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