Harwich Bikeways Committee Debates Crosswalk Language, Plans Safety Article for Chronicle

HARWICH — June 22, 2026 — Harwich Bikeways Committee debates crosswalk sign law and presses recruitment drive at June 22 meeting. The four-member committee — Chair Alan Ferry, Fred Rice, Richard Siegel, and Paul Gassay — approved minutes from the May 19 session and spent the bulk of the meeting debating whether their pending summer safety article in the Cape Cod Chronicle should clarify that "walk your bike" signs at rail trail crossings carry no legal requirement. Rice argued the language would increase confusion; Ferry, citing conversations with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, said the opposite was true. The committee reached a consensus to remove the disputed paragraph and have Ferry draft softer substitute language for item six, with the revised article due to Chronicle editor Tim by Wednesday, June 25. Members also agreed to ask the editor to run the committee's volunteer recruitment graphic in the same issue. With three seats vacant and a fourth expiring June 30, recruitment was identified as the committee's top immediate priority, and Ferry separately floated the idea of an informal "Old Colony Rail Trail Alliance" open to cyclists from any town without the requirements of a formal committee appointment. The next meeting was tentatively set for Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 1 p.m.