Here is our letter to our congressmen. Arlington is well represented at the summit with 6 attendees in the Mass delegation.

The East Arlington Livable Streets (EALS) Coalition advocates for a more sustainable transportation planning and streetscape design paradigm in Arlington. Collectively, we challenge people to think differently about urban transportation and to demand a system that balances the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and bus riders with motorists. EALS’ Vision is for a more safe, green and sustainable East Arlington neighborhood that is more walkable and bikable, with a vibrant and healthy Capitol Square business district. The primary goals that top our group’s agenda include:
A more pedestrian and bike friendly Mass Ave
the mitigation of speeding and cut-thru traffic on residential streets
safe routes to schools
improved transit service and bus stops
We seek to achieve these goals through education, grass-roots campaigning and advocacy efforts. In our first 18 months, the EALS Coalition has:
built a core constituency in our neighborhood comprised of nearly 150 people on our e-mail list and over 200 on our Facebook page
created a web site that features detailed analysis of transportation-related issues and projects that effect East Arlington
rallied neighbors to support pedestrian and bike safety improvements along Mass Ave, due for reconstruction with federal funds in 2012
successfully advocated for “Yield to Pedestrians” crosswalk bollards year round on un-signalized crosswalks on Mass Ave and Broadway
pushed for bus shelters on busy transit corridors throughout Arlington

Besides Mass Ave, the most significant challenge facing our community is the speeding and cut-thru traffic on many of our residential side streets. Full of two-family homes housing many seniors and families with young children, this traffic compromises the quality-of-life for many east-side residents and creates a real safety hazard. The Town has very limited resources for traffic calming infrastructure or enforcement and state law prohibits posted speed limits below 30 mph unless a school is present. Additionally, many of our residents wish to bicycle around town more often but outside of the Minuteman Bike Path, there is no network of bike routes in Arlington. In the coming months, the EALS Coalition intends to organize a neighborhood-wide traffic calming workshop to create a framework for pedestrian/bike-safety infrastructure projects. With this plan, we intend to work with the Town to apply for federal and state grants to pay for these projects.

The EALS Coalition urges you to become a co-sponsor of the Complete Streets Act of 2009 (S-584 and the House version) to ensure multi-modal equity along federally-funded roadway projects and an Economic Stimulus bill that provides significant funding for sustainable transportation & green jobs.

East Arlington Livable Streets Coalition
ealscoalition@gmail.com