A strip of green-and-white duct tape at a Boston intersection has become a highly visible symbol of public outrage over street safety.
Following the death of cycling advocate and Boston Transportation Department planner Louisa Gag, advocates created an unauthorized bike lane at the Mission Hill corner where she was killed by a truck.
Here's what to know
At Tremont and Parker streets, CBS Boston reported activists used tape to carve out space for cyclists, using the improvised lanes to call attention to what they view as a major safety problem.
The goal, said Peter Chung, who installed a ghost bike memorial at the site, was to emphasize the need for safer streets.
"No one at the City Hall really cares to do anything to make improvements," Chung explained to the outlet. "So we're trying to do what we can to make the streets safer."
According to CBS Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu said the city would examine safety and urban design at the intersection.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
"In close coordination with the ongoing law enforcement investigation, the city will conduct a comprehensive safety and urban design evaluation of the Tremont Street corridor in Mission Hill to identify important fixes," Wu wrote in a letter after the crash.
Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy, however, objected to the approach. She told the outlet that residents cannot make unauthorized changes to traffic patterns and warned that markings resembling permanent infrastructure could cause confusion.
More background
These memorials are meant to honor people killed while biking.
Murphy's response highlighted the other side of the debate. Even when residents are deeply frustrated, city officials argue that street redesign must go through engineering review and official channels, especially at intersections.
"Residents are at their wit's end. I get it, but to take it into your own hands and to change the traffic patterns with duct tape that looks like permanent markings is not OK," Murphy said, per CBS Boston.
The story sparked discussion in a thread on the r/Boston subreddit, where posters pushed back on Murphy's suggestion to the outlet that the markings cause "confusion."
"Every day I see a level of selfishness from drivers," a user shared. "'Confusion' about road markings is not the problem - it's lack of any enforcement."
Murphy also drew attention to a recent incident in which a car struck a scooter, CBS Boston said. Redditors pushed back on the link to the bike lane.
"Pure conjecture," one alleged. "The driver ran a red light. Roadway markings have nothing to do with that."
What's being done?
For now, advocates have marked the street, while City Hall has said it will study the corridor for safety and design improvements.
Murphy also filed an emergency hearing order over the unauthorized bike lanes, saying frustration does not justify altering traffic patterns without approval.
"We have a transportation department, and the engineers have to do their job," Murphy told CBS Boston. "And if changes are needed, we need to go through the proper channels."
Where can I learn more?
Bike lane problems extend far beyond Boston, as cyclists worry about protection from drivers or find the space constantly taken up by parked cars.
• On roads across the U.S., painted bike lanes offer little protection when drivers drift too close.
• In Charlotte, cyclists warned that one dangerously designed bike lane leaves riders exposed at every turn.
• In Seattle, a rider said the so-called bike lane functioned more like a parking lot.
• In Switzerland, a cyclist found that a poorly designed bike lane amounted to little more than a gutter.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
