Once again, a city transportation planner has been killed while riding a bicycle. This time, in Boston.
Unfortunately, most of the news and reactions have been hidden behind paywalls, like this piece in the Boston Globe. Or this one, for that matter.
Or even this one.
However, the basic facts at that 36-year old bike advocate and Boston transportation planner Louisa Gag was killed by a truck driver while riding her bike to work last Thursday, sparking calls to improve safety on the city’s streets.
Not to mention vague “oopsies” and promises to do better from the mayor’s office.
Fortunately, this piece from Boston public radio station WGBH tells the story in heartbreaking detail.
In it, Tori Bedford, a guest host for the station, speaks with Galen Mook, the executive director of statewide bicycling coalition MassBike, who had worked with Gag at a local advocacy group before she went to work for the city.
Bedford: In her first administration (Boston Mayor Michelle Wu), back in 2023, Boston launched the Mission Hill Transportation Planning Project. I think they dedicated $300,000 to that initiative. They held meetings and at those meetings, city officials identified the intersection, a number of intersections, but the intersection where Louisa Gag was killed as one of the most hazardous areas in the project study area. StreetsblogMASS reported that the plan was to move forward with plans to improve visibility, build curb extensions, reduce pedestrian crossing distances. They were going to put in a crosswalk. That was all supposed to be put together by 2024, but at the end of that year, that hadn’t happened. The city had used less than half of its budget for the project. Then in 2025, Mayor Michelle Wu initiated a review of the city’s transit and safety improvement projects, and after that review, the city ripped out protective bollards on bike lanes. They halted work on dozens of transit and safety plans around the city, including that Mission Hill safety project. And then in the city’s 2027 fiscal budget, that Mission Hill project was removed entirely.
Take a minute to digest that.
A woman who spent her life working to improve safety for others was killed at an intersection where the city not only didn’t make the safety improvements they had promised, but actually removed the ones they did.
Then there’s this.
Bedford: Yeah, she did so much. We found this clip of her talking about Go Boston 2030, which is a transportation plan to improve safety and access in Boston. This is from a meeting filmed by The Forum Network in 2019:
“The system is not working for people. People’s buses and subways are not showing up on time. They feel unsafe while they’re walking and biking and it’s really hard to get around. And their frustration was really clear and something that we heard a lot. And these issues absolutely echo the priorities that are featured in Go Boston 2030.”
It’s worth reading the full story, because it paints a picture, not just of the city’s failures, but of Gag as real person, not just a victim.
Her death came just over a month after Chicago Complete Streets planner Riley O’Neil was killed in a dooring while riding his bike in a painted bike lane. He was just a year younger than Gag.
It’s only sheer luck we haven’t seen something like that here.
I know a number of bicycle advocates who’ve had some very close calls, myself included. In fact, I used to think the odds were stacked against me, if only because I spent more time on my bike than I did anywhere else except bed.
And as anyone who’s followed the fight over Measure HLA, Vision Zero and Garcetti’s Green New Deal can tell you, Los Angeles has repeatedly failed to follow through on its commitments to improve safety — not just for bike riders, but for pedestrians, drivers, transit users, and anyone else who ventures out on our streets.
We’ve also had some truly lovely people lose their lives on our streets, too often through no fault of their own. People who became victims and statistics the moment they hit the pavement, and are soon forgotten outside a small circle family and loved ones.
That’s if we even learned anything about them in the first place, other than the barest facts of what happened. If that.
As the late, great — and yes, largely forgotten — Phil Ochs sang,
And I’m sure it wouldn’t interest anybodyOutside of a small circle of friends.
It’s up to us to make sure it matters. And that doesn’t happen to anyone else.
………
A virtual meeting will be held tonight to discuss plans for the Potrero Canyon Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge Project, something my friend George Wolfberg had been working on for some time before he died.
The project will provide a bridge over PCH to connect Will Rogers State Beach to George Wolfberg Park in Pacific Palisades. Although I’m told some local residents have already got the torches and pitchforks out to halt the project, or at least get bicycles kicked off it.
I know it’s late notice; I’ve already got another commitment tonight. But try to attend if you can, because every voice will matter to move this forward into reality.
Thanks to Joe and Anya for the heads-up.
¡Bienvenidos! Para ver esta información en español, HAGA CLIC AQUÍ.
You’re invited!
The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering (Engineering) and Councilwoman Traci Park (Council District 11) are excited to announce the upcoming online community meeting for the Potrero Canyon Pedestrian / Bicycle Bridge Project.
