4,097 strong

Thank you to everyone who voted, volunteered, and donated to the cause of a better Mass Ave.

According to unofficial results, there were 4,097 NOs versus 4,334 YESes in the nonbinding referendum that tried to derail the Mass Ave project.

It's better to win than to lose, but the strong support for the three-lane compromise plan in this election is more than we needed.

It is also more than some of us expected given the deliberately misleading wording of the ballot question.

Our Capitol Theater says NO on 1!

Richard Fraiman is the owner of the Capitol Theater.

Like so many ballot questions, framed in an ironic inversion of speech, your NO actually means YES.

We want a resounding NO tomorrow in order to say YES  to moving forward with the Mass. Ave. improvement project.

We need you, our valued patrons, to arrive safely at The Capitol Theatre to enjoy your movie, ice cream, popcorn and/or a beer.

That means new crosswalks, traffic signals, clearly marked lanes, and changing Mass. Ave. from a speedway into a calm thoroughfare.

And East Arlington could certainly use the facelift of widened sidewalks, plantings, and a more people-friendly setting.

This is a no-brainer and, thankfully, there are so many that have contributed their expertise, time, and effort to make this necessary project happen.  

Richard Fraiman

Capitol Theater

Look forward to a better East Arlington

The revisions on Massachusetts Avenue will improve the safety and flow of drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians alike, while also making our East Arlington a place that people may choose as a destination, rather than as a thoroughfare.

In fact, residents and visitors may discover that we have many interesting places to visit, like a typewriter shop that supplied the vintage typewriters for the TV show "Fringe." Who knew?

I understand that we may potentially experience minor inconvenience because of a decreased lane of traffic leading out of Cambridge, but this inconvenience seems miniscule in comparison to the enormous improvements in safety and advancements for our community that this project will bring.

I look forward to a better Mass Ave and a better East Arlington!

Laura Vanderberg, Waldo Road

Better-scaled to humans of all ages

Skinnier and slower, yet more robust!

That's what will make Mass Ave a true Main Street for East Arlington. Better-scaled to humans of all ages, whether we walk, bike, stroll or drive.

Not just for residents and visitors...businesses will love it too.

Rocco-Slotnick Family
Grafton Street

You've got mail!

By today's post:

The Better Mass Ave postcard arrives today, just 48 hours before Saturday's election.

Words to the wise

Our "Learn More" page (link also above) has pictures and links about the new design, federal funding, and more.

Right for our town

I support a better Mass Ave because I value safety, beauty, and fiscal responsibility.

In addition to the road repairs and bike lane, the town will receive upgraded traffic signals and wider sidewalks.

The existing signals are old and expensive to replace. The wider sidewalks will include seating, improved lighting, and planters that will turn this vibrant business district into a destination where people want to spend time.

This plan is right for our town, and we are fortunate to have it paid for by the federal government.

Judson Pierce, Draper Avenue

Thanks for your support!

We've reached our fund-raising goal and are pleased to retire our "please donate" page.

Thanks to everyone for your generosity. We still need volunteers for election day and the lead-up.

If we can communicate that a NO vote on Question 1 is FOR the project, we will win on a landslide on April 6!

Now is the time to move forward

by Dan Dunn

The following column was originally published in the March 26 2013 Arlington Advocate. It is reprinted here with permission of the author.

I encourage voters across town to join me and vote No on Question 1. Now is the time to move forward with the plan for Mass Ave that we have forged through years of conversation, planning, and compromise.

There are two key points to be made: First, the current design is a good one, worthy of your support. Second, now is the time to move forward. It is time to get past the debate and put shovels in the ground.

More at the Advocate's web site...

No-on-One-Tube

East Arlington resident Nawwaf Kaba sums up the arguments against Question 1 in this 4-minute narrated powerpoint-based presentation:

Senator Donnelly warns Question 1 a costly mistake

Question 1 could cost Arlington taxpayers 6.8 million dollars, according to State Senator Ken Donnelly.

