Arlington Residents Petition To Change Jason/Mill St./Mass. Ave. Intersection

A group of Arlington residents have created a petition to return the Mill St./Jason St./Mass Ave. intersection to an exclusive pedestrian intersection.

Last month, the town of Arlington changed it to a concurrent traffic pattern, which gives pedestrians a few seconds to start across the crosswalk before traffic is allowed to proceed, which would presumably give the right of way to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

The town implemented the change in order to help improve the flow of traffic on the intersection. However, some Arlington residents feel that it is not safe for a number of reasons.

First, the group cites a June report from the Boston Regional Organization that says concurrent crossings are not good for areas that have a high population of senior citizens, students, and people with visual and motor impairments.

Second, Residents also believe the new system is dangerous because motorists are trying to turn left and right at the same time as pedestrians are crossing. The group cites a 2013 Oregon State University study that concludes that drivers are often focused on signal lights when making left turns, not pedestrians.

Finally, petitioners believe that because drivers have to wait for pedestrians in the crosswalks to cross, that traffic is becoming even more backed up.

Those who want to read the petition and/or sign it can follow this link.