Among the rants on Nextdoor Harvard about mailbox carnage, inadequate snow removal, and the joggers, cross-country skiers, and dog walkers who make it inconvenient for drivers to apply their usual heavy foot on Harvard’s winding, narrow roads, we think there is a missing suggestion for how to cope.
What if we all just behaved more safely? What if we each adopted a personal speed limit of 30 mph on the big roads (Ayer Road, Mass. Ave., Still River Road, Littleton Road) and 25 mph everywhere else, and treated those as MAXIMUMS to be adjusted downward when approaching intersections or blind driveways. And what if, when coming upon walkers or joggers, we slowed to a crawl until we could safely pass, and then waved with all our fingers as we did so. And smiled.
And what if foot traffickers wore brightly colored clothes and carried lights, observed all the traffic rules, and were extra careful coming out of snow blinds, mindful of how difficult it is to be seen and willing to wait until certain the road is clear.
If enough of us adopt such a voluntary safety code, we can get through these remaining few weeks of winter without a tragedy.
