A Major Trail Improvement at Arlington Blvd & Pershing
Level of Effort: 5 minutes, at home in your PJs
Deadline: Mon 12/5 11:59pm

There's a weird gap in the Arlington Blvd Trail in front of the old Days Inn at Pershing Drive.  For about half of a block, the trail turns into a paint-only two-way bike lane on a service road.  A redevelopment proposal, called The Arva, could turn this weak link into one of the nicest bits of the Arlington Blvd Trail as well as adding a block of protected bike lane to Pershing Drive, but with some additional feedback it could be even better!

The new section of trail looks great, but the new plaza it feeds into looks like it will be pretty dead and useless - it would benefit greatly from a water fountain & Fixit station for trail users, as well as outdoor seating, especially if the proposed retail was moved adjacent to the plaza.  The new piece of protected bike lane on Pershing Drive currently only calls for paint & plastic bollards in the buffer between the cars and the bike lane - this should be upgraded to full curb protection.  Finally, this project still needs to "earn" some density via community benefit - we suggest they could extend the protected bike lanes further - there is space in the existing median that could be used to do it - and/or extend the trail improvements further west.

 

Suggested Feedback

LAND USE:
The retail should be moved to be adjacent to the corner open space / trail plaza.  This would help activate what could otherwise be a pretty dead place.

OPEN SPACE:
The corner open space / plaza would be a great location for a water fountain for trail users, as well as seating! An outdoor cafe would be a natural fit if the retail were re-worked to abut the plaza instead of the residential lobby.

TRANSPORTATION:
The protection for the bike lane should be concrete curbs, not painted asphalt & plastic sticks. Paint is not protection. Also please ensure an easy transition from the Pershing Dr bike lane to the Arlington Blvd Trail - the current turn looks tight for long-wheel-base bikes and bikes pulling trailers. Trail lighting is needed for safety. Resident bike parking should be able to accommodate all types of bikes - not all bikes can fit in the stacking-style bike racks currently being shown for the resident bike room.

OTHER:
Suggest extending the proposed protected bike lane to both sides of the street and westward to Barton Street as an off-site transportation improvement to earn additional density. The existing median should provide sufficient space for the needed buffer.  Also would be a worthy off-site transportation improvement to extend the improved trail further west (both the widening and the improved landscaping / shade trees).

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