• April 23rd (Tues), 7pm, Town Hall – MassDOT’s 25% Design Hearing for Minuteman Path connection improvements through Arlington Center. For more information and access to drawings, click here for the Town’s project web site. As of now, EALS does not have an official position on the Town’s current plan for this critical connection. During discussions at our monthly meeting on Thursday, all agreed that the plan is a strong one overall and should improve connectivity and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. However, everyone pointed out the concern about the curb-side parking that remains along the south side of Mass Ave between Pleasant St and Swan Place. Because of the parking, the existing median, travel lanes and parking aisle are all squeezed down to their bare minimums. This places Alewife-bound bicyclists dangerously close to car doors, 1.5′-3′ closer to cars than the well-designed bike lanes planned for the Mass Ave Corridor. Some thought the tight conditions will encourage some bicyclists to continue to use the adjacent sidewalk, mitigating one of the primary goals of the planning effort.
• April 27th (Saturday), 9am - Minuteman bikeway cleanup. Volunteers needed, bring gloves, meet at Rte 2 overpass at 9 am, finished around 11:00 in Arlington Center. Please email EALS if you want to help out
• May 1 (Wednesday) – International Bike and Walk to School Day will be celebrated at the Hardy School. For more information or to volunteer to help, please e-mail us back with attention to Alex Bilsky, the Hardy School coordinator
• May 11th (Saturday) and May 14th (Tuesday), 7am-7pm - Volunteers needed for 1-2 hour increments to count walkers, bicyclists, skaters, etc using the Minuteman Path at Thorndike Field. The annual counts are coordinated by the Town of Arlington and EALS is helping to recruit helpers at the East Arlington site (others include counts in the Center and Heights). More info is below.

·   At least 14 years old

·  Able to attend one or more 90 minute sessions for each of the 5 days of camp at same time each day
†’Each session consists of a 75 minute riding session plus a 15 minute training/debriefing

·  Able to provide physical, emotional and motivational support to assigned rider

·  Able and willing to get some exercise (light jogging/running) for a great cause!

Hello EALS members and supporters of A Better Mass Ave

Yesterday was quite a day. Turnout was up significantly (29% overall) due, in all likelihood, to the non-binding referendum about traffic lanes on Mass Ave. We are delighted that Kevin Greeley—running on a platform that strongly supported the current 3-lane plan—easily won re-election. He defeated Maria Romano, who made opposition to the Mass Ave plan a core part of her platform, by a 58%-42% margin. We are also pleased to note that Kevin’s votes out numbered Ms. Romano’s by 57 votes in East Arlington.

While clearly a defeat to Question 1 was what we’ve been working towards this spring, it was not to be. The question about retaining 4 traffic lanes on Mass Ave won by a margin of roughly 51%-49%. We came within 237 votes of defeating a referendum that was an overly-simplistic question whether voters preferred 4 lanes without any mention of the trade-offs to pedestrian and bicycle safety, enhancements to Capitol Square, the inability to meet state design standards and, of course, the risk of losing the $6.8m in federal and state funding.  Take heart folks, some take-aways from yesterday are that we:

• dispelled the notion that “the 98% majority want 4 lanes.”  (Direct quote from YES campaign  literature and from Eric Berger’s spoken words).
• rejected the notion that there is a decision message in this vote. Clearly the Town is nearly evenly split on the project, including the neighborhoods that directly abut Mass Ave.
• know through anecdotal evidence that some people were confused by the wording of the ballot. Despite our efforts, we believe that some people who support the project voted “yes” without carefully understanding what the referendum asked.
• look at the Selectmen’s race as a proxy. While both candidates’ position on Mass Ave was crystal clear and central to their campaigns, Kevin Greeley easily defeated his opponent in 17 out of 21 Precincts.

Another clear positive from this election was the enormous support from over 80 election-week volunteers across Arlington with the shared vision of a stronger community tied together with a more livable East Arlington.  Our livable streets community is not weaker after this election, but stronger.

