I. Campaign to reclaim sidewalks and pedestrian space. Aims: Keep sidewalks in good repair and clear of obstructions (overgrown shrubs and trees, ice and snow, parked cars). Add sidewalks in areas already popular with walkers: Routes to schools and to business districts;

II. Campaign to promote walking. Walking is good, healthy, nonpolluting exercise. Short-trip, light-load errands are well suited to foot traffic. Foot traffic is good for business. Improved pedestrian amenities will encourage and tend to increased foot traffic;

III. Improve Arlington's streets and paths for pedestrian use. Aims: Improve warning signs and crosswalk markings. Make sure street crossing signals are well timed and in working order. Plan traffic-calming efforts for the entire avenue with special attention to the commercial shopping villages;

IV. Advocate for fair enforcement of state laws and local bylaws. Work to establish a new image for Arlington as a town where drivers and pedestrians understand their respective rights and responsibilities and share the streets with respect. Set speed limits in town for safe walking and safe driving. Ensure that existing laws are enforced fairly and consistently.

Most of the reports of sidewalk issues (being collected in winter) were about snow removal and enforcement of existing bylaws. The major issues concern:

1. Snow & ice removal from residential sidewalks the responsibility of the home owner;
2. Snow & ice removal from sidewalks in front of stores the responsibility of the building owner or tenant;
3. Snow & ice removal from sidewalks along other public ways bus stops, crosswalks, on and under bridges, cemeteries, public buildings, etc. the Town's responsibility.

Various actions relating to snow removal have been proposed:

1. Work with the Town Manager and DPW to identify problem regions and lobby for adequate budget and manpower allocations. A number of specific problems are named in the database. The Town Manager has publicly acknowledged the Town's responsibility for keeping public ways clear.

2. Educate residents and store owners about their responsibilities. Suggestions have included a direct-mail campaign and targeted signage.

3. Publicize the Ottoson "Links" program and other volunteer resources to help people who can't clear their own walks.

4. Improve compliance with snow removal bylaws. Work with the Department of Public Safety to raise the priority and design a specific process for identification, notification, monitoring, escalation and enforcement.

5. Work with the DPW to prevent "mountains" of snow on resident's sidewalks after street plowing, particularly at intersections.

6. Consider bringing back town-operated sidewalk plows, particularly for walking routes to schools.

Other walkway issues mentioned include:

1. There are sections of roadway which have heavy pedestrian traffic, but lack adequate sidewalks. Segments of Summer St., Lowell St., (especially near the Reservoir) and Gray St. have been identified as being particularly hazardous.

2. There are a number of heavily-used sidewalks in town which are being used as parking lots, forcing pedestrians onto the street. Specifically mentioned are certain sections of Summer, Forest, Lowell and Gray Streets. This is presumably illegal, so parking alternatives need to be identified, and the laws publicized and enforced.

3. There are reports of some other specific situations, such as shrubbery blocking a sidewalk.

4. The sidewalk along Mass. Ave. between Pleasant St. and Swan Place is too narrow.

5. Inconsistent sidewalks -- when there's a sidewalk for about 3 or 4 houses from the corner, and then it just ends abruptly (primarily in the Bishop School area). Once you know where it happens you can plan ahead by crossing over at the corner, but if you're walking a new route and pushing a stroller or walking with a small child that you're trying to teach about rules for safe walking it's kind of frustrating.

6. More curb cuts (or whatever it's called when they make the little ramps at the corner) needed. Not only would they make things more accessible for wheelchairs, but for strollers too! Right now, you're faced with either walking in the street for a relatively smooth ride, or taking the sidewalk when there is one for a very bumpy ride on the sidewalk itself and up and down the curbs at corners.

A few reports relate to the Minuteman Trail

1. Signage and education about the required use of bicycle lights after dark;

2. Signage and education about "rules of the road" and appropriate behavior;

3. Hazards from the crumbling bridge near Alewife.

II.    Campaign to promote walking

Members have made a number of proposals to promote walking:

1. A library exhibit to promote walking and safe walking habits, good places to walk, books on walking, maps, etc. This project is in progress and will be on display in May. (Note - the 1st Walking in Arlington library display was featured in Robbins Library in May, 2000)

2. Provide education on safe and considerate walking habits: waiting for "Walk" signals, using cross-walks, avoiding conflicts with cars and bicycles, appropriate behaviors, etc.

