#Acton #ActonDPW #ActonMA #ActonMA01720
By Erik J. Heels
First published 2026-02-02; ActonExchange.org; publisher: The Acton Exchange.
I was recently trying to drive to the nearest strip mall when I noticed that the sidewalks were completely plowed and the roads were hardly plowed at all. People were walking their dogs, pushing baby carriages, and even using wheelchairs on the sidewalks.
What about the poor cars? We are all drivers when we get into our cars. Shouldn’t we put cars first and pedestrians second? Or at least put them on equal footing?
Acton has 146.1 miles of roads and 54.0 miles of sidewalks and should need about 4-6 sidewalk plows and 10-15 road plows to clear everything. Yet the DPW (Department of Public Works) numbers are exactly backwards: 10-15 sidewalks plows and 4-6 road plows!
Cars pay excise taxes, wheelchairs do not. What’s more important? Some handicapped person going to the grocery store? Or me in my car driving wherever/whenever I want in my private car on public roads? Let the handicapped order DoorDash, I say.
Acton has historically overspent on sidewalks and underspent on roads. Do we seriously need to do a citizens’ petition to fund roads?
Every Actonian knows that roads make everything better! Just look at Kelley’s Corner! I can’t wait until we have our first car parade through the wonderfully wide fields of asphalt. I hope that there’s traffic control to keep the pedestrians away.
As I was struggling through the snow in my car, a pedestrian pointed at me and laughed, saying: “See ya, sucker!”
In short, sidewalks suck. And roads rule!
-Erik J. Heels, 17 Forest Rd, Acton MA 01720, heels@alum.mit.edu
P.S. “A Modest Proposal” is a 1729 satirical essay by Jonathan Swift. In case it was not obvious, this is also satire. Everything is exactly the opposite of what I stated.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER & NOTICE: The “Sidewalks For Acton” campaign was started by and is funded by GiantPeople LLC, a single-person LLC founded in 1999 by Erik J. Heels (heels@alum.mit.edu). Erik is a small business owner, a USAF veteran, and has been an Actonian since 1995. Except for a one-year stint from 2024-2025, Erik has never belonged to any political party. Opinions expressed herein are Erik’s individually, not the opinions of any Acton board or committee.
