GiantPeople

10/01/2026

* Erik Heels Concludes Term On Acton Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) (2026-10-01)

09/17/2026

Friends of Acton:



I was recently speaking with another Actonian who asked me why I appear to be distrustful of Acton's Executive Branch (Select Board & Town Manager). I replied that the residents of Forest Road have been misled, tricked, and outright lied to about various DPW projects.

For example, on 2025-04-29, I posted about the so-called "vegetative buffer" at the DPW (https://www.facebook.com/GiantPeopleLLC/posts/pfbid0j13mPHezfbnUGBV1u91VcNa1f1TMcgwnksLYWYPa2duY1tgYF4MSvSJNtBrQQxxdl). A member of the Select Board called me out on this "misleading" photo, saying that I'd have to wait until the fuel depot project is done. (That comment has been deleted - not by me - from my original post.)

Today, 2026-09-17, I took the "after" photo of the DPW. There have been at least three planting seasons since my last post (spring 2025, fall 2025, and spring 2026), and, by my count, ZERO progress has been made on the "vegetative buffer" by the eyesore that is the new fuel depot.

The residents of Forest Road deserve better.

The residents of Robbins Park deserve better.

The residents of Acton deserve better.

Behold the BEFORE and AFTER of the "vegetative buffer" at 14 Forest Road.

-Erik Heels ([email protected])
AKA "The Sidewalk Guy"

P.S. Erik Heels is an associate (non-voting) member of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). Opinions expressed herein are Erik's individually, not the opinions of any Acton board or committee.

--
Erik J. Heels (he/him)
17 Forest Rd., Acton MA 01720-4508
https://www.giantpeople.com/category/acton-ma-01720
cell: 978-761-7808
USAF Veteran
Actonian Since 1995

09/15/2026

Friends of Acton,



Budgets are priorities. So if you spend on pedestrian and bicycle safety, then you prioritize pedestrian and bicycle safety. And if you do not, then you do not.

* NYC Mayor Mamdani To Roll Out 'Vision Zero Reimagined' Plan To Lower Speed Limits, Redesign Intersections And More (2026-09-15)
"Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to release a new roadmap for reducing traffic deaths and severe injuries across the five boroughs to zero over the next decade."
https://www.amny.com/nyc-transit/mamdani-vision-zero-reimagined-plan-street-safety/

My other country (I am a dual citizen of the USA and Finland) accomplished the same just over a year ago.

* Helsinki Finland Records Zero Road Deaths Over The Past Year (2025-08-22)
"City leaders attribute this achievement to long-term, systematically implemented policies grounded in the 'Vision Zero' philosophy, rather than any single initiative."
https://urban-mobility-observatory.transport.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/helsinki-records-zero-road-deaths-over-past-year-2025-08-22_en

-Erik Heels ([email protected])
AKA "The Sidewalk Guy"

P.S. Erik Heels is an associate (non-voting) member of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). Opinions expressed herein are Erik's individually, not the opinions of any Acton board or committee.

Helsinki has recorded a full year without traffic fatalities, credited to long-term Vision Zero policies, lower speed limits, safer street design, and expanded walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure.

09/02/2026

Friends of Acton,



Preliminary results are in for yesterday's election, and BLANK finished second in each race except for SENATOR IN CONGRESS, where BLANK finished fourth.

-Erik Heels ([email protected])
AKA "The Sidewalk Guy"

P.S. Erik Heels is an associate (non-voting) member of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). Opinions expressed herein are Erik's individually, not the opinions of any Acton board or committee.

09/01/2026

* Happy Birthday to America's Oldest Subway (2026-09-01)
On this day 129 years ago, at around 6am, trolley 1752 plunged into a gaping hole in Boston's Public Garden and became the nation's first subway car.

On this day 129 years ago, at around 6 a.m., trolley 1752 plunged into a gaping hole in Boston’s Public Garden and became the nation’s first subway car. 

07/31/2026

Friends of Acton,



It's been a slow news month for Acton, so let's play "caption this photo" for a change of pace! Picture taken on 2026-07-13 from the gas station next to Community Way, looking north on Route 27 (Main Street).

-Erik Heels ([email protected])
AKA "The Sidewalk Guy"

P.S. Erik Heels is an associate (non-voting) member of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). Opinions expressed herein are Erik's individually, not the opinions of any Acton board or committee.

07/09/2026

Friends of Acton,



The Acton Select Board is having another secret meeting (AKA "executive session") regarding the possible purchase of a single-family home located at 24 Forest Road (https://actonma.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/23051).

* 24 Forest Rd, Acton MA 01720 ($539,000)
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/24-Forest-Rd-Acton-MA-01720/57035262_zpid/

I don't recall Town Meeting ever authorizing the purchase of this property. It seems to me that the Select Board's priorities (and authority) should be specifically limited to what Town Meeting approves.

I have been told that the property at 46 Taylor Road had been on the Select Board's "wish list" for years. I checked the last 10 10-year plans and found no reference to this property, but at least it was approved at Town Meeting. What else is on Acton's secret wish list?

Given the current financial crisis, how do we actually convince the Select Board to reduce spending? For details, see FinCom's subcommittee, which is focused on eliminating/reducing the $30M multi-year town deficit (https://actonma.gov/Archive.aspx?AMID=111). FinCom seems to be the only Acton entity actively working this problem. Perhaps we need something like "AB Forward" (the process that the School Committee used for reorganizing the school system) for the town side of the budget.

-Erik Heels ([email protected])
AKA "The Sidewalk Guy"

P.S. Erik Heels is an associate (non-voting) member of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). Opinions expressed herein are Erik's individually, not the opinions of any Acton board or committee.

07/09/2026

Friends of Acton,



Since only about 3% of Acton's registered voters showed up for Town Meeting, maybe Acton should be a city. This could be the mayor's residence:

* 491 Main St, Acton MA 01720 ($1,685,000)
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/491-Main-St-Acton-MA-01720/57033967_zpid/

-Erik Heels ([email protected])
AKA "The Sidewalk Guy"

This 5012 square feet Single Family home has 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. It is located at 491 Main St, Acton, MA.

06/24/2026

Friends of Acton,



* America vs Europe: Two Ways To Build A City (2026-06-22)
"Architect and urban & computational designer Abhinav Bhardwaj made this great set of slides comparing urban design in the US and Europe."
https://kottke.org/26/06/america-vs-europe-two-ways-to-build-a-city

-Erik Heels ([email protected])
AKA "The Sidewalk Guy"

Architect and urban & computational designer Abhinav Bhardwaj made this great set of slides comparing urban design in the US and Europe, peppered with pithy

06/21/2026

* History Will Be The Judge Of Acton's Projects (2026-06-21)
Letter to the Editor of the Acton Exchange

Posted on June 21, 2026June 21, 2026 by Erik J. Heels* History Will Be The Judge Of Acton’s Projects Letter to the Editor of the Acton Exchange By Erik J. Heels First published 2026-06-20; ActonExchange.org; publisher: The Acton Exchange. On 2024-03-15, a de...