of the crash.
“We’ve already stepped up enforcement of blocking bike lanes, crosswalks and other double-parking violations,” Wu said. “And I’ve assigned two senior members of my team to the Streets Cabinet full time to accelerate the policies, planning and capital-delivery work that will make our streets safer.”
“My vision for Boston,” Wu said, “is that everyone should get to grow old in our city.”
After Wu spoke, Thompson returned to the stage with action items for attendees to honor Gag’s legacy. She asked the dozens of elected and appointed officials in the crowd to recommit to street safety projects and Vision Zero pledges. Thompson also urged everyone to contact their lawmakers and urge them to support a road safety camera initiative. Organizers handed out programs identifying the bills as S.2344 and House H.3754.
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