Recommendations for improving the safety of vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic in the center of Harvard will be shown to the public Thursday, May 26, at 7 p.m. in the Hildreth Elementary School cafeteria. The Town Center Transportation Committee (TCTC) will present its top choices for improvement projects from a menu of alternatives contained in a 75-page, state-funded planning study created by the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission. Solutions will focus on improvements to the town-owned parking lot at the General Store and the crosswalk in front of the General; the addition of sidewalks to parts of Still River Road and Mass. Ave.; and the creation of better-delineated parking on Mass. Ave. Other plans to be considered may include walking paths to connect the schools, town beach, General Store, and municipal buildings. A plan for limited bicycle lanes near the center may also be proposed. The TCTC is a subcommittee of the Planning Board.
A separate planning study, now underway and under the direction of the selectmen, is evaluating the feasibility of a roundabout on Ayer Road at its intersection with Gebo Lane. A status report on this study is to be delivered to the selectmen in June.
