Jamaica Plain vigil honors man killed by MBTA bus, city responds to demands

“We are here today to provide comfort, and insist upon change," organizer Benjamin Siegel said during the vigil.

When Ken Inghram started speaking to the crowd gathered next to the Forest Hills MBTA station in remembrance of his brother Glenn, he had to pause a few times. Large vehicles whizzing down Hyde Park Avenue and buses pulling out of the station were drowning him out.

“He wanted to go to Maine, he wanted a place by the coast. His dream of Maine came to an end right over there,” Ken said, gesturing to the intersection of Tower Street and Hyde Park Avenue.

Glenn Inghram was crossing the street just before noon on Saturday, Oct. 12 when an MBTA bus turned left and ran him over, lawyers for the Inghram family said. Glenn, a former college history professor and gardener, died on Sunday of his injuries at a local hospital. He was 63 years old.

Glenn’s death prompted advocates to launch a petition asking local officials to enact safety measures on Hyde Park Avenue with the goal of protecting pedestrians. Form responses show 695 Jamaica Plain residents signed the open letter.

Ken told the crowd Glenn, who was originally from upstate New York, retired from teaching in 2016 to open a gardening business. He lived in Jamaica Plain with his two beagles, Tarie Mae and Callie Ann.

“He loved Jamaica Plain,” Ken told the crowd. “And he loved JP Licks,” he added with a smile.

Community members come together to honor Glenn Inghram

The Forest Hills Neighborhood Association held the vigil to honor Glenn on Monday night. Family, friends, and neighbors stood in the glow of the traffic lights, just feet away from where Glenn died, with bouquets and lit candles to pay respects and ask officials for safer streets.

Resident and FHNA member Benjamin Siegel organized the petition and spoke at the vigil.

“We are here today with many emotions,” he said. “We are here today to provide comfort, and insist upon change.”

He called the neighborhood a “victim of delay,” referencing the Hyde Park Avenue Multimodal Corridor Project. Beginning in 2019, the project was supposed to implement several safety measures along the major artery, including changing the timing of traffic signals and evaluating intersection safety.

However, the project was put on hold two separate times. The first was in 2020 due to the pandemic, followed by a pause in 2022 to “assist MBTA diversion efforts,” the city’s website said. The most recent update on the project’s web page said the project resumed in spring 2024.

In the open letter attached to the petition, residents said the last update they received from the city was on Oct. 2, 10 days before Glenn was struck and killed. According to the letter, the update said “an additional, less maximalist concept is being developed for the northern section of HPA.”

To Siegel, that’s not enough. During the vigil, he said the neighborhood is “coming together to demand something better.”

Not all of the people at the vigil knew Glenn, like attendee Alex Klosteraemper. Klosteraemper said he attended the vigil because Glenn’s death was a “tragedy” and because he uses that intersection regularly. He said the sense of community he found at Monday’s vigil is what makes Jamaica Plain home.

“That’s why we love Jamaica Plain. It’s just a really, really strong neighborhood, especially this area,” he said. “I’ve lived in many places and I’ve never had such a neighborhood-y feeling.”

While speaking at the vigil, Ken said his brother loved Jamaica Plain for similar reasons.

“Glenn was passionate about JP,” Ken said in a press conference on Oct. 17. “Everybody knew him.”

A petition demands safety changes at Forest Hills

The FHNA petition is addressed to MassDOT, the MBTA and Boston Public Works.

“In the wake of immense tragedy, we ask you to address the dangerous and worsening infrastructure with greater haste,” the petition reads.

The group had seven demands, the first of which was implementing a full pedestrian walk signal at the intersection to make sure no buses turn while people cross the street. The group also asked for the intersection of Arborway and Washington Street to follow the same pedestrian-only crosswalk timing.

Their other demands included curb extensions, installing a new stoplight at Weld Hill Street, and installing temporary traffic separators.

They had two demands that were more specific to the Forest Hills station. The first was reevaluating bus routes to potentially divert buses from the busy Tower Street, while the second called for removing landscaping around the station’s bus exit, to make pedestrians more visible to drivers.

“Every day that passes without action puts more lives at risk,” the petition says. “We implore you to treat this situation with the urgency it demands.”

City Councilor Benjamin Weber attended the vigil, holding a prayer candle and solemnly nodding as speakers shared their memories of Glenn and safety concerns. Weber, whose district includes Forest Hills, was the penultimate speaker of the night. He said he’s lived in Jamaica Plain for 17 years, and told the community to “keep pushing.”

“Numbers make a difference. You signed a petition, that helped,” he told the crowd.

Officials respond to roadway safety concerns and provide answers

Siegel sent the open letter and its 695 signatures on Oct.17. Boston Chief of Streets, Transportation, and Sanitation Jascha Franklin-Hodge responded later that day, saying his office was looking at making “immediate safety improvements.”

On Tuesday, Franklin-Hodge followed up with the community. In an email, he addressed each of their seven asks.

His department will implement a fully-protected pedestrian walk signal at Tower Street in the next two weeks, and mark a designated crosswalk at the intersection, he said in the email.

As for the intersection down the road at Arborway and Washington Street, Franklin-Hodge said his office plans to eliminate concurrent left turns, give pedestrians a “head start” during right turns, and improve bike signals.

In the email, Franklin-Hodge predicted those two changes will temporarily improve pedestrian safety. He said his office will consider extending curbs, adding a new stoplight, and installing temporary traffic separators after the signal changes.

Lastly, he discussed the potential changes to bus routes and driver visibility surrounding the Forest Hills station. Franklin-Hodge said he would raise the concerns with the MBTA to “identify any areas of collaboration” on the safety measures.

The MBTA did not provide a comment about those specific community demands, or their plans for improving the intersection.

However, they did respond after Glenn’s family announced they would sue the MBTA in a press conference on Thursday. After the conference, the MBTA told Boston.com they are cooperating with the District Attorney’s investigation into the incident.

“Following safety-related incidents, it is standard procedure for bus/train operators to be removed from service while the investigative process advances,” a spokesperson for the MBTA wrote. “We send our condolences to the Inghram family during this time.”

The vigil ended with a moment of silence to honor Glenn. Afterwards, Siegel encouraged attendees to cross the street and lay their candles and flowers on the ground near where Glenn was struck.

“For those who loved Glenn, this is heartbreaking. It is unthinkable to be here on the street where Glenn was killed,” Siegel said to the crowd. “Where he lost his life with such tragedy, and in such a deeply avoidable manner.”

Eva Levin is a general assignment co-op for Boston.com. She covers breaking and local news in Boston and beyond.