Calls for Cambridge to make the city safer for people on bikes brought out a large crowd before Monday night’s City Council meeting.

More than 100 people packed the steps and front lawn of Cambridge City Hall following the deaths of two women who were riding bikes in the city.

24-year-old MIT doctoral candidate Minh-Thi Nguyen was hit and killed by a box truck Friday morning at the intersection of Hampshire and Portland Streets near Kendall Square.

The tragedy came after 55-year-old Florida native Kim Staley was hit and killed by a box truck while riding a Bluebike near Kendall Square on June 7.

“We must do everything together that we can to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again,” said Cambridge Vice Mayor Mark McGovern.

Family and friends of Nguyen said the deadly crash took away an ambitious and adventurous spirit who still had so much to offer to the world.

“It feels unimaginable that someone so young and full of life could have been killed so tragically,” said Hudson Loughlin, Nguyen’s friend.

Nguyen was a National Science Foundation research fellow in the process of earning a doctorate in atomic, molecular, and optical physics at MIT.

“I’ve had so many of my most beautiful experiences in this city in my life following Minh-Thi’s lead,” said Nick Krasnow, Nguyen’s boyfriend.  “She had wonderful insane ideas all the time, but she could bring them to life.”

Many of the attendees were people who ride bikes through Cambridge on a daily basis.

They urgently called on city officials to make intersections safer for bicyclist and to expand the network of separated bike lanes.

The Cambridge City Council added a late agenda item about “truck and intersection safety improvements” for their meeting that followed the vigil.

City councilors outlined a series of requests for the City Manager to report on by September.

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

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