Writing in the March 20 Arlington Advocate, Senator Donnelly warns:

If we do not meet the September deadline, it is most likely that we will lose the 100-percent funding—$6.8 million—that has been allotted to fix Mass. Avenue in East Arlington.

Any attempt to reopen the design phase for Mass Ave would delay things for years, he says, and cost our funding.

Read it all here.

Thoughtful plan

We're voting No on 1 so that we can cross Mass Ave safely with our two sons to enjoy our wonderful neighborhood.

Andrew is looking forward to biking safely to work, and as someone who frequently drives on Mass Ave heading toward the Center, I'm eager to have improved crosswalks so I can see pedestrians when they begin to cross.

The East Arlington corridor of Mass Ave just isn't safe for anyone in its current state. This is a thoughtful plan whose time has come!

Kate Leary and Andrew Malone
Oscar and Charlie
Milton Street

Show us a sign

Here are the latest lawn signs!

We did not order many of these, but you should be able to spot a few around town between now and election day.

Click through if you can help hold signs at the polls and otherwise.

Three-lane plan is a good deal

by Phil Goff

The following column was originally published in the February 21 2013 Arlington Advocate. It is reprinted here with permission of the author.

Despite an extensive public process now entering its fifth year, MassDOT will hold another Mass Ave Corridor Plan public hearing on Tuesday February 26 at Town Hall.

The view west towards Capitol Square with new design features superimposed. More here.

Supporters of the three-lane plan need to make clear to DOT that they do not want to lose the many safety benefits of the current design.

Opponents continue to push for more traffic lanes than are needed. They insist that without at least four continuous traffic lanes through East Arlington, Mass Ave will suffer “crippling” traffic congestion. In fact, numerous traffic counts and analysis have ALL said otherwise.

When 'No' means 'Go'

Have you got it? "Yes" is ballot-speak for no safety improvements to Mass Ave and no federal funds.

"No" on 1 is a vote for a better Mass Ave.

If we can explain that, we'll win on April 6!

Dogs for Mass Ave

Who would have guessed that your great photos would include so many beautiful dogs!

It makes sense that people who walk so much around the neighborhood want a safer and better street.

A tip of the leash to the Gibsons, John Thompson, Sue Doctrow, Molly Flueckiger, Jennifer Griffith, and the Hites.

So, where are the cats?

An obvious choice

As East Arlington residents, the choice between whether to support a Mass Ave as a thruway or whether to create more of a boulevard with safety improvements, sidewalk cafes, public art and a more distinctive neighborhood character is an obvious one.

With a better streetscape, Mass Ave in East Arlington will reflect the values so many of us share as a community, such as a pedestrian and bike-friendly lifestyle, a strong local business community, and a culturally rich environment.

Stephanie and Rob Marlin-Curiel
Cross Street

Sign of Spring

Spotted on Bates Road today

A statement of values

Although Question 1 is a woefully misleading and incomplete measure of the issues at stake, it is also a revealing statement of values.

Is 4-lane travel on Mass. Ave truly our highest priority?
Do we value it more than safety for adults and children crossing the street?

Is it worth rejecting more than $6 million in federal and state funding to rebuild Mass Ave,  billing Arlington taxpayers for the entire cost instead?

Is being able to race down this stretch in the shortest possible time more important than a vibrant business district that invites people to spend time in the neighborhood strolling past the shops—instead of fearing for their lives if they dare to cross the road to visit another store?

And is clinging to a 4-lane design even necessary when time and again it's been persuasively shown that the sky will not fall with the current, intelligent 3-lane design?

My answer to these questions is a resounding NO, and that is how I will vote on Question 1.

Eric Helmuth, Grandview Road

For our financial future

As one of the leaders of the "Yes for Arlington" campaign, where hundreds of young families worked to provide financial stability for the Town, I am voting "No" on Question 1 to protect our financial future.

As a landscape architect who works on major transportation projects, I am voting "No" to make sure that we don't lose the money.

There are scores of transportation projects lined up to take the money that has been set aside for Arlington.

And finally, as an East Arlington home owner, I am voting "No" so that the project gets built and I can cross the street safely.

Please join me in voting "No" on Question 1.

