Town Meeting rebuffs Mass. Ave. foes again

Town Meeting last night rejected two resolutions to stop the Mass. Ave. Project that would not actually have stopped the Mass. Ave. Project.

Mass. Ave. opponents rise to vote against sidewalk construction at Town Meeting in 2011.

The first resolution (Article 69) sought to repeal last year’s authorization of easements to rebuild sidewalks in East Arlington.

The second (Article 70) would have asked the Selectmen to put a nonbinding question about the project on the ballot in April of 2013, after construction was already in progress.

Both failed by wide margins.

Perhaps 80 view and comment on Mass. Ave. plans April 4

No microphones, no testimony, and very little shouting were in evidence at the open house to present the latest plans for Mass. Ave., held at the Hardy School on the night of April 4.

A lively crowd at the open house.

This was not a hearing but an open house, drawings and photos spread on on tables and folks from the town available to answer questions. Participants were encouraged to write comments on little yellow cards but it is unclear how those comments will weigh on the result.

Small tweaks led to major changes in Mass. Ave. design

The Mass. Ave. design open house at the Hardy School on April 4

Sweeping amendments to the design for Mass. Ave. in East Arlington stemmed from two small technical changes instigated last summer, according to those involved.

The decision to add an unneeded travel lane to Mass. Ave. eastbound between Pond Lane and Linwood Street, and the removal of safety features from the Wyman St. pedestrian crossing there, began as a desire for extra queuing capacity for cars waiting at the Linwood signal.

Similarly, the consolidation of two pedestrian crossings in East Arlington into a single crossing with no pedestrian island is solely a consequence of a decision to honor a request by the owner of the Arlington Restaurant to move the proposed bus-stop location, freeing up two parking spaces in front of the diner.

These two minor changes had major consequences when the consulting engineers and the town’s Transportation Advisory Committee began to fit them into the existing design framework and philosophy.

Town drops more safety features and a crosswalk on Mass. Ave.

The latest design for Mass. Ave. in East Arlington replaces two crosswalks with one and removes a pedestrian crossing island and other safety features that had been part of the plan.

Before vs. After

As proposed April 2011: Two crosswalks, both with safety features. The Milton St. crossing (at right) would have been new.

As revealed March 30: One crossing at Melrose with minimal safety features

The changes, depicted in drawings released on Friday, replace crossings at Marathon and Milton Streets with a single crosswalk at Melrose St.

Changes that similarly remove safety features from the Wyman St. crosswalk were made public earlier in March. The Town filed the changes with Mass. Highway in February.

In defense of jaywalking

No, it’s not a very good idea. Learning about traffic issues and observing the drivers on Mass. Ave. has scared me into the crosswalk. (And by “jaywalking,” I’m talking about crossing Mass. Ave outside of a crosswalk.)

Some jurisdictions discourage jaywalking though strict enforcement, but it seems to be part of New England’s pedestrian DNA. Here are two dirty secrets about jaywalking that you should know.

Mass. Ave. loses safety features in abrupt design change

Both the pedestrian island (dark grey) and the flush median (crosshatched) are no longer in the plan for the Wyman St. crossing.

Arlington has changed its design for the western segment of the Mass. Ave. project, stripping the pedestrian crossing at Wyman St. of many safety features.

These include a pedestrian island that had been added in response to community concerns.

These changes allow for a second lane of inbound traffic that the Town’s consulting engineers had previously determined was not necessary.

Fresh bricks

Working yesterday and today, a crew laid down new brick at Centennial Park on the north side of Mass. Ave.

Bricks patch the hole at Centennial Park North. Looking north from Mass. Ave. March 6.

Patch of sidewalk

The Town replaced some 14 squares of sidewalk by the Arlington Diner last week, fixing a longstanding problem:

At the Arlington Diner: Before

After

Landscape-design drawings add detail to the business district

Capitol Square landscaping (from new drawings)

Landscape-design drawings for the East Arlington business district, detailing the possible placement of trees, benches, and other features, were posted at the Town’s web page earlier today.

The drawings appear identical to those presented at the July 20 meeting of the Mass. Ave. Review Committee, which were draft works in progress, not final blueprints.

Mass. Ave. design moves to trees and benches

The Town’s Mass. Ave. Review Committee saw preliminary drawings for sidewalk and landscape design at a meeting in the Senior Center last night.

The subsequent discussion emphasized the areas around Grafton Street and opposite Lake Street, and also an inbound bus stop proposed to be moved from the north to the south side of Milton Street to create three additional parking spaces.

Presentations from the staff touched on trees, “street furniture,” the MBTA’s plan to relocate bus stops, and the 75%-design process.

MBTA would eliminate, consolidate bus stops

The MBTA proposes to improve bus service on Mass. Ave. by moving and consolidating bus stops and providing benches, shelters, and other amenities.

New bus-stop location replaces those currently at Thorndike, Teel, Lafayette, and Sunapee. Blue X = removed, blue dot = proposed, white dot = current.

The proposal, which is preliminary, would move four bus stops from traffic signals that the neighborhood and the Town had retained over objections from the staff at Mass. Highway.

The plan would move and merge bus stops in East Arlington, including Sunapee/Boulevard Rds., Teel/Thorndike Sts., Linwood/Foster Sts., and Wyman Terr./Palmer St. Similar consolidations are proposed near the Foot of the Rocks area in Arlington Heights.

The T will present and take comments on the plan in the Selectmen’s Hearing Room at Town Hall from 6:30 to 8 PM on Thursday, June 9.

Muddled attempt to stop Mass. Ave. fails at Town Meeting

Vowing to stop the Mass. Ave. redesign, opponents failed to block a motion at Town Meeting upon which the fate of the project did not actually depend.

At the Arlington Diner

The motion, which passed by a lopsided vote of 135-32, authorizes the Town to take easements to facilitate the reconstruction of the sidewalks by allowing access to abutters’ land during construction.

Although these easements entail no transfers of land from private owners to the Town, any use of the Town’s eminent-domain powers requires an affirmative 2/3 vote of Town Meeting. Opponents mustered roughly half of the votes they would have needed to defeat the measure.