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Cyclists honor a man killed by a car on Memorial Drive in Cambridge

Local News

Hundreds of cyclists rode bikes along Memorial Drive on Friday, and John Corcoran's family joined supporters to dedicate a ghost bike to him.

John Corcoran's daughter Christi and his wife Barbara at the ghost bike ceremony held by cyclists and bike safety advocates Saturday on Memorial Drive, where John Corcoran was struck by a motorist on Sept. 23 in Cambridge. Kayla Bartkowski for the Boston Globe

Several hundred local cyclists pedaled this weekend to honor the life of a Newton man who was struck and killed by an SUV in Cambridge last week, the third cyclist fatality in the city in recent months.

“We are very upset that there was a move for change and that it wasn't implemented, especially because two other bikers died here in Cambridge,” said Jack Corcoran Boston Globe Reporter Shannon Larson. “We hope that my father … will be the last person before the city can really begin to make positive changes.”

John Hubert Corcoran. Barbara Bower

John Corcoran, 62, died after he was struck by an SUV driven by a man in his 20s on Memorial Drive near the Boston University boathouse last Monday, officials said.

While the initial investigation indicates the man lost control of his vehicle, no charges have been announced, police said.

Earlier this summer, two more cyclists died after being hit by box trucks in the city. Kim Staley, a 55-year-old from Florida, and Minh-Thi Nguyen, a 24-year-old student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were both hit when trucks traveling in the same direction as the cyclists turned into their path.

Critical Mass Boston, which hosts a monthly social bike ride, dedicated its regular ride to Corcoran and the other cyclists killed by cars on the road Friday night.

The group met at Copley Square and traveled through Back Bay before heading to Memorial Drive near where Corcoran was killed. The cyclists blocked the Boston University Bridge roundabout and circled it for three minutes to honor Corcoran, Nguyen and Staley.

A cyclist holds a sign that reads “People who ride bikes deserve a safe route” as he cycles around the roundabout for three minutes to honor John Corcoran and other cyclists who died this year. Kayla Bartkowski for The Boston Globe

Advocates will speak at the Ghost Bike Memorial on Saturday

Peter Cheung, the advocate for ghost bike memorials across the city, shared a video of hundreds of cyclists on Memorial Drive and held a ceremony Saturday afternoon to dedicate the white-painted bike to him.

Cheung told reporters at the memorial that ghost bikes “remind people to keep the road open for cyclists.” He told Larson that Corcoran's bike was his 35th ghost bike ceremony in honor of a cyclist killed on the road.

“There is time for advocacy. It’s time for change, but this is a time for a memorial,” said Galen Mook, executive director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition.

Barbara Bower, Corcoran's widow, told WCVB News that Corcoran was an avid cyclist who believed Memorial Drive was safe. Instead, “he was careful, and someone else was careless, and it cost him his life,” Bower said.

“He intentionally chose this route because of the bike paths, and he felt that it protected him from the cars,” Bower said. “He was out there on a beautiful day doing the activity he loved. He died by the river in the city he loved.”

John Corcoran's wife Barbara lays a candle after a ghost bike ceremony held by cyclists and bicycle safety advocates where John Corcoran was hit by a rider in Cambridge. Kayla Bartkowski for the Boston Globe.

Cyclists and elected officials are demanding improvements to Memorial Drive

After Nguyen and Staley's deaths, advocates continued to push for additional regulations requiring federally funded trucks to be retrofitted with safety features such as additional mirrors.

Cambridge Vice Mayor Marc McGovern, who advocated for the regulations, said in a statement on X that he was “devastated” to hear of Corcoran's death.

He and other Cambridge city councilors are supporting the Week Without Driving challenge from September 30 to October 6, setting October 3 as a date when Cantabrian residents will be encouraged to use alternative forms of transport to cars.

“We must immediately do everything we can to make our streets safer,” he wrote.

State Rep. Mike Connolly testified last week

Connolly shared a 2023 letter from him and other local leaders, including State Senator William Brownsberger, calling on DCR to improve bike paths where Corcoran was killed.

Advocates have long sought to address the stretch of Memorial Drive where Corcoran was hit. Last year, the BU Bridge Safety Alliance approved changes to the trail, and Critical Mass Boston also called on DCR on Friday to protect cyclists.

“MassDCR has failed to protect cyclists on its roads,” they wrote on Instagram about Friday’s event. “We will not stop until cycling is no longer a political act. Drive while we remember those the car killed.”

DCR did not respond to a request for comment Sunday evening.

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