Clarissa Rowe, Herbert Road

Help us defeat Question 1

Beyond adding your voice to your neighbors' testimonials, A Better Mass Ave needs everyone's help leafleting, holding signs, and helping with the campaign leading up to and including election day, April 6.

If you can spare a few hours (or more!), we can put you to work for a No vote and a better Mass Ave!

Please email us a line if you can help, and thanks!

Let's move forward

I am VOTING NO on Questions 1 on April 6th because a "NO" vote ensures a better, safer East Arlington and will allow the Town to make needed repairs without exhausting already strained Town funds.

The current 4-lane structure of Mass Ave in East Arlington invites speeding. The new plan will beautify the area, increase foot traffic for businesses and make East Arlington safer for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists.

The current plan is the result of a compromise between residents who supported the original plan and residents who were against the original plan.  Let's move forward, not backwards.

John Hurd
Summer Street

Sustainable Arlington Supports Mass. Ave. Project, urges "NO" on vote to stop it

Sustainable Arlington, the town's environmental organization, yesterday released this statement about the Mass. Ave. referendum:

Please vote “NO” on the misleading referendum known as Question 1 that seeks to derail the Mass. Ave. Corridor Project.

Let the Town and State know that you favor a transportation vision for Arlington that meets our future needs in a balanced way. Here’s why we recommend voting “NO.”

We print the rest of the statement in full below.

Fell in love with Arlington

I support a Better Mass Ave and the effort to build a safer, more vibrant community for all residents and visitors.

I ride a bike to work and errands everyday through East Arlington and train on my bike as a Professional cyclist.

I have owned a private business on Mass Ave for 9+ years and fell in love with the town when we lived above the Capitol Theater.

I'd love to see the roadway improved to accommodate cyclists and cars in a safer way with bike lanes, slower speeds and road improvements.

Voting NO on Question 1

NO, I don't want a four-lane freeway free-for-all.

NO, I don't want an avenue that's too dangerous to cross.

NO, I don't want a vital neighborhood business district dissected by raging traffic.

NO, I don't want our state and federal highway funds to be sent elsewhere.

That's why I am voting NO on Question 1, because I want a better Mass Ave!

Paul Schlichtman
Mystic St.

How about a rain garden?

I can’t count all the ways I favor the current plan but here’s a new one.

Maybe we could even find space for a tiny rain garden along the route to help with ever-more-common flooding in East Arlington as the climate changes.

Spy Pond rain garden

Gail McCormick
Hamilton Rd.

Everyone wins

A better Mass Ave is one with less chaos and confusion, where drivers and cyclists share the road in a way that is clear and predictable and where pedestrians can cross in safety.

A better Mass Ave is one where everyone wins. This is why I’m voting NO (!) on Question 1.

Mariann Donovan

Arlington Heights

Spelling out the reasons

Janet and I will be voting no, against the against the ballot-initiative roadblock.

The inclusive planning process, conducted over a long time by skilled professionals, has yielded a fine plan.

For these reasons, we must move forward not backward on Mass Ave:

• Much better accommodation for bicycles
• A defined space for motor vehicles on a community Main Street in place of the current un-striped lane-less expressway free for all
• Same number of legal parking spaces as current roadway, and improvements to support a vibrant LOCAL business climate.
• Safer crossings for children, senior, differently-abled pedestrians
• Available Federal funding; a no vote means we pay for improvements with local funds
• Very nice plans to improve sidewalks, lighting, landscaping and street furniture
• East Arlington quality of life and community

Jim and Janet Gascoigne
Gray Street

Let's all move forward

Arlington has crafted a Mass Ave project that is safer and more appealing for everyone.

It’s so clear that keeping four lanes of traffic would compromise what we've worked so hard to achieve as a community.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to make this a project with so many benefits.

Let's vote NO on Question 1 and all move forward to a better Mass Ave.

Alan Jones & Elisabeth Carr-Jones
Lehigh Street

Improve safety for everyone

I support a better Mass Ave because it will improve safety for everyone, promote bicycle and pedestrian use, and help local business, without interfering with traffic flow.