Rest assured, EALS Coalition and others will continue to work our tails off to ensure that the corridor plan moves forward to final design and out to bid before the September deadline. Beyond September, the federal/state funding allocation could be removed from the state’s TIP (Transportation Improvement Program) funding cycle, putting us at the back of the long line of towns and cities wanting federal and state aid for road projects.

We are confident that MassDOT and the Federal Highway Administration are not going to put any further roadblocks to the plan because 237 more Arlingtonians voted “yes” to a simplistic and vague ballot question. As a non-binding referendum, it simply provides a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen. We foresee no indication of any weakening of support from the unanimous Board.

While opponents to the Mass Ave plan have surely taken heart to yesterday’s results, in the end, there is no doubt we will have A Better Mass Ave in the near future.

Thanks again to everyone,

-Phil and Chad

PS – EALS next monthly meeting will be Wednesday April 10 at 7:30 at the Fox Library. Clearly, we intend to further analyze election results and will discuss next steps to moving the project forward.

From early on the planning process, going back to 2009, Kevin Greeley has been a strong supporter of the pedestrian, bicycle and streetscape improvements in the Mass Ave plan and we are happy to endorse him for another term on the Board of Selectmen. Besides an advocate for the current plan for Mass Ave, Kevin has been an effective Selectmen and can certainly take some credit for the high quality of life that we have living in Arlington.

In addition, as many of you know, there is a ballot question asking Arlingtonians if we prefer to maintain 4 traffic lanes on Mass Ave in East Arlington. Note that numerous traffic studies have ALL concluded that four lanes are unnecessary, compromise safety and would not meet state design guidelines, thus jeopardizing the federal and state funding.

EALS Coalition, along with a sleugh of others strongly encourage you to reject this question and vote NO on Question #1, because:

We can’t afford to lose the funding. The town is in line to receive $6.8 million to cover the cost of the project.  If we delay any longer, we will have to pay for it ourselves.  We passed a tax override in 2011 to support a long-term financial plan for the town. Projects like this can break the bank. The town can’t afford to lose this assistance.

We don’t want an unsafe design for Mass Ave. Mass Ave is used by drivers, pedestrians, public transit riders, and bicyclists.  The proposed plan will make the street safer for everyone, balancing the many demands on this public resource.

School Committee
Although we do not have any formal endorsements for School Committee and Town Meeting, we did ask all School Committee candidates to answer a question about what they would do, as School Committee members, to promote walking and bicycling to school in Arlington. Their responses can be found at:
http://ealscoalition.org/2013/04/04/school-committee-candidates-responses/

Town Meeting Members

There are a lot of good candidates for Town Meeting in Precincts throughout Town. We have not done all of our homework and do not have specific endorsements. However, we do want to give a shout-out to those in competitve races who have volunteered or have submitted a testimonial and photograph on the www.abettermassave.org web site explaining why they want to move the project forward–not kill it. They include:

• Precinct 3: Jennifer Susse, John Hoppe and Laura Vanderberg
• Precinct 5: Sarah Huber (24 Amherst St.)
• Precinct 7: Phil Goff and Rebecca Younkin

Every year we ask a question of those running for school committee, the question and responses from each of the candidates is below:

As you may know, the East Arlington Livable Streets (EALS) Coalition is a neighborhood-based advocacy rganization founded in 2008.  We advocate for a more holistic and sustainable transportation system and streetscape design
that balances the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and bus riders with motorists.

We are reaching out to all the School Committee candidates with a question. If elected to school committee, what would you do to help promote walking and bicycling to school to promote the health of our children and our
neighborhood?

