After Ride for Your Life, the street-safety items still waiting at City Hall

Cyclists and walkers gathered on Boston Common on Sunday, Oct. 25, for the fourth annual Ride for Your Life, a 6-mile slow ride, a 1-mile walk and a rally calling for safer streets, Boston 25 News reported. The rally honored Louisa Gag, a city transportation planner killed by a truck while biking in Mission Hill in July, and others killed on Massachusetts roads.

We previewed the ride last week in Council hears from city on blocked bike lanes and crosswalks ahead of Sunday's memorial ride. Here is what happened, and where the related council items stand.

What the ride asked for

The event was organized by Families for Safe Streets Massachusetts and other advocacy groups, Streetsblog Massachusetts reported. Its demands were aimed at the State House:

• a "Stop Super Speeders" bill to require GPS-based speed limiters for the most dangerous repeat speeders;
• authorization for speed cameras in school, safety and construction zones;
• a rule creating a rebuttable presumption that a truck driver is responsible in a fatal crash with a cyclist or pedestrian if the truck lacks side guards and backup cameras.

The speed camera and truck provisions are in the Senate's version of an economic development bill that has stalled in the House, Streetsblog reported. A co-founder of Families for Safe Streets Massachusetts told the rally it was a day to remember people lost on the state's roads and the families whose lives were changed, Boston 25 reported.

Mayor Michelle Wu promised to "do better" on street safety after Gag's death, Streetsblog noted, adding that the city has made small improvements at a limited number of sites while dozens of planned projects remain stalled. The city announced Oct. 9 that it would add a parking-protected bike lane and new markings at Tremont and Parker streets, where Gag was killed, WBUR reported.

Where the council's items stand

The council adopted City Councilor Enrique Pepén's resolution recognizing Ride for Your Life on Oct. 21, with City Councilors Henry Santana and Sharon Durkan added as original co-sponsors (docket 1971). City Councilor Ed Flynn said that day that part of the solution has to be strict enforcement of current traffic laws (watch at 2:44:19).

Three related orders are still in committee, according to our records:

• Blocked bike lanes and crosswalks (docket 1543): Durkan's enforcement order had its hearing Oct. 22, 11 weeks after referral. It remains in the Planning, Development and Transportation Committee. The hearing's video and transcript are not yet on our meetings page.
• Tremont and Parker (docket 1797): City Councilor Erin Murphy's order on unauthorized roadway changes and traffic safety at the intersection has been in the same committee since Sept. 23 without a hearing.
• Street project reports (docket 1415): Pepén's ordinance requiring annual reports on street projects has been in the Government Operations Committee since July 22, more than three months, without a hearing.

New items this week

Wednesday's agenda adds two street-related orders from Flynn: one on the process behind building and then removing a short bike lane on O'Connor Way in South Boston (our story), and one on fire risks from lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes and scooters (our story).

What's next

The bills the riders want are in the Legislature's hands, and two of them depend on the stalled economic development bill, according to Streetsblog. At City Hall, committee chairs decide when orders get hearings. The city has said a second phase at Tremont and Parker, with repaving and a likely new crosswalk, is planned for next year, WBUR reported.