GEARED UP FOR SAFETY
After bike death, cyclists call for funding
More than 100 cycling and pedestrian advocates jammed into City Council chambers last night to demand more money for safety programs — just hours after an emotional gathering at the spot where police say a local cyclist was struck and killed in a hit-and-run.
Prior to the meeting, Leanne Greenman, the ex-wife of 29-year-old South Boston cyclist Richard “Rick” Archer, who was hit and killed in the Back Bay April 30, blasted Mayor Martin J. Walsh for not doing more to address traffic fatalities in the city.
“We want to get the attention of the mayor, he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to spend a lot of the budget on new infrastructure and cycling and general safety for pedestrians,” Greenman told the Herald. “I’m angry. He hasn’t even come out publicly to acknowledge it happened.”
Greenman joined dozens of other demonstrators for a hearing on the proposed $34 million budget for the city’s Transportation Department, which represents about a $1 million boost over last year. The hearing came hours after Walsh released the city’s first report on its Vision Zero plan, which is designed to reduce fatal and serious traffic crashes.
So far this year, there have been seven pedestrians and bicyclists killed in the city, according to advocates at the meeting. Last year, 15 pedestrians and one cyclist lost their lives on Hub roads.
Wearing black shirts with Archer’s name on them and unfurling a banner that read, “Make Boston safe to walk and bike — fund Vision Zero now,” dozens of residents waved their hands in the air when they agreed with council ors’ questions and occasionally burst into applause.
Many of those gathered came directly from a ceremony at the spot where Archer was hit, where friends lit candles as a “Ghost Bike” memorial was created.
Joseph King, who said Archer was “a brother” to him, teared up describing his friend’s death and said the city needs to spend more money to change driving culture.
“Your plan needs to make it clear that the onus is on drivers not to hit us, not on us not to get hit,” King said.
Several councilors criticized the city for not spending enough on programs for Vision Zero, which have the same $3.1 million budget this year as they did last year.
Walsh’s newly released report calls for adding “two or three” neighborhoods to its Slow Streets program, which creates curbside bump-outs and raised sidewalks to decrease traffic speed, though councilors were concerned the transportation department doesn’t have enough staff to run studies and engineering work.
Also yesterday, prosecutors outlined the case against the 25-year-old Boston man accused of hitting and killing Archer near the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Clarendon Street about 3:19 a.m. before leaving the professional bike messenger injured in the street.
A friend who was riding with him at the time said Archer left the bike lane and crossed the street to talk with him when he was struck.
Archer died May 2 at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Malone Mesfun Kidanemarium pleaded not guilty yesterday in Boston Municipal Court to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. He was ordered held on $25,000 cash bail. Prosecutors said Kidanemarium, who had at least two passengers in the silver 2016 Toyota Camry he had rented from Enterprise, “sped off” after hitting Archer and left the vehicle in the Boston Common Garage, where it was found by investigators two days later.
Prosecutors said investigators found a rental agreement in Kidanemarium’s name inside the car.