3. Promote walking to school, in conjunction with the "Safe Routes to Schools" program. Provide education on safe walking habits to children and parents, resolve safety issues, etc.

4. Work with the development board and businesses to encourage a more complete mix of local retail, so that there would be less reason to drive out of town to shop. Work with business owners to provide more "walker-friendly" store fronts benches, sidewalk hygiene, etc.

5. Organize and publicize Council on Aging walks, nature walks, historical walks, etc.

6. Help efforts to promote walking to and in the Great Meadows, Alewife Reservation, Menotomy Rocks Park, etc: better signage, improved points of access, trail marking and maintenance, maps, bridges, fence breaks, guided tours, etc.

7. Coordinate an ongoing campaign of letter writing, lobbying, etc. to "keep the heat on" regarding pedestrian issues.

8. Meadow Brook Park needs an identified entrance, clear boundaries, protection from dumping, and a dry path on at least one side of Mill Brook.

9. A footbridge over Alewife Brook just north of Route 2 would make for a nice walking loop. Of course, the brook needs to be restored to a semi-natural state (i.e., not a concrete ditch) and the fence removed (but that's another project).

III.    Improve Arlington's streets and paths for pedestrian use

Specific hazardous situations along Mass. Ave. have been identified. These problem sites need to be studied, improvements identified, and those improvements pushed through the system:

1. The intersection of Lake St. and Mass. Ave.

2. Other stretches in East Arlington where Mass. Ave. is very wide and crosswalks are inadequate.

3. The entrances to Walgreen's east of Arlington Center.

4. The intersection of Pleasant St., Mystic St. and Mass Ave., particularly the lack of compliance with illegal right turns.

5. The intersection of Appleton St. and Mass. Ave. People don't notice the change from flashing yellow to red.

6. The intersection of Park Ave. and Mass. Ave. The bright lights are specifically mentioned as being a problem because they obscure visibility under some conditions.

7. The intersection of Paul Revere, Wollaston and Mass. Ave., by Walgreen's and Trader Joe's.

8. The intersection of Grafton St. and Mass. Ave., in East Arlington.

9. There is no WALK button at the intersection of Mass. Ave. and Medford St. in front of the Computer Cafe (there is one on the Starbucks corner).

Other hazardous roadway situations not on Mass. Ave have also been identified for possible improvement:

1. Gray St. and Endicott, a broad intersection at the top of a hill, with fast traffic, poor visibility and "no place to run".

2. Minuteman Trail crossings at Lake St. and Mill St. (no signals of any kind)

3. There are no crosswalks at the rotary of Mystic Valley Parkway and River St.

4. Some streets have inconsistent sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to cross the street frequently, or walk in the street. (Gray St., Heard St. and Forest St. were specifically mentioned.)

5. Some corners still do not have curb cuts.

6. Brick sidewalks can become slippery when wet. Brick and asphalt sidewalks deteriorate. Concrete sidewalks provide better traction and are more durable.

A number of people have suggested adding more crosswalks and a median strip with pedestrian waiting areas on the wider parts of Mass. Ave. in East Arlington.

Many issues involved general maintenance of sidewalks, intersections and the Minuteman Trail. Members of Walking in Arlington could become "extended eyes and ears" of the Departments of Public Safety and Public Works to report wear, damage, and vandalism to existing pavement, signs, lights, walk buttons, crosswalk markings, etc. The database includes a number of specific reports, and the proper authorities have been identified for most situations. A reporting and follow-up process needs to be created.

There is also a proposal to work with the town and others to add and maintain more street trees along Mass. Ave. and other major streets to provide shade and comfort, without blocking the sidewalks.

There was also a proposal to campaign to end the ban on overnight parking. The ban is causing people to park two cars in a one-car driveway, thereby blocking the sidewalk.

IV.    Advocate for fair enforcement of state laws and local bylaws

Inadequate enforcement of the following infractions is commonly reported:

1. Illegal traffic motion, particularly right turns on red arrows and "no turn on red" violations

2. Stopping at crosswalks

3. Lack of snow removal on residential and storefront sidewalks

4. Parking on sidewalks and blocking other public ways

Suggestions have been made to publicize the laws and penalties, identify chronic violations, and work with the Department of Public Safety to improve enforcement. One suggestion is to develop one or more zones of "Draconian" enforcement.

Another issue concerns educating the public about how to contact the Dept. of Public Safety to report non-emergency violations (i.e. call 643-1212, not 911).