Catherine Farrell
Park St.

Regulate eratic driving

I support a better Mass Ave. because the current situation encourages erratic driving.

I experienced this section of Mass Ave as dangerous the very first time I visited Arlington in the late 90s when I was looking for a place to rent.

I look forward to regulated traffic, and landscaping, once the project is completed.

Peter Taylor

Cleveland Street

Dreams for a better Mass Ave

We want to ride our bikes to North Cambridge, and to games at Arlington High School.

We want to enjoy chatting with neighbors on wide sidewalks around the Capitol theater.

We want to cross Mass Ave using protected cross-walks.

The Weitzmans
Trowbridge Street

Candidates debate Mass Ave

Kudos to Selectman Candidate Kevin Greeley for his outspoken defense of the Mass Ave project:

More vibrant, safe, and beautiful

We support a better Mass Ave because we use Mass Ave all the time!

We have been East Arlington residents for 14 years, and we know improvements are sorely needed.

We have had countless harrowing experiences attempting to cross Mass Ave on foot, either in the past pushing strollers or now—where our middle-school-aged daughter attempts to cross Mass Ave daily on her own to use public transportation.

We wholeheartedly support the plans to revamp the area, and we are looking forward to a more vibrant, safe, and beautiful stretch of Mass Ave.

Amy Copperman
Tobey Jackson
Mystic Valley Parkway

A glimpse of things to come

Do you recognize Mass Ave? Here's the town's design approaching Capitol Square, showing the improved crosswalk at Marathon Street:

Design for business district includes raised pedestrian island, traversable flush median, bike lanes, striping, and at left two inbound travel lanes.

No to 4 lanes

Vote No to 4 lanes and Yes to 3!

Our neighborhood can be made a much better and safer place to live—a destination and not just a thoroughfare!

Currently it's a sprint just to cross the road.

Imagine how nice it would be around the Capitol Square area without having to play frogger!
Jessica & Peter Jones
Henderson Street

Not a speedway

We support a better Mass Ave because Arlington is a rare thing these days: a community where you can see actual human beings on the ground, going about their business as people have for thousands of years, and we need to continue to support and improve their ability to do so. 

A better Mass Ave will allow all of us, young and old, able bodied and less so, drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, stroller pushers, and the rest to be able to conduct our business (and pleasure) with some measure of equity and efficiency.

America is full of 4 lane speedways where anyone not in a car doesn't matter.  We don't need another one running through Arlington. 

Let's give humans some consideration on our main street!

The Smiths on tour

The Smith Family
Avon Place

Improves the character

The Capitol Square area has been working hard to become a local hub of sorts (for diners, shoppers, moviegoers, etc.). Witness the fact that we now call it the "Capitol Square" area!

But the ugly and pedestrian-unfriendly character of Mass Ave stands as an impediment.

My hope is that the planned changes to the Mass Ave corridor—very much including the reduction from 4 lanes to 3—will improve the character of this potentially vibrant area enormously.

Ned Hall

Brooks Avenue

Great sense of community

East Arlington has a great sense of community, and we are very lucky to be able to walk around the neighborhood and down Mass Ave with the kids and connect with our neighbors as we go.

This project will support the sense of community that makes East Arlington so special, and has attracted so many young families, making it safer as our families grow.

The Weber Family
Thorndike Street

Too good to pass up

Our family is eagerly looking forward to a Mass Avenue that works for everyone, with better cross walks, bus shelters, bike lanes, and new plantings.

If Arlington loses this money, then the taxpayers will be on the hook to pay for much needed repairs. We can’t let this opportunity for a better Mass Avenue pass.

Please vote NO on question one.

Jennifer Susse
Jonathan Shapiro

Teel Street

Safer, more attractive

As a long time resident of Arlington Heights, I greatly value the neighborly, pedestrian-friendly feel of our business district and look forward to the same for East Arlington, thanks to the plan that has evolved through collaboration between experts and residents and which in its present form, qualifies for federal funding.

