Collision data affirms safety push for cyclists, pedestrians

Acton recorded 15 motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians or bicyclists in 2025, the highest annual total since 2019, according to an analysis of police crash data.

The increase comes as town officials prepare to adopt a Transportation Strategy Plan to address some of the town’s most dangerous locations for walking and biking.

An independent Acton Bridge analysis of 76 pedestrian and bicycle collisions with motor vehicles recorded by Acton police from January 2019 to May 2026 found the incidents were split between pedestrians and bicyclists, with 38 crashes involving each. Though crash totals fluctuated from year to year, 2025 had the highest annual total, and 2026 was on pace to match it through May.

Transportation Advisory Committee member Phil Posner, a dedicated cyclist, said several factors probably contributed to last year’s increase.

“One is that more people are riding or getting out. That’s a good thing, but that means more people are out on the road,” he said. “The negative side of it is that [drivers] may be more distracted. I don’t know whether that’s due to the technology in the cars, or just some kind of social phenomenon, but I definitely have noticed it.”

Donna McIntosh, the town’s communications manager, did not answer questions about the collision rates. She referred The Bridge to the Transportation Strategy Plan’s sections on future projects aimed at improving safety. 

McIntosh said the plan is “currently in draft form,” with a final draft expected next month. Then the Transportation Advisory Committee and the Select Board are to review it for adoption. 

Shifting numbers 

According to the data, Acton averaged about nine pedestrian and bicycle collisions with cars annually from 2019 to 2024. Crash totals fluctuated from a low of seven in 2020 to 15 in 2025.

The 2025 increase was largely due to motor vehicle crashes involving bicyclists. Nine cyclists were involved in collisions that year, compared with six pedestrians. 

Through the first five months of 2026, Acton police had recorded seven incidents involving pedestrians or bicyclists, nearly matching the full-year totals seen in 2020, 2022, and 2024. Four crashes so far this year have involved bikes. 

Police Capt. Brian Goldman said he has not noticed more cyclists in town. 

“Bike activity out this way is pretty popular. It’s a beautiful place to ride a bike through,” he said. “But I don’t think we’ve seen an increase in bikes down to [Acton Center] at all.”

Predictably, collisions were most common during the warmer months. May recorded the highest total, with 12 total collisions across the January 2019 to May 2026 Bridge analysis period. The months of June and August each had a total of nine collisions over the period, September had three, and February recorded just two. 

Hazard hot spots 

The Bridge’s review of police reports matched the problem areas identified in the town’s draft Transportation Strategy Plan. 

Although collision totals fluctuated year to year, the data consistently showed incidents concentrated around Acton Center, including the Walden Street and Main Street intersection, Monument Square, and the intersection of Thoreau Street and Sudbury Road.

“When you come to Acton Center, there’s just not enough room between the sidewalk and the cars parked and the cars on the street,” Posner said. “It creates a hard path to navigate.” 

He concedes that fault does not fall on drivers alone. 

“Cyclists sometimes blow through red lights. It’s not good. I have blown through many a stop sign,” he said. “We are all mortal. We all make mistakes. We all get distracted.”

The draft plan reports that motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 43 of the 392 crashes resulting in injury from 2020 to 2025. However, those crashes were far more likely to result in severe injuries than incidents involving only motor vehicles.

Degrees of severity 

Of the pedestrian-and-car collisions resulting in injury, more than half were either serious or fatal, according to the plan. By comparison, 8% of bicycle-and-car crashes involving injury were of a serious nature, as were about 4.6% of vehicle-only injury crashes. 

From January 2019 to May 2026, one pedestrian- or cyclist-involved collision resulted in a death: In August 2020, Jennifer “Jamie” Bemis, founder of Gaining Ground, died after she was hit by a 91-year-old driver while walking at Main and Thoreau Streets. 

The draft strategy plan identifies Monument Square, Main Street, and Sudbury Road as the areas with the highest concentration of bicycle and pedestrian collisions, making them key locations for future safety improvements. 

It recommends redesigning high-priority intersections, expanding the town’s walking network, and investing in bicycle infrastructure where space and historic character allow.

Posner hopes a culture shift can also help improve safety on Acton’s streets, with drivers taking more time to observe their surroundings and bicyclists taking fewer risks. 

“It would be nice if people would be kinder to one another on the road — and a little bit more forgiving and a little bit more patient,” he said. “And that’s cyclists and motorists alike.”