Dear Bike Newton community,

Our hearts are broken. As many of you have heard, John Corcoran, a Newton resident, was killed on Monday while biking on the Charles River shared used path in Cambridge, just outside the BU boathouse by the BU bridge. The details are scant, but a driver swerved their car off the road onto the sidewalk and hit John.

This is a highly used area by cyclists, walkers and runners, for recreation, commuting and students getting to/from class and other activities. It has been problematic for decades given the high speeds of motorists on Memorial Drive coupled with the very narrow and congested sidewalk without any kind of protection or speed controls.

Critical Mass Boston is having a bike ride Friday evening to protest the dangerous conditions that led to this death. The ride starts at Boston Public Library at Copley. Critical Mass Boston will be gathering at 5:30PM and departing at 6PM. More details are here.

Bike Newton will be riding to Copley, leaving from the Newton Free Library on Homer St. in Newton Center, departing at 4:45pm.  We’ll be riding down Commonwealth Ave. from Newton Center to Beacon Street in Cleveland Circle, following that to the Back Bay and then to the Boston Public Library at Copley Square.   The Critical Mass Boston ride is not a Bike Newton ride, but anyone can join once we arrive at Copley.   Bike helmets and Bike Lights are required.   15 miles roundtrip to Copley Sq.  Be sure to check bikenewton.org for last-minute changes.

Regretfully,

Ed Olhava