Learn how the Bureau of Engineering Team proposes to:
- Improve safety when crossing Pacific Coast Highway
- Enhance pedestrian and bicycle access to and from the beach
- Support a more connected park and open space environment that contributes to overall community health and well-being
Community members are invited to attend, ask questions, and share feedback as the project moves forward.
……….
Register Today
Meet the team, learn about the benefits, explore proposed improvements, and share your feedback.
Join Online
Be sure to share with a friend and save the date for our upcoming Zoom webinar. Click the button below to register and learn more.
Thursday, July 16, 2026
5:30 – 7:00 PM
Be sure to tell a friend!
Zoom Registration: https://bit.ly/potrerobridgewebinar
Webinar ID: 883 8804 6930
English call-in (audio only): (213) 338-8477
Spanish call-in (audio only): (571) 317-3122
Access code: 287-406-717
Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be provided for those who need language assistance.
We look forward to connecting with you soon.
……….
Do you need to catch up?
Whether you are new to the project or just need a refresher, watch the last Community Meeting Video to get caught up.
………
Project Overview
Located on the coast near the Pacific Palisades community, the Potrero Canyon Pedestrian / Bicycle Bridge Project is led by Engineering, in collaboration with Council District 11. The City of Los Angeles recognizes that the Pacific Palisades and many north Los Angeles communities have endured significant hardship due to wildfires, including the loss of family and friends, homes, businesses, and cherished community spaces.
With deep respect for these experiences, this project is being advanced thoughtfully and in close coordination with the local community. Engineering seeks to work in close collaboration with area residents and stakeholders to develop a pedestrian and bicycle bridge to cross the Pacific Coast Highway, providing a safer connection between the City’s George Wolfberg Park and Will Rogers State Beach. The intent is to improve crossing safety, restore access and connectivity to open spaces that are integral to the neighborhood’s identity and well-being and which serve all Angelenos, as well as support long-term community recovery and a return to a sense of place.
This project is part of the City’s broader efforts to enhance connectivity and accessibility to recreational areas while prioritizing safety, resilience, and environmental stewardship. The bridge will be designed with sensitivity to its surroundings, contributing to the responsible revitalization of the area and supporting the community’s path forward as it heals and rebuilds.
………
Stay Connected
There will be multiple public meetings over the next couple of years, and we want to keep you up to date as the project moves forward. Sign up to receive updates and meeting invitations at PotreroCanyonPedBridgeContact.org and let us know the best way to stay in touch, be it by email, text and/or postal mail. To share a commentor contact the project team, please email: Eng.PotreroCanyonPedBridge@LACity.org
Visit the project website (PotreroCanyonPedBridge.org) to learn more.
………
This is who we share the road with.
The governor of Nevada makes an itty bitty faux pas while driving, and gets pulled over by a Las Vegas cop for failing to stop when making a right on a red light.
Oops.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. A new London lawsuit claims a proposed Holland Park roundabout and bike lanes will dangerously and “disproportionately benefit the most privileged commuters at the expense of the most vulnerable,” like the elderly. Because as we all know, people who ride bicycles are all extremely privileged, and not the least bit vulnerable. And never, ever elderly.
……….
Local
Hats off to the Major Taylor Los Angeles bicycling club, which is is hosting its inaugural Golf tournament in Manhattan Beach August 30th to benefit the Los Angeles Mission and LA Regional Food Bank, as well as introducing Wheels to Wellness as the new outreach department of the organization.
Santa Monica Next observes that the new curb-protected bike lanes being installed as part of the Broadway Safety Project have now reached the eastern terminus at 26th Street.
If you don’t have any plans for 2028, LA28, the organization sponsoring the ’28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is looking for 60,000 volunteers to staff the events. So feel free to invite a few friends, give or take 60k.
State
This is who we share the road with. A 21-year old trucker from Yuba City was sentenced to four years and eight months for causing an eight-vehicle crash that killed 3 people in Ontario last October, after he was convicted of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and reckless driving; he entered the country illegally from India four years ago, but was able to obtain a commercial driver’s license under state and federal policies in place at the time.
A new $3 million federal grant will help complete the final 2.85-mile missing link in a five-mile bicycle and pedestrian pathway connecting Highland and Redlands, bypassing a deadly street corridor.
San José will showcase more than 300 bicycles, including antique and custom-made bikes, at the annual Sunny Side Up bike and classic car show this Sunday.
