The elimination of Route 80 west of College Avenue would have severed the only connection between Arlington Center and Medford-Tufts.
The final (Fall 2022) iteration of the Bus Network Redesign merged the western half of Route 80 with the 350 to Burlington, with weekday headways of 25 minutes (rush hour), 50 minutes (mid-day), and 90 minutes after 7:00 p.m. Weekend service is planned for 50 minute headways before 7:00 p.m. and 90 minute headways in the evening. The long headways renders the route useless for riders looking to extend a Green Line ride from Medford-Tufts west along Boston Avenue and into Arlington.
A Better 80 to Arlington Heights would provide Somerville, Medford, and Arlington neighborhoods with a convenient connection to the new Green Line and Boston.
Join your neighbors in supporting A Better 80 bus service connecting the new Green Line Extension with Somerville, Medford, and Arlington neighborhoods. Join our Facebook group to lend your support to our effort.
Rationale:
- The Boston
Region Metropolitan Planning Organization walked
back its initial commitment to extending the
Green Line to Mystic Valley Parkway, in
order to reduce the project's cost. Aligning bus
service along Boston Avenue to the Green Line
trains, west of Tufts, compensates for the unbuilt
portion of the Green Line Extension.
- The MBTA charges Arlington an annual assessment weighted by nine times the town's population. These weights are equal to communities with extensive fixed rail service like Newton, Medford, and Somerville.
- On December 2, 2020, Arlington's Select Board cited the unfair MBTA assessments and the heavy utilization of transit in town as critical reasons for improved service to the Green Line Extension. They argued against the elimination of Route 80, because it is the only bus service connecting Arlington to the Green Line Extension.
- Arlington
Town Meeting adopted resolutions in 2023 and 2024
calling for the MBTA to provide frequent, reliable
service from Arlington Heights, through Arlington
Center, and along Medford Street and Boston Avenue
with convenient connections to the West Medford
commuter rail station and the Tufts-Medford
terminus of the Green Line Extension.
- Frequent Route 80 service is not an expensive addition to the network. 6 peak hour buses would be required to provide frequent service on a short 4.3 mile route.
- Depending on the time of day, Route 80 buses can travel between Arlington Center and the new Tufts-Medford stop in 6-14 minutes. The bus travels along a route that is shorter and less congested than Route 77's path along Massachusetts Avenue, connecting Arlington to the Red Line at Porter or Harvard.
- Frequent Route 80 service will create an easy, practical connection at West Medford Station (from the stop at Boston Avenue & Harvard Avenue) for riders who choose to access the MBTA Commuter Rail.
Walk off the train, get on the bus. A
Better 80 would align service to allow for a
fast, easy transfer from Green Line trains to buses.
Click
here for a sample Route 80 bus schedule and
weekday travel times.
Join us on our Facebook Groups page.
