Bike Friendly Arlington

According to a recent Star-Telegram story, Arlington is funding a pilot bus project to connect downtown and the TRE line at center point. The annual cost of this service is $700,000 with $350,000 of that coming from the city.

To put things in terms of bike infrastructure:

Arlington’s cost share of the bus service for one year shadows the cost of the Hike & Bike plan’s cost for a 30-year build out of bike lanes and sharrows. A total of 72 miles of on-street infrastructure!

Cheers to Arlington for trying out regional connectivity.
Jeers to Arlington for missing out on greater local connectivity first!

If council members can cast a vote and write a check to fund a limited, bus pilot-program for 1-year, why couldn’t they just as easily have funded the on-street portion of the bike plan and gotten 30-years of building done in the same 1-year time frame?

We urge you to contact your council representative and cc: the entire council. The only way that the Hike & Bike plan is going to get the attention that it deserves is if the Council hears from you.

jimmy.bennett@arlingtontx.gov; sheri.capehart@arlingtontx.gov;  robert.cluck@arlingtontx.gov; michael.glaspie@arlingtontx.gov; charlie.parker@arlingtontx.gov; robert.rivera@arlingtontx.gov; robert.shepard@arlingtontx.gov; kathryn.wilemon@arlingtontx.gov; lana.wolff@arlingtontx.gov

Subject: Bicycle Infrastructure and Local Connectivity

Dear Mr./Mrs.X
I recently read the Star-Telegram article titled “Pilot project could have buses running in Arlington.”

I was shocked to find out that the city is willing to spend $350,000 on a 1-year pilot project for buses, but not $247,000 to finish 30-years worth of on-street bike infrastructure. In my opinion, this funding has been misplaced.

I support regional connectivity, but let’s work on local connectivity first.

Thank you,

Jane Smith
123 Elm St.
Arlington, Tx