Vision Zero Coalition Plans Thursday Vigil for Louisa Gag At Boston City Hall

Editor’s note: the following is adapted from a press release from the Mass. Vision Zero Coalition.

One week after Louisa Gag, a City of Boston transportation planner and longtime street-safety advocate, was killed by a person driving a truck as she rode her bicycle, transportation advocates, colleagues and community members will gather at Boston City Hall Plaza Thursday at 6 p.m. to remember and honor her life and legacy and demand urgent action to prevent more deaths from traffic violence.

The vigil will reflect on Louisa’s lasting contributions to safer, more accessible streets while calling on city and state leaders to recommit to Vision Zero, move street-safety projects forward and strengthen accountability for preventable traffic deaths.

Before joining the City of Boston as a transportation planner, Louisa helped lead Vision Zero efforts at LivableStreets Alliance, where she worked with advocates, community members and public officials to advance safer, more accessible streets across Boston and the region.

As part of the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition, Louisa was instrumental in helping pass the state’s hands-free driving law in 2020. 

“We cannot replace all that Louisa would have contributed to our communities in the years ahead, but we can take collective responsibility for carrying her work forward and honoring her legacy with the urgency and care she brought to it every day,” said Maha Aslam of LivableStreets Alliance.

The Coalition’s calls to action include:

• A statewide recommitment to Vision Zero and a Safe Systems approach to traffic safety by municipalities and state agencies across Massachusetts;
• Faster and more efficient implementation of street-safety improvements in Boston and Vision Zero communities across the Commonwealth; and
• Stronger truck-safety requirements, including expanded mandates for proven safety features such as convex mirrors, backup cameras and side guards at both the municipal and state levels.

“There is deep grief and anger across our community, and both are justified,” said Tiffany Cogell, interim executive director of the Boston Cyclists Union. “Our responsibility now is to direct that energy toward meaningful action. No one should be killed because a proven safety improvement was delayed, protective infrastructure was removed or a dangerous street was allowed to remain dangerous.

The need for safer streets extends far beyond Boston, with traffic violence affecting people walking, biking, taking transit and traveling in communities across Massachusetts.

According to WalkMassachusetts’ 2026 report on fatal pedestrian crashes, 354 people were killed in traffic crashes across Massachusetts in 2025. At least 76 were pedestrians, accounting for more than one in every five traffic deaths in the state. More than half of those pedestrian deaths occurred in Environmental Justice communities, and older adults continued to be disproportionately represented.

“Louisa’s death is devastating, but it is not an isolated tragedy or solely a Boston problem,” said Brendan Kearney, executive director of WalkMassachusetts. “Last year, at least 354 people were killed on roads across the Commonwealth, including at least 76 people who were walking… Each one was a person whose life mattered and whose loss continues to affect an entire community.”

The Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition is calling on city and state officials to attend the July 16 vigil, listen to those working to make streets safer and commit to specific actions in the days and months ahead.

The vigil at Boston City Hall will begin with a gathering at 5:30 p.m., when bike convoys from across Greater Boston will arrive at City Hall Plaza. The speaking program will begin at 6 p.m. and include a moment of silence and remarks from those who worked and partnered with Louisa. Attendees are encouraged to wear yellow in support of Vision Zero. 

Boston City Hall, the Government Center headhouse and the Rose Kennedy Greenway will be illuminated in yellow Thursday evening in Louisa’s honor.

The Zakim Bridge will also be lit in yellow in memory of all those who have lost their lives to traffic violence during the “100 Deadliest Days,” the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when traffic fatalities typically increase.