It has now been just over 24 hours since the indicated time of the incident report for the crash that took the life of Louisa Gag. As much as we want to disbelieve it, the painful reality of losing her far too soon and in this manner refuses to go away. Louisa was the daughter of Steve Gag, one of WalkUP Roslindale’s founding steering committee and board members, and Laura Gang. Steve and Laura have been beloved, long-standing pillars of our neighborhood in every sense and our hearts go out to them and their family. To say that this loss hits close to home for the people who have made up our organization for the last decade is an understatement.
Just about everyone on our board knew and appreciated Louisa in one way or another. For those of us who got to know her over an extended period of years and had the very good fortune of spending a bit of time with her, let it be said here that Louisa was the absolute best of us: smart, kind, capable, funny, and immensely patient. She had an abiding, relentless passion for making our city a better and safer place and she was incredibly effective at doing what needed to be done to make that happen. On a highly personal note, I will say that whenever I encountered someone who had met Louisa and spoke glowingly of her and her work, as everyone, without exception, did, I was fond of pausing and noting specifically how immensely proud all of us in Roslindale were of her and how she had turned out. She was simply amazing and we will miss her deeply.
As an organization, we will have more to say and do going forward in the wake of this immense tragedy to honor the friend we mourn and to carry forward the work she was about. But today we will just close by saying that we know her memory will be a blessing to us all. Rest in peace, Louisa.
NOTE: The most complete reporting thus far appeared yesterday in The Boston Globe: Boston transportation planner fatally struck by car near Roxbury Crossing, family says.
Posted at 8:25 am on Friday, 10 July 2026. – Matt Lawlor