Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee - Jul 15th, 2026

Meeting held via remote participation. Materials were available from https://arlingtonma.primegov.com/Public/CompiledDocument?meetingTemplateId=6500&compileOutputType=1.

These notes cover a subset of agenda items.

Trike Rental Program

(Grace Carpenter, Disability Commission) Ms. Carpenter says the Disability Commission and Recreation Department are organizing a trike rental program. They have three recumbent trikes which can be rented for three hours on Wednesdays. People sign up, and the trikes are available at the staking rink shed. They provide a fewer pointers and send riders out on the bike path. They need more volunteers, especially people who can repair bikes. You can sign up for the program via the Recreation Department's website.

New State Micromobility Legislation

(Scott Mullen) Mr. Mullen works in transportation demand management planning as his day job, and he was a member of the state's Micromobility Commission. The Commission's plan made sixteen recommendations, and the goal was to create a legal framework to cover the range of micromobility devices we see today. The framework uses a tiered speed-based approach. Tier 0 is for mobility devices that move up to 20 miles/hour, and includes things like bicycles, skateboards, and class I e-bikes. Tier 1 includes devices that move between 20 and 30 miles per hour. Tiers 2 and 3 are faster.

The Governor filed micromobility legislation in April and it's had hearings before the transportation committee. The House's economic development bill contains their version of the micromobility legislation. The Senate has their own version; if it passes, the two bills will go to a conference committee to prepare a final version.

The bill includes things like UL certification for batteries, along with licensing and insurance requirements. Mr. Mullen notes that class I e-bikes can be re-programmed to attain class III speeds.

(Scott Smith, ABAC) Mr. Smith asks if the committee gave any consideration to power limits.

(Scott Mullen) Mr. Mullen says that 750 watts is typical for an e-bike. Some e-motorcycles can have 3000 watts of power. He's not sure if the current legislation mentions power.

Update from the Arlington Police Department

(Ofc TJ Kelly, APD) Ofc. Kelly provides the committee with speed data obtained on the Minuteman Bikeway. They installed a single speed board near Dudley St, to record eastbound traffic for 15 days.

14,485 bikes rode by the speed board during the 15-day period, for an average of 965 bikes day. The median speed was 12 mph and the 85th percentile was 17 mph. The minimum speed measured was 6 mph, and the maximum was 32 mph. Officer Kelly believes the 32 mph make have been a scooter. (summary report)

The town received five speed signs through a MassDOT grant. They'll be installed in the coming weeks, to measure speeds in the new safety zones.

(Linda Epstein, ABAC) Ms. Epstein says she's seen electric golf carts on the street. She asks how those types of vehicles are regulated.

(TJ Kelly) Officer Kelly says they get limited use plates. They typically go 25 mph or less, aren't allowed on highways, and have registration and insurance requirements.

TAC Update

(Scott Smith, ABAC) Mr. Smith is ABAC's liaison on the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). TAC didn't meet in July, so Mr. Smith provides an update from the June meeting.

TAC agreed that the group should do something for town day. Mr. Smith reports that several courtesy signs have been installed on the Minuteman Bikeway in Arlington. Mr. Smith will be TAC's designee to the committee that works on the Minuteman/Mystic connector.

Bike Tour Sponsorship

(Paul Morgan, Somerville Bike Committee) Mr. Morgan's group has sponsored several family bike rides, to promote cycling and awareness of bike infrastructure. They've run into some difficulties with permitting. They'd like to have part of a route in Arlington, and they're looking to partner with a local organization in order to make permitting easier. They're considering a route that would start in Medford and end at the Hardy School.

Hill's Hill Trail Work

(Matthew de Remer, ABAC) Mr. de Remer says there's a group that's formed do maintenance on the Hill's Hill bike park. They've done one work session to remove an unauthorized ramp, fill in pits, and remove litter. They're figuring out how often to schedule work sessions. The group is working in conjunction with the DPW and Recreation Department.

Modular Music Showcase

(Christopher Tonkin, ABAC Chair) Mr. Tonkin says the application for the Modular Music Showcase has been submitted, and will get a hearing before the Select Board on July 27th. It's a placeholder for the bikeway block party. There won't be a bikeway block party this year, but a group of folks wanted to do something on the bikeway. The event will be held on September 13th. Rod Holland and his son are organizing.

Lexington Bike Safety Site

The Lexington Friends of the Minuteman Bikeway created a web site with tips on bike safety. The site is https://www.bike-lexington.org/bike-safety.