A 30-year old man was arrested for last month’s Stockton hit-and-run that killed a man riding a bike and two dogs he was pulling behind him in a shopping cart; the suspect has been booked on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter; let’s hope they tack on a couple of animal abuse charges for the dogs.
National
You can now ride your ebike in RAGBRAI, aka the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, but you’ll have to behave yourself.
A Kansas City, Missouri cop recovered an ebike that was stolen from a woman with stage 4 breast cancer on Mother’s Day, who then suffered a stroke two days after watching someone ride off on her bike; the officer made the arrest and recovery after spotting someone riding her repainted bike.
They get it. A couple of bicyclist and educators — one a high school teacher and the other a university professor — argue that the word “driver” too often gets left out of headlines and news stories about a crash between a bike rider and a vehicle. That’s exactly the point I’ve been trying to make, thank you.
No, a Waymo didn’t strike and injure a bike rider in Miami on Tuesday, it took a U-turning human driver to do that; the Waymo just happened to be stopped nearby.
International
In truly horrible news, an 89-year old year old man was somehow crushed by a 22-ton asphalt roller while walking his bicycle just 656 feet — just over two football fields — from the safety his home in San Rafael, Argentina.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit, Michigan with Windsor, Ontario will open to motor vehicles on July 27th, despite President Trump’s threats to keep it closed — but won’t open to bike riders and pedestrians until a week later.
A 20-year old Welsh man was sentenced to seven years behind bars for killing a 72-year old man riding a bicycle; the driver had been up the night before using booze and coke, and had failed a driver’s test weeks earlier; the judge also banned him from driving for nine years and eight months. Hopefully, that stats after he gets out, not concurrently.
You still have time to get to the UK for Bristol, England’s edition of the World Naked Bike Ride next month.
Ted Lasso star and Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham has been added to the cast of Jason Statham Stole My Bike, starring the eponymous actor as some version of himself, which is shooting now in the UK and Malta. Speaking of which, if the US Men’s National Team wanted to finally make it past the round of 16, why not get a proven coach like Lasso instead of that Pochettino guy?
Tragic news from Italy, where German bicyclist and influencer Laura Viktoria Härtig died three weeks after she was stuck head-on while riding her bike, by a motorcycle ridden by former Italian Olympic skier Peter Runggaldier; the 30-year old Härtig was on her honeymoon at the time of the crash.
Aussie archaeologist and cyclist Sam Wood is following the route of Odysseus’ journey outlined in Homer’s epic — no, not that Homer — on two wheels, though the effort is complicated by some debate as to where Odysseus and his merry band actually travelled, as well as the lack of Sirens and Cyclops in the modern world. Although you will have to sign into The Guardian to read the story now.
Bike riders in Delhi, India are complaining that bike paths are meant for bicycles, not motor scooters and motorcycles; a harrowing photo shows a small girl riding on a pathway with training wheels on her bicycle as a motor scooter bears down on her.
Thanks to Robert for forwarding a mini documentary about a retro bike parking garage from Japanese broadcaster NHK.
Competitive Cycling
Belgian pro Jasper Philipsen was relegated, then un-relegated, following a chaotic bunch sprint on stage 11 of the Tour de France won by everyone’s favorite, Norway’s Søren Wærenskjold, with Olav Kooij second and Philipsen third, then not, then third again.
Cyclists in the Tour peloton have to overcome the intense heat before they can even think about overcoming Pogačar and Vingegaard.
Now you, too, can experience all the thrills of the peloton, when L’Étape Romania by Tour de France presented by Decathlon stages a one-day faux stage in the middle of Bucharest. Because when I think Tour de France, I think Bucharest, I think.
The ever-popular Tour de Big Bear returns to Big Bear Mountain Resort the weekend of July 31st through August 2nd, for the 16th consecutive year, with “bigger races, bigger prizes and more family fun than ever.”
Cycling News follows a WorldTour team into a wind tunnel to discover what it takes to kit them out in the latest high tech fabrics and designs. Unlike the good ol’ days when Bartali and Coppi would show up in whatever woolen jersey they had lying around.
Finally…
It turns out that designing a bicycle is hard; I mean, who knew? Your next light set could generate its own power from a tiny frictionless dynamo, but only if you have aluminum wheels.
And expect to shell out twenty grand if you want Pogačar’s bike.
Well, not his. But one just like it, more or less.
………
Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