Response from Judson Pierce:

Thank you for your email. I am pleased to have participated in the Dallin Walk to School Day Celebrations each of the last few years. I play my sax and former School Committee Member, current Selectman, Joe Curro played his harmonica. We entertained the kids and their parents as they walked to school!
I would continue to do more of this outreach and talk about the importance of it in School Committee meetings and with the parents I see on a regular basis.
Any other questions please email/call me
Thanks,
Jud

Response from Michael Buckley:

I have said may times since staring this campaign for School Committee that our children are our most important investment and that every dollar invested responsibly in their education is one more dollar invested in their future. This includes a future that promises intellectual as well as physical fulfillment. Therefore, we must think of every way possible to make sure that our children not only have access to the schools and classrooms of the 21st Century, but have the parks, bike paths, playgrounds, roadways and recreational facilities that will mitigate or prevent the health challenges that many of our children face today as well as those that will arise if more is not done.

As a member of the school committee, I would work in conjunction with the Board of Selectmen in pushing for these measures. My argument is that it may cost a little more today, but the money, not to mention the problems it would save us, are immeasurable.

As an educator, I have alway prided myself on being proactive. This includes having vision and the will to carry out that vision.

if elected in April, I will work diligently and honestly with any group or organization that is willing to help our children so they do have the chance for a bright and promising future.

Michael Buckley

Response from Kirsi Allison-Ampe:

Hi East Arlington Livable Streets,
I fully agree that walking and biking to school promotes the health of our children, and to promote this I mostly plan to continue doing what I’ve already doing:

I try to be a good example: I walk with my younger daughter to Stratton; my older daughter walks to school every day (a mile each way) even in bad weather; we walk into town or for errands as much as possible.

I’ve worked to promote pedestrian safety via infrastructure: I requested a pedestrian sign at Summer & Washington in 2009; I’ve reported broken walk signals and unsafe intersections; I supported the bike-to-school initiative, and I continue to work on bus service improvements, since I feel they are an important adjunct to car-free or car-light living.

I’ve worked to promote pedestrian safety via snow removal. As a School Committee member, I’ve pushed the school administration to improve snow removal on crucial pedestrian areas such as the Hardy sidewalk along Lake St, the long stairs at OMS, and the Mountain Ave sidewalk at Stratton. On a personal level our family has put in a lot of effort clearing sidewalks at corners, sanding icy stretches, and shoveling critical sidewalk areas so that all kids can walk safely to school.

I also attended the Master Planning session at Town Hall and spoke up for walking and biking to businesses and to school.

Thus far many of my efforts have been expended on the west end of town, since that’s what I know best. The many hills here have made walking more of a focus.  In the future I will continue to support other community efforts such as yours to promote pedestrian and biking safety, including along Mass Ave, as well as working with our other town officials to improve things such as the Park Avenue crosswalk by the Water Tower. In my ideal world, all of Arlington would become pedestrian and biking friendly.

Best,
Kirsi Allison-Ampe

Paul Schlichtman Response:

Thanks for writing.

When I came onto the school committee in 2001, I was a proponent of the Safe Routes to School program. Arlington was one of the first two municipalities in the US to participate in the program, and Arlington’s success enabled the program to flourish across the country.

SInce then, the town and school department have worked to add sidewalks, signage, and other safety features around our schools. We need to continue to make progress every year, and work with the Traffic Advisory Committee and the selectmen to make Arlington a safer place to walk.

Our new student assignment plan has buffer zones that include Massachusetts Avenue in East Arlington. Ottoson students from East Arlington are encouraged to use the MBTA bus to get to school. For that reason, we need to make it safe to cross the avenue, and I support a NO vote on Question 1 – for a safer Mass. Ave.

There have been some issues with the reliability of the westbound 77 and 79 bus during the morning, making it less attractive for students heading to Ottoson and the high school. We need to continue to work with Rep. Garballey (who came to our assistance) and the MBTA to ensure sufficient reliable service to encourage our children to use public transportation.

I would also encourage the selectmen to increase enforcement of laws that promote pedestrian safety, including requirements to stop at crosswalks, bylaw requirements calling for the shoveling of sidewalks after a snowstorm, and parking regulations pertaining to bus stops, crosswalks, and parking on sidewalks.

