Everywhere Arlington Livable Streets

Town Meeting will consider its annual Capitol Budget this week. We are hoping to learn more about two street-safety planning projects in the budget, at Park Ave, and at Broadway. These street safety projects are really important and highly needed. Both Park Ave and Broadway have high volumes of traffic, often far above the speed limit and far faster than is safe.  This creates hazardous conditions for those of us who live in the neighborhoods: crosswalks are missing, or have blocked sight lines, and we never know if drivers will stop for us or not.  People who want to ride bikes, particularly with their kids, don't have a safe place and there aren't good alternate routes.  Collisions causing serious injuries have already happened on Park Ave and we are worried that it's only a matter of time before this happens on Broadway as well.  The need for these planning efforts is clear, but only the first step. How do we plan to pay for construction of the projects in subsequ...

Spring is here, despite this weekend’s chilly weather! We have a number of updates to share with the EALS community.   Over 100 people attended the Park Ave improvement project on Mar. 31st. An overview of the project was presented, along with design options. See the presentation and share your thoughts in the online survey (open until Apr. 18th).  Want to ride your bike, but need to carry a lot of stuff? Arlington now has a cargo bike share program, operated by CargoB . This is a great option to combine errands, kid trips and more with biking and I am looking forward to trying it out. 

  About 100 people attended the March 1 design meeting for Park Ave at Town Hall. The meeting began with a presentation from Erin Cameron of Stantec, the design consultant, and then broke into charrette-style presentations of three intersections on Park Ave: Oakland, Appleton, and Wollaston-Revere. The treatment of the street was conventional, relying on curb extensions, lane narrowing, and chicanes to slow traffic. At those stations participants were invited to weigh in on several narrowly construed choices, such as pedestrian islands or not. The Town is seeking further comment from residents via an online survey that closes April 18.

Everywhere Arlington Livable Streets (EALS) is a community group working for safe, accessible streets, sidewalks, and paths for walkers, bikers, transit users, and drivers.  We support smart, sustainable, and inclusive street design that reflects how people want to move through our town. Key Priorities ● Safe Speeds: Lower traffic speeds with traffic calming strategies, not just signs ● Pedestrian Safety: Better crosswalks, sidewalk gaps filled, clearer intersections ● Bike Infrastructure: Protected lanes and convenient parking ● Public Transit Access: More frequent buses, better stop & shelter placement ● Greener Streetscapes: More trees, benches, and public art 

Hi everyone! A quick reminder about the Park Ave Safety Improvements presentation this Monday 3/31 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall. This is an important opportunity to: ✅ Review proposed design ideas for three key Park Ave intersections (Oakland, Appleton, and Wollaston/Paul Revere) ✅ Understand the goals and rationale behind the plans ✅ Share your feedback while the designs are still under review Community input is critical in shaping these improvements, so if you live in the area, use Park Ave frequently, or want safer options to get around town, we encourage you to attend and make your voice heard! If you have a neighborhood email list, please consider sharing this reminder with your neighbors. The more perspectives we have, the better the outcome for everyone. Hope to see you there! Best, Everywhere Arlington Liveable Streets 

  On Tuesday, November 26, our community was reminded of a painful truth: it’s not always safe to cross the street in Arlington. Harlan Cuklanz, 85, was tragically killed by a car while crossing Massachusetts Avenue around 6 p.m.—in a crosswalk, where safety should be all but guaranteed.  This marks at least the third pedestrian hit in Arlington Heights and second fatality along Mass Ave in the past year, a sobering pattern we cannot ignore. The October 16th crash in Lexington, while not receiving much attention in Arlington, claimed the life of a grandparent of an Arlington student. Pedestrian safety isn’t just a concern for those on foot—it impacts drivers too. The moment you step out of your car, you become a pedestrian.  Whether you’re grabbing a coffee at Starbucks, meeting friends for dinner at Heights Pub, or picking up a treat at Cookie Time, those brief moments crossing busy streets can be dangerous. Ensuring safer streets means creating a community that’s access...