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  • Minuteman Bike trail & Arlington, MA

  • General discussion related to Rail Trails nationwide, including proposed rail trail routes. The official site of the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy can be found here: www.railstotrails.org.
General discussion related to Rail Trails nationwide, including proposed rail trail routes. The official site of the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy can be found here: www.railstotrails.org.

Moderator: railtrailbiker

 #879407  by aline1969
 
I was told that Arlington wants to narrow Mass ave from two auto lanes to one, bump out sidewalks corner, add bike lanes. This would really slow down the already long and hard working 77 bus from Harvard Sq to Arlington Heights. There is a bike path (Minuteman Bike Path) that just about runs beside Mass Ave in Arlington, I dont understand why the bike people need bike lanes and make it harder for bus riders, buses carry thousands of people, 77 carries like 8500 a day, in the winter there are hardly any bikes... to cold.
 #900351  by Arlington
 
The answer is simply that the Minuteman Path is a victim of its success and wide popularity, and is now jammed with walkers, joggers, kids in strollers, and non-commuter cyclists, such that any cyclists who actually commute to work find it faster on Mass Ave.

Bus service will also get special treatment under the Mass Ave plan, and in general, the plan favors modes (Bus and Bike) that move more people per square foot of pavement.

Project details can be found here:

http://www.arlingtonma.gov/Public_Docum ... sAve/index
 #900713  by Arlington
 
Two more thoughts:

1) The 77 bus' problem/opportunities (like bus-bunching) will be addressed by the MBTA in April 2011 (see http://www.mbta.com/keybusroutes). The main theme in other redesigned routes seems to be fewer stops that are: a) longer (easy-in, easy-out) (b) better located and (c) have better amenities (shelters and trash compactors) and (d) work better with traffic lights.

2) The bike routes only take a net of 1 lane (a half lane in either direction). That one lane wasn't going to do cars much good anyway, since it would make for exactly two lanes in each direction (and no turn lanes). The traffic engineers believe that 3 car lanes, arranged as 1 thru lane in each direction, with left turn lanes at every possible turn (and some extra right turn lanes), actually moves better than today's 2 lanes in each direction where the turning traffic in the left lane causes unexpected stops and weaving. And there aren't as many turns possible as you'd think given the number of one-way streets.
 #1211585  by NRGeep
 
Arlington wrote:Two more thoughts:

1) The 77 bus' problem/opportunities (like bus-bunching) will be addressed by the MBTA in April 2011
Still happens frequently.
 #1211867  by Arlington
 
NRGeep wrote:
Arlington wrote:Two more thoughts:1) The 77 bus' problem/opportunities (like bus-bunching) will be addressed by the MBTA in April 2011
Still happens frequently.
Rather than further vex the rail gods by discussing the Mode Which Must Not Be Named,you'll want to see the Archboston.org thread on MBTA Key Bus Routes. An MBTA project that's only now in its construction phase (and was at least partly intended to address bus bunching, but is now mostly a street-furniture thing).