The Boston City Council met last week and voted unanimously to hold a hearing around preventing collissions between trucks and cyclists.

Such an incident killed City Planner and bike advocate Louisa Gag last month on her way to work – https://gvimes.link/adamslouisa

“It has been widely reported and the Boston Police Department determined Louisa Gag was killed by an 18-wheel truck operating on Tremont Street,” City Councilor Weber said.

Weber referenced a letter released two weeks ago by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu – https://gvimes.link/wulettergag – in which she calls for state legislation to curb these kinds of incidents.

“But here in Boston, we have a truck side guard ordinance that’s been on the books since 2014,” Weber said. “The ordinance requires city contractors to have safety gear on their trucks, including side guards and convex mirrors to prevent deaths of pedestrians and cyclists. But it only applies to city contractors, and we have to see if we can have this applied more broadly. If we can’t have legislation, maybe we can work with companies that use heavy commercial vehicles most often to get them to put these things on their vehicles.”

Weber said the city should also look at further restricting truck traffic on certain streets in the city.

“We can use this hearing to look at whether we should have a map for a route these trucks should operate on, rather than leaving these trucks to sort of, work their way through our neighborhoods,” he said. “I’m sure each of us has been on a tight little street and seen an 18-wheeler and wondered, ‘What’s it doing here?’”

Weber said the hearing is looking at bringing members of the Streets Cabinet, members of the Boston Transportation Department, safety advocates and residents to testify.

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“So we can prevent deaths going forward,” he said.

In a similar vein, District 7 City Councilor Durkan called for a separate hearing directly after Weber on traffic enforcement for vehicles parking in or too close to bike lanes. Last week, Boston Traffic Enforcement issued a slew of fines in West Roxbury and abroad for vehicles parking in the safety area next to a bike lane. The area is designed to allow for enough space for a car door to open and a cyclist to pass.

She also said she wants to see more enforcement around those who park in the crosswalk.

“It has come up more and more lately, and I find myself struggling to enter crosswalks myself along Cambridge Street in Mission Hill,” she said. “Under state law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, crosswalks and bike lanes are protected spaces. Pedestrians always have the right of way in a crosswalk, and it is against the law for a car to pull into the box without enough space on the other side. When vehicles block bike lanes and crosswalks, they force pedestrians and cyclists into active traffic and out of protected, visible spaces, jeopardizing their safety.”

Durkan went on to say that car-centric culture may be playing a part in this disregard for the safety of other users of the roads.

“A lack of consistent enforcement and public education has perpetuated a culture that empowers drivers who don’t feel accountable to adhere to the rules of the road,” she said. “This is putting our most vulnerable road users at risk, especially elders, folks with disabilities, families, and folks who use alternate modes of transportation. It deters residents from walking or biking on our streets and undermines trust in public transportation investments and compromises the safety benefits of our transportation infrastructure.”