‘This Could Happen to Me’: Students Respond to Cyclist Fatalities | News | The Harvard Crimson
Form any Harvard students, biking or scootering across campus or through Cambridge is essential for convenience or necessity. However, after three cyclist deaths involving motor vehicles, it has also become a cause for concern and fear.
Two of the fatal crashes occurred in June, one right in Harvard’s campus center. In September, John H. Corcoran ’84 was struck and killed by an SUV while biking on Memorial Drive.
His son, Jack B. Corcoran ’25, said his father’s death has made cycling feel “a lot more serious.”
“It just hit me that this is dangerous — that this really could happen to me,” Corcoran said. “You never think it can happen to you until it does.”
In interviews, nearly two dozen students recounted close calls while cycling or scootering on Cambridge streets, with these recent fatalities amplifying their concerns.
Quinn H. Brussel ’25, who grew up biking to school daily, described cycling in Cambridge as a “roller coaster.”
“There’s kind of no place for you on the road,” he said. “You’re not supposed to go on the sidewalks, but you’re putting yourself in a lot of danger on the streets.”
Brussel, who has been hit by cars before without major injuries, said the June crash at DeWolfe and Mt. Auburn Streets made him much “more careful.”
“I’d always been concerned about that right turn, and I’ve had close calls at that right turn, and then somebody actually died,” he said. “That definitely freaked me out.”
Several student-athletes said scooters are essential for traveling between classes and practices, but safety is a major concern.
Owen Johnson ’27, a football team member, recounted “crazy close call experiences” with cars on JFK Street and DeWolfe Street. Despite the risks, he continues using his scooter because “it’s the fastest way for me to commute.”
Ainsley R. Tuffy ’28 said she has become “more aware” of her surroundings while scootering, adding that her hockey teammates look out for each other during commutes.
“If a car pulls over, we all kind of warn each other,” she said.
Members of the men’s hockey team — Sean L. Keohane ’28, Lucas W. St. Louis ’28, William R. McDonough ’28, Justin Solovey ’28, and Mick E. Thompson ’28 — acknowledged the risks but deemed scootering necessary.
“I think it’s worth it because the main reason we have scooters is to get to and from the hockey rink,” McDonough said. “With that comes the risk of getting injured.”
McDonough suggested a “designated scooter route from campus to the athletic area” to improve safety for student-athletes.
“I don’t know how realistic that is, but I think it’d be very convenient,” he said. “It would be a major step in the right direction.”
Rikke K. Nielsen ’27, who biked frequently in Denmark, said Cambridge feels much more dangerous, describing it as “not a great environment for biking.”
“The bike lanes don’t seem very safe,” Nielsen said, adding that Cambridge drivers “are very unsafe.”
The recent crashes have intensified debates over creating bike lanes separated by physical barriers, as mandated by city law. Cambridge City Councilor Jivan G. Sobrinho-Wheeler expressed support for safer streets in Harvard Square.
“Harvard Square is one of the busiest squares in our community, and I look forward to working with Harvard, city staff, area businesses, and local residents to make the square safer for everyone,” he wrote.