GUEST COLUMN: Bringing Bus Rapid Transit to Arlington (Arlington Advocate 5/9/18)

Have you had the commuter experience of being stuck in traffic, looking at the cars around you, wondering if it would be faster to walk to your destination? If so, you’re not alone. As Arlington continues to grow, with more residents commuting to more places, our current road setup is not keeping pace with our needs. Significant resources were expended to reconstruct Massachusetts Avenue over the last decade; the road is now designed to accommodate many modes of transportation. Massachusetts Avenue is the spine of Arlington’s transportation system and could do even more to capitalize on bus transit.
Up until 1955, a streetcar ran on Massachusetts Avenue on a dedicated track lane from Arlington Heights to Harvard Square. In the 2018 morning rush hour, heavy car traffic, three bus routes, and a growing bicycle community are all competing for street space. The delays are significant, leading to missed appointments and plenty of frustration.
Improving transportation along this corridor is critical to Arlington’s economic development, health, and quality of life. It’s clear we need a solution to move more people, more efficiently, using less space. For these reasons, we’re taking steps to modernize Arlington’s bus system in the direction of bus rapid transit (BRT), starting with a pilot project on Massachusetts Avenue. (read more)

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