New truck regulations could help keep cyclists alive. One organization says they go too far.

“Regulations will save lives. Flat out. They're needed. They will keep people alive.”

After two cyclists in Cambridge were killed in crashes with vehicles last month, officials and advocates say new state regulations requiring additional safety features for state-funded trucks are key to preventing further deaths.

“These regulations will save lives. They would have saved the lives of Kim Staley and Minh-Thi Nguyen,” Cambridge Vice Mayor Marc McGovern wrote on X.

However, as the Jan. 1 deadline looms for state-funded trucks to be retrofitted with additional safety features, the Massachusetts Municipal Association said the regulations “are not reasonable” for cities and towns to comply with.

The MMA — a private, nonprofit organization that describes itself as “the voice of cities and towns” — claims the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is applying the law too liberally to include trucks under municipal contracts funded through state aid.

But officials in Cambridge disagree with theMMA and are on board with the law. The law passed unanimously in 2022, according to Galen Mook, executive director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition.

“Regulations will save lives. Flat out. They’re needed,” Mook said. “They will keep people alive.”

MassDOT hosted a public hearing last week on the proposed regulations, which are authorized under the law, but won’t be finalized “until all of the comments are reviewed and considered,” the department said.

New law protects ‘vulnerable’ road users like cyclists and pedestrians

Former Governor Charlie Baker signed the Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities into law in 2023.

The law looks to protect “vulnerable” road users like cyclists, pedestrians, and wheelchair users. Protections include a required four-foot passing distance between vehicles and vulnerable users and for cyclists to use rear-facing red lights at night.

The law requires additional safety features for large vehicles weighing more than 10,001 pounds. As of Jan. 1, those vehicles that are “operated under a contract with the Commonwealth” need to be equipped with lateral protective devices, convex mirrors, crossover mirrors, and backup cameras by Jan. 1.

According to a memo from the state’s Department of Transportation sent to stakeholders last month, MassDOT includes contracts funded through state programs like the Chapter 90 Program, Municipal Small Bridge, and Complete Streets.

MMA Executive Director and CEO Adam Chapdelaine said “unnecessarily expansive interpretation” of the law would require about 90 percent of each municipal DPW fleet to be updated with the additional safety features. He said it’s too costly — about $2,500 to $5,000 per vehicle — and has no legal basis.

“The MassDOT interpretation of the statute to implicate municipalities and entities in contract with municipalities is in direct conflict with the intent of the law to regulate solely those directly in contract with the Commonwealth,” Chapdelaine wrote in a release last week. “The statute clearly intends these requirements to apply to providers directly contracted to work on state-level projects.”

In a statement, MassDOT said public notice about the regulations went out in June.

“MassDOT’s priority is to ensure that our roads are safe for all residents. This significant legislation reinforces our commitment to safety for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and all vulnerable road users,” a spokesperson said. “We look forward to working with stakeholders and partners to support the implementation of the next phase of the plan.”

Two bicyclists killed in Cambridge after collisions with box trucks

Some Cambridge officials publicly disagreed with the MMA after two bicyclists were killed in the city in June in two separate collisions with trucks. McGovern wrote on X that he was “very disappointed” in the organization for “opposing common sense regulations.”

Massachusetts Institute of Technology doctoral student Minh-Thi Nguyen died last month after a box truck turned right and collided with her. A 55-year-old Florida woman riding her bike was killed just a few weeks earlier when a box truck also turned into her.

Cambridge Bicycle Safety said in a statement that side guards and mirrors may have prevented their deaths.

“Trucks are disproportionately deadly, and side guards are a proven and cost-effective safety intervention,” the advocacy group said. “Furthermore, we urge Massachusetts to explore requiring side guards on all trucks operating in the state to protect vulnerable road users and prevent future fatalities.”

Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, a Cambridge city councilor, echoed McGovern’s sentiments. He testified to MassDOT officials last week in support of the side guards, convex mirrors, and back-up cameras.

“When they say they speak for ‘all cities & towns’ in Massachusetts against side guards and other safety features on trucks in municipalities, they don’t speak for us,” he wrote.

Mook said he was surprised by MMA’s reaction to the upcoming deadline to update the state-funded trucks.

“We have such a fragmented way of jurisdictions in the state, it’s very difficult in order to get safety regulations that go beyond a single controlled area,” Mook said. “These are very sensible, well vetted, inexpensive modifications to trucks to make sure that drivers can see better.”