‘If Wu won’t, we will’: Residents create duct-tape bike lanes following deadly Mission Hill crash

BOSTON — They look like official bike lanes at first glance.

But take a closer look and you’ll see they’re made with duct tape — put down by frustrated residents trying to make the Mission Hill intersection safer.

A sign posted near the makeshift lanes reads: “If Wu won’t, we will.”

The DIY bike lanes are at Tremont and Parker streets, where city staffer and bike advocate Louisa Gag was killed more than two months ago while riding her bike.

Now, residents say they’re frustrated that permanent safety changes haven’t happened yet.

“I don’t blame people for doing this. I feel like someone has to do something,” Boston resident Rachel Rodin said.

Cyclist Nathan Phillips said he doesn’t know who originally created the duct-tape lanes.

But when he saw them Thursday, he added more tape.

“The only tape color I had was red,” Phillips said. “I think it’s symbolic of the blood that has been shed at this spot.”

Phillips warned that without changes, someone else could get hurt.

“Another disaster is going to happen if nothing’s done,” he said.

Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy said she first learned about the makeshift lanes Wednesday.

A city official told Boston 25 the markings were actually created sometime near the end of August.

Murphy said she understands why residents are frustrated, but she also has concerns about people creating their own traffic patterns on city streets.

“If it turns out that this is a safer way, I 100% support the changes, but we can’t just take it upon ourselves,” Murphy said.

She also questioned what it says about the city if residents feel they have to take action themselves.

“I think shame on us as a city if it’s gotten this far, if residents ... just feel like they’re being ignored,” Murphy said.

Murphy said allowing residents to make unauthorized changes to the roadway could also create safety and liability concerns.

Now, Murphy is calling for an emergency hearing to ask city officials what is being done to address safety concerns at the intersection.

She said she added the issue to the Boston City Council’s agenda for next week.

The city says its Streets Cabinet has been working on designs for this stretch of Tremont Street.

Officials say those plans will be released soon.

The city also confirmed the duct-tape markings were not authorized.

A Boston city official said the markings will be removed once the city finalizes its plans to replace them.

Phillips said he welcomes the emergency hearing but doesn’t think bike advocates should be blamed for taking action.

“I’m actually glad the councilor called for an emergency session because we do have an emergency — people are dying, people are being hit,” Phillips said. “These kinds of actions are pushing the city to do better and faster.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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