An estimated at 200 people crowded Town Hall Auditorium on Tuesday, June 22, as the engineer representing the town explained the next steps to be taken as Arlington moves toward a 25-percent plan to revamp Mass. Ave. from Pond Lane to Cambridge.

Rick Azzalina of Fay, Spofford & Thorndike offered a PowerPoint explanation followed by comments taken from as many as 50 in the audience. YourArlington invited two groups with interests in the project -- East Arlington Concerned Citizens and the East Arlington Livable Streets Initiative-- to comment.

Adam Auster's Word on the Street: His view of Mass. Ave. issues

East Arlington Concerned Citizens said it would offer comment following the Town Hall session. Livable Streets provided a copy of its comments presented June 22.

Earlier, Laura Wiener, the town Planning Department's point person for the project, wrote in an e-mail: "We have responded to many of their comments, resulting in some changes to the plan."

The session was the first since East Arlington Concerned Citizens met with town officials in early May to discuss their concerns about the state's reaction to the town's earlier submission. Read a complete summary of that meeting here >>

Chad D. Gibson, EALS co-chair, reported his group's comments in full:

The EALS Coalition, from day one, has been supportive of the Town's plan for Mass Ave because it: 

• Leverages federal and state money to improve our community at no cost to Arlington tax payers 

• Makes traffic more orderly and safe by delineating three travel lanes and dedicated left and right turn lanes at Lake and other cross streets 

• Introduces a dedicated space for cyclists along the corridor that promotes safety and helps keep bikes off sidewalks 

• Maintains the existing traffic lights at Teel/Thorndike, Lake Street and Linwood/Foster - all important pedestrian crossing points 

• Incorporates dozens of new trees, new lighting, benches, bus shelters, bike racks and trash cans 

Despite our acceptance of the core design, there are a handful of elements in the latest iteration of the plan that we are concerned about: 

• Safety for all users has been compromised by the inclusion of wide, 12'-13' travel lanes (the same width of Rt.2 and the Mass Pike) that encourage speeding and are completely inappropriate for an urban business district like Capitol Square 

• The removal of the flush, safety median from Cleveland Street to Rt.16 which previously provided a place for a pedestrian refuge in the center of the road at crosswalks as well a space for westbound, left-turning cars to move out of the flow of traffic  

• The lack of wider sidewalks on the Capitol Block and in front of the Fox Library block means insufficient space for pedestrians and bus riders in the center of the business district and precludes outdoor seating and new landscaping 

The current plan was updated as a response to the MassDOT memo on needed changes to the 25% plan submission.  In the memo Emil Vezarov states MassDOT disapproval of the median idea. 

It seems that this statement was the justification for the removal of the painted median east of Lake Street with the allocation of the leftover space to widen the travel lanes.  Section 16.5.8 from the Mass Highway Project and Design Guide of 2006 categorically reinforces that the median is not only completely legal and valid, but a useful design tool. 

16.5.8 Medians and Crossing Islands

Traversable medians, typically built of textured or contrasting materials such as stamped concrete, bricks, pavers, or cobblestones can be effective traffic calming devices particularly where periodic segments of raised median are included, as shown in Exhibit 16-8. These medians are flush with the travel lanes but are notably different, both in appearance and in feel to the driver. Traversable medians narrow the real and apparent width of the street, and provide deflection at end points, while still permitting unlimited driveway access across them.

They can serve as left-turn lanes , and allow for passing of double-parked cars. Further, traversable medians offer opportunities for emergency vehicles to bypass stopped traffic. At intersections, the ends of the traversable medians can extend all the way through the crosswalk, thereby providing some pedestrian refuge. 

Why do we need a median?  This is answered in section 16.5.9. 

16.5.9 Allocation of Pavement Width and Road Diets 

The pavement width of the street can be allocated in a manner that gives more space to pedestrians, bicycles, and parking, reducing the width of the motor vehicle traveled way. In some instances, the elimination of a travel lane on a four-lane roadway and conversion of another lane to a median with turning pockets can improve conditions for pedestrian and bicycle users without adversely affecting roadway capacity since the left-turns are accommodated within the median. Allocation of pavement width could also provide wider sidewalks if conditions suggest that additional space could better accommodate the existing or anticipated pedestrian activity. 

This last iteration has not improved pedestrian safety or maintained motorist mobility, two of the stated goals of the project. The increased lane size is a problem if we want traffic to travel the reasonable speeds designed for the avenue, as stated in section 16.5.9.2 

16.5.9.2 Travel Lane Width 

Minimal lane widths can reduce vehicle speeds, reduce pedestrian crosswalk distances, and maximize the space available for bicycle lanes and sidewalks. Where traffic calming is intended, driving lane widths should be 10 feet, a width widely accepted as appropriate for residential and minor collector streets. A larger lane width (11 feet) is appropriate for outer (curb) lanes on streets where on-street parking is not present and on arterials or other roadways that carry large numbers of trucks and buses. 

The last iteration has made the two lanes east bound 12 feet and the single westbound lane 13 feet, wider than the recommended width for an arterial roadway especially in a pedestrian area. 

EALS requests that FST and the town ask District 4 to follow the MassDOT design guide and restore either the median as shown previously east of Lake Street or, return to one lane in each direction with a full width turning lane east of Lake Street, other than 2 lanes inbound from Teel St for Route 16 storage. 

If medians are not restored to the plan we would suggest the following conceptual configuration, of crosswalks east of Bates Rd. 

The above conceptual design would apply to the unsignalized crosswalks east of Bates road, Harlow, Grafton, Marathon, Milton, Varnum, and Lafayette.  The design would have many significant benefits: 

• Significantly improve pedestrian safety with refuge islands 

• Lower the incidents of jay-walking with the increased safety benefit of the crosswalk options 

• Re-establish left turn options in a wider 15 foot westbound lane 

• Decrease the amount of driving in the bike lane to pass left turning cars with the current plan’s 13 ft westbound lane 

• Act as moderate traffic calming devices in an active section of the corridor 

We ask that you consider these options as the best ways to meet the stated goals of the project, improve pedestrian and cyclist’s safety while not compromising motorist mobility. 

The Mass. Ave. Review Committee met June 15. Adam Auster's blog has a summary.

Related links to Mass. Ave. project:

April 9: More data sought for Mass. Ave. project plans

April 17: Mass. Ave. Corridor memo calls for 'extensive revisions'

Advocate, Aug. 6, 2009 | YourArlington, August meeting | Adam Auster's blog | E. Arlington Concerned Citizens (Part 2) | Livable Streets Coalition | Town project information