Arlington Ends Shared Streets Pilot On Mary Street

ARLINGTON, MA — Arlington officials will examine the effectiveness of a shared street pilot on Mary Street. The program ran from Oct. 9 to Nov. 18, reducing vehicle speeds and creating safe social distancing space for pedestrians and bicyclists.

In October, the Select Board approved use of the street from Littlejohn Street to Margaret Street. Using materials such as cones, sandwich boards, sawhorses and signs, the town created traffic-calming elements with a $10,947 grant from MassDOT.

The pilot will be evaluated using the following data: car traffic volumes and speeds on the street before and during the pilot; before and after data of usage by people walking and biking; general observations of safety, social distancing and mask usage; and resident feedback

As part of the program evaluation, the town created a survey for the neighborhood and residents to complete. Complete the survey no later than Dec. 11.

An update will be presented to the Select Board in January.

Arlington has been piloting shared streets since May 2020 and has regularly updated the Select Board about the progress and results of the pilots.