After two fatal collisions, Cambridge City Council calls for stricter regulations on trucks

Cambridge City Council voted unanimously Monday to ask City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05 to work with state and federal officials to push for legislation requiring truck safety measures — a vote that came after two bicyclists from Cambridge died in collisions with box trucks this month.

Monday’s council meeting came immediately after a vigil on the steps of City Hall to mourn the deaths of the two women, which was attended by all eight councilors.

In light of the accidents, local bicycle safety advocates have stepped up calls for intersection infrastructure renovations and other policy measures, citing similarities between the two crashes. Both incidents occurred as the pickup trucks were turning right, but neither of the trucks involved in the crashes were equipped with side guards – protective devices designed to prevent cyclists and pedestrians from sliding under vehicles during collisions.

After last week’s discussion on intersection safety audits, the council focused mainly on vehicle regulations during Monday’s meeting.

Cambridge already requires trucks owned or contracted by the city to be equipped with side guards, as well as convex and cross-sectional mirrors to improve visibility. However, the City Council has little authority to extend its regulations beyond city-owned vehicles.

Instead, Monday’s policy directs banks to cooperate with state and federal governments. It also asks Huang to consider providing training for truck operators on how to safely navigate alongside cyclists and pedestrians in Cambridge, and whether such training could be required for trucks working with the city or as part of the permitting process for construction projects.

A separate clause requires Huang to “begin the process of making immediate changes” to Cambridge’s five most dangerous intersections and submit a project timeline to council’s Sept. 10 meeting. The order also asks Huang to submit plans by that date for a “continuing program of safety audits at unsafe intersections or following serious accidents.”

At last week’s meeting, the council adopted a policy ordinance asking Huang to submit “timely” reports to the council on intersection safety audits. However, Monday’s vote sets a stricter application deadline.

As with the first policy plan, Monday’s proposal was the brainchild of the progressive wing of the Council – Vice Mayor Marc C. McGovern, Councilor Sumbul Siddiqui, Councilor Burhan Azeem and Councilor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler – but the entire Council voted to sign the agreement as co-sponsors.

The political mandate once again bypassed the cycle lane debates that had divided the Council. In April, the council voted to push back the completion date for a 25-mile network of segregated bike lanes — a decision that drew condemnation at Monday’s vigil, including from Massachusetts state Rep. Michael L. Connolly, who represents East Cambridge.

During Monday’s meeting, Sobrinho-Wheeler said “there is still time” for the council to reverse the delay.

McGovern, who also voted against the delay, said he sees bike lanes as one way to reduce the risk cyclists face, but intersections require a separate set of interventions.

City attorney Megan Bayer discussed the legal prospects for the council proposal, saying its future could be limited by federal and state law. In particular, she said it likely would be impossible to expand the scope of the side-guard requirement.

“The very, very short explanation is that under the Interstate Commerce Clause of the Constitution, we cannot unreasonably burden interstate commerce,” Bayer said. In the past, the Commerce Clause prevented Cambridge from imposing blanket regulations on trucks entering city streets because these vehicles can travel anywhere in the country.

Sobrinho-Wheeler said he hopes to work with local businesses, major employers and universities to pressure truck operators to adopt the proposed safety standards. The move would not be unprecedented: Since 2018, Harvard has installed side shields on its own trucks, asked vendors who drive large trucks on its campus to install side shields, and required its contractors to develop a plan to implement side shields.

“We can’t inspect every truck in the United States, but we have contacts outside the city of Cambridge,” Sobrinho-Wheeler said.

The Massachusetts state government, which like Cambridge requires side guards and convex mirrors on trucks it owns and deals with, is similarly limited by the Commerce Clause. But in an interview before the council meeting, State Rep. Connolly said he would look for “creative ways” to increase the use of safety devices, including working “through local businesses and institutions.”

Connolly told activists at the vigil that he hopes to talk to Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) about the possibility of pushing for federal side guard legislation. But federal efforts have stalled in the past amid opposition from trucking industry lobbyists.

Councilor Paul F. Toner asked Bayer about the possibility of restricting truck traffic on certain streets. Bayer said the truck restrictions must be approved by the state government and would only apply to vehicles that do not operate to local destinations, making them difficult to impose and enforce.

While its choices are limited, the Council seemed determined to continue working on whatever remains to be resolved. Siddiqui, one of the ordinance’s original sponsors, admitted he was concerned that more stringent requirements could reduce the number of companies bidding on city projects, potentially increasing costs. But she said the city should be open to “anything we can do.”

— Staff writer Tilly R. Robinson can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @tillyrobin.