EALS is proud to announce that “A Better Mass Ave Committee” has launched www.abettermassave.org to showcase the breadth of support the project has amongst our community. As those of you who were in attendance at the DOT hearing at Town Hall last month can attest, Arlington is more unified than ever in wanting to see the corridor project move forward.

Unfortunately, Eric Berger, Maria Romano and other project opponents are trying to make sure this project never happens by placing a non-binding referendum on the April 6 ballot (Saturday, 8am-8pm) that asks Arlingtonians whether they prefer to maintain four lanes on Mass Ave “as currently practiced”. Though non-binding, a strong majority “yes” vote could encourage MassDOT or FHWA to delay the project indefinitely and give the Federal and state funds to other local communities.  This would leave Arlington to pay for any improvements ourselves or start fighting for future funding again.  We can’t let this happen and residents across Arlington are working hard to encourage a NO vote on Question 1, including Kevin Greeley’s re-election campaign for Selectman.  Join us!

How you can help this week:

• Visit the website and forward to your contacts
• Contribute YOUR statement of support to www.abettermassave.org Be proud, not shy! Send via email with a few sentences, street name, and a photo which we will crop appropriately
• Please donate…the campaign is in high gear but requires resources. Even a small amount would be helpful, but $100 or $250 even more so.

If you are able to donate, please do so soon as we need to plan purchases (mailings, stamps, etc) in the coming days.

Snail mail is the only way, checks only to:

A Better Mass Ave Committee

58 Alpine St

Arlington MA 02474

Let’s do this Arlington!

Hey all – the ongoing saga of the Mass Ave Corridor Plan has taken a bizarre and somewhat disturbing turn. It appears as though Eric Berger and East Arlington Concerned Citizens Committee (EACCC) sought and received aid from a DC-based lobbying group that represents the automobile, highway construction and oil industries.

We received the attached letter to MassDOT’s Chief Engineer regarding the Mass Ave Corridor project from the President and CEO of the American Highway Users Alliance (AHUA). Though known primarily as a trade-industry group that lobbies for expansion of highways and road construction, they were also active members of the GCC or Global Climate Coalition (see various links at bottom). Now disbanded, the GCC was an alliance of auto companies, Big Oil and lobby groups committed to denying the scientific consensus on climate change and lobbied against policies related to reducing carbon emissions. Either as part of the GCC or working alone, the AHUA fought the Kyoto Protocol, lobbied against increased vehicle mileage standards and fought to kill Congressman Markey’s 2009 Climate Bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which passed the House but later died in the Senate.

The September 14, 2012 letter echoes all of the exaggerated or false claims that the EACCC have made against the project for the past four years: the current plan will create a traffic nightmare, bicyclists should stay on the Minuteman path, that the public has not been able to weigh in on the design, that the vast majority of the neighborhood is against the plan, etc.

One of the more outrageous segments in the AHUA letter says: For safety’s sake, bicyclists should not be encouraged to divert from their exclusive bikeway. If capacity is inadequate on the (Minuteman) Bikeway, efforts should be considered to widen it rather than divert bicyclists onto Massachusetts Avenue.

Months after the September 14 letter, Mr. Berger continued working with the lobbyists. After MassDOT’s written reply to the AHUA was forwarded to him, he quickly responded with multiple Freedom of Information Act Requests on nearly every statement made by the Chief Engineer in the reply letter. This included asking for an array of documents, phone messages, e-mails, hand-written notes and other back-up used to justify DOT’s written statements that, for instance, the “public supports the project”, or that up to “30 public meetings were held”, or that dozens of bicyclists actually use the roadway during peak commuter hours.

That a Washington DC lobbying group tried to influence our one-mile roadway project should concern all Arlingtonians. Local opposition to a project such as the Mass Ave Corridor plan is one thing. Having auto/highway/oil industry lobbyists trying to thwart the desire of a large percentage of our neighborhood and the overwhelming majority of Town Meeting is simply beyond the pale.
Besides the AHUA letter to MassDOT, other sources used include:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Global_Climate_Coalition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Climate_Coalition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Highway_Users_Alliance