I have enjoyed watching the plan develop and gain support, witnessing and participating in that process, and I'm very excited at the prospect of enjoying its many benefits—all at little cost to us, except for a travel lane we have never needed and the temporary inconvenience of construction.

I'm sure I will take much greater advantage of the wonderful restaurants, shops and cultural venues in a part of town where I seldom stop now, when it is a safer, more attractive place to visit.

Louise Popkin
Cliff Street

Safety and sense of place

For me, the project is all about increasing pedestrian safety and creating a greater sense of place here in East Arlington.

There is just no way to accomplish those dual goals by keeping the 4-lane freeway we have now.

As a car driver, I know that there just isn't the level of traffic heading toward Arlington Center that needs 2 lanes.

An occasional minor inconvenience is a very small price to pay for increasing safety.

Jennifer Griffith
Edith Street

Highway design does not fit

East Arlington has everything you could want in a neighborhood
and community.

What doesn't fit is the highway that runs through it.

Scott Mullen
Karena Paukulis
Henderson Street

A safe walkable neighborhood

My wife and I moved to East Arlington eight years ago so we could start a family in a safe, walkable neighborhood. 

I support the Mass Ave plan because it will make crossing Mass Ave with my kids safer, and it will make it even more pleasant to visit the business district.

Alex Bilsky
Amsden St.

Cross safely to the best places

It will be really great when the residents of my precinct, from the youngest to the oldest, can safely cross Mass Ave to enjoy the outstanding outdoor and recreational amenities of East Arlington—the Minuteman Bikeway and Spy Pond Park!

Let’s go, Arlington!

Susan Stamps
Grafton Street
Town Meeting Member, Precinct 3

Every way possible

We use Mass Ave every way possible nearly every day. 

It's time for Mass Ave to evolve and better accomodate each of those uses—walking, driving, and bicycling. 

Let's vote no and move forward with a safer and smoother Mass Ave.

The Hite Family
Varnum St

So many reasons

We want a better Mass Ave for many reasons!

We look forward to a place we can bike safely, shop locally, and cross the street without great fear.

Neely Family
Webcowet Rd

We need to vote NO

We need to vote NO to show our support to create East Arlington/Capitol Square as a true destination not just an expressway for exiting the town as quickly as possible.

Kevin Greeley,
Mystic Street

So much to gain

Arlington has so much to gain from a Mass Ave that is truly safe and welcoming to everyone, whether you drive, bike, walk, or take the bus (all of which I do).

This is really about finding the right balance among all the transportation choices people have; right now, Mass Ave doesn't really work well for anyone, and we need it to work for everyone.

The plan will make Mass Ave safer for everyone, especially the most vulnerable road users.

David Watson
Franklin Street

A modern Mass Ave

The new Mass Ave will be a place to go to, not to go through.

A modern Mass Ave will build upon what's great about East Arlington. Mass Ave can be the focal point of our community, not a dividing line unsafe to cross.

I look forward to crossing the street safely with my dog!

Molly Flueckiger
Fairmont St.

A user-friendly main street

We live on the north side of Mass Ave and criss cross the avenue many times a week by foot, car or bike to get to Hardy school, Boys and Girls Club, Capitol Square, the bike path and neighboring towns. 

 

We look forward to a user-friendly main street with improved crosswalks, bike lanes, and road conditions, not to mention updated landscape design. 

 

 With our kids approaching middle-school age, pedestrian safety is a primary concern as they begin to walk and explore the town on their own. 

 

Let's do this now while we have federal funds. What a huge boost it will be for Arlington! 

The Loeb Family

Park St.

View from the Heights

My husband John and I live on the west side of town, though also love to shop and dine at several East Arlington businesses.

But, the wide roadway is such a "pedestrian-hostile" contrast to our business district in the Heights, where Mass Ave is narrower and it's an easy, pleasant place for errands on-foot.

We, in fact, chose our Arlington neighborhood for its walkability.

So, I am very excited about the Mass Ave project, to make the sidewalks and street-crossings more pedestrian-friendly, the roadway safer for bicycles, and the sidewalks more inviting with space for outdoor dining.