Community mourns 2 cyclists killed in Cambridge crashes

Two bicyclists recently killed in crashes in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were remembered Monday at a vigil.

A crash on June 7 at the intersection of DeWolfe Street and Mt. Auburn Street, near Harvard Square, killed 55-year-old Kim Staley of Florida. On Friday, 24-year-old Minh-Thi Nguyen of Cambridge was fatally hit on Hampshire Street.

Nguyen is being remembered as a brilliant graduate student at MIT who studied physics and brought joy to many people.

"She was constantly planning the next ski trip," said friend Hudson Loughlin. "The next dinner party. Or weekend getaway. And these were always overflowing with friends."

Nguyen was riding a bicycle near Kendall Square Friday morning when she was hit by a box truck.

"I think the support of you all here is a perfect reflection of the deep community that she sought to build," said her boyfriend, Nick Krasnow. "She had a boundless generosity of her time."

Staley, who was visiting from Florida, was killed in a very similar crash two weeks earlier at a different Cambridge intersection.

"We are gathered here today to ensure that those closest to Minh-Thi and to Kim know that they do not grieve alone," said Rev. Lindsay Popperson, who presided over the vigil Monday afternoon outside City Hall to remember the two women, and to call for change.

Bicycle safety advocates have been pushing for added safety measures on city streets, including more bike lanes and traffic lights for bicycles.

"Cambridge is one of the best cities for cycling in America, but that is a really low bar," said Elizabeth Weinbloom, who commutes by bicycle through Cambridge. "As they've implemented more and more bike lanes, there are more and more cyclists because people come here thinking they can live a life without a car and can get around safely on a bicycle, and it just isn't true."

The Cambridge City Council recently voted to delay implementing a slate of added protections for bicyclists on three of Cambridge’s busiest streets.

But several council members say that's the wrong way to go.

"We have to understand that modes of transportation are changing," said Vice Mayor Marc McGovern. "We have to be more compassionate, more patient, we have to slow down."