Shift Towns · Massachusetts
Walking, biking & transit in Arlington
See the routes Arlington neighbors actually walk, ride and take transit on, what's happening locally, and how the town is trending — built from real trips logged in the Shift app.
Keep a pulse on Arlington. New street projects, meetings worth your voice, and how Arlington is moving. One or two emails a month.
Get involved in Arlington
Safer streets are made by neighbors who speak up. Start small:
Public Meeting | Bus Network Redesign Proposed Updates: Route 70 and Connecting Routes (Virtual)
The MBTA is asking riders to weigh in on proposed changes to Route 70 and connecting bus routes serving Waltham, Watertown, Newton, Arlington, Cambridge, Belmont, and Needham.
Attend the virtual meeting→- Report a street issueReport an Issue (SeeClickFix Arlington)→
- Ask about joiningTransportation Advisory Committee (TAC)→
In Arlington
Advocacy groups
- Sustainable Arlington — A resident-led Envision Arlington committee and Mass Climate Action Network chapter working toward the town's climate and sustainable-transportation goals — new volunteers welcome.
Meetings & comment pathways
- Arlington Public Meeting Portal — Browse agendas and upcoming meetings for every town board and commission — the place to catch street and transit projects while there is still time to comment.
Your transportation department
- Transportation Planning — Dept. of Planning & Community Development — The town's planning office leads Connect Arlington, the 20-year sustainable transportation plan, and shapes walking, biking, and transit improvements across town. (cricker@town.arlington.ma.us · 781-316-3092)
Regional & statewide groups, 8 more
Advocacy groups
- Mystic River Watershed Associationregional — Headquartered right in Arlington, this watershed group is building the Mystic Greenways network of walking and biking paths and welcomes volunteers for events and work days.
- LivableStreets Allianceregional — The Metro Boston advocacy group for people-centered streets and transit, whose research and comment letters cover projects across the region.
- TransitMattersstatewide — The transit advocacy group pushing for faster, more reliable buses and trains across Greater Boston, with data-driven campaigns anyone can join.
- Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA)statewide — A statewide coalition of community groups advocating for safe, affordable, and reliable transportation choices in every corner of the state.
- WalkMassachusettsstatewide — The statewide walking advocacy organization that leads walk audits and pedestrian-safety campaigns, with open network meetings on Zoom the third Wednesday of each month.
- MassBikestatewide — The statewide bicycling coalition — a way to plug into bike advocacy, group rides, and Bike Month events across Greater Boston and beyond.
Commuter perks & fare help
- MBTA reduced faresstatewide — Reduced-fare programs for seniors, riders with disabilities, people aged 18–25 on low incomes, and middle and high school students. Most cut the fare roughly in half.
Get updates
- MBTA accessibility alertsstatewide — Live notices when an elevator or escalator is out of service, plus how to arrange a shuttle when one is. Worth subscribing to if a lift is part of how you get to the platform.
Events near Arlington
A few picks over the next 30 days — the full calendar has everything.
Queers on Wheels Shop Night
Wed, Nov 11 · Somerville Bike Kitchen · 3.5 mi away
FreeLGBTQ+Flat Fixing
Tue, Nov 17 · BU Cycle Kitchen · 4.8 mi away
FreeBeginner-friendlyStudentsFree Bike Repair Workshop at BPL East Boston
Tue, Nov 17 · BPL East Boston (Boston Public Library East Boston Branch) · 7 mi away
FreeBeginner-friendlyFamily-friendlyWeekly Multigroup Community Sunset Walk at Fresh Pond+optional dinner 3:15pm EST
Sundays · next Sun, Nov 8 · Aberdeen Ave & Huron Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138 · 2.6 mi away
FreeFamily-friendlyBeginner-friendlyGreat Oaks - a walking tour
Sun, Nov 8 · Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge, 02138, United States · 2.9 mi away
FreeRegistration req’dFamily-friendlyRoams to try
Self-guided routes. Preview the full route here, then check in at each stop in the Shift app to unlock the badge.
Photo: Karl AlexanderMystic River Greenway (Alewife to Medford)
Starts 1.4 mi from central Arlington · Bike · 6.7 mi route · 41 min · Arlington · Somerville · Medford
Two rivers, two T stations, and 300 years of history between them
Starts 1.6 mi from central Arlington · Bike · 6.4 mi route · 42 min · Cambridge · Arlington · Bedford
Follow the road the British marched in 1775, Alewife to Lexington Center.
Photo by Alex Jones on UnsplashStarts 2.2 mi from central Arlington · Bike · 4.3 mi route · 29 min · Somerville · Cambridge
Davis Square to Lovejoy Wharf, end-to-end on the new Somerville extension.
Trails in and near Arlington
Paths of their own for walking and biking, with where to get on.
- #11 of 14
- Massachusetts towns by shift rate in November
- 37
- active trips so far in November
- 93.3
- active miles
- 83
- lbs CO₂ avoided*
- 12
- neighbors active so far in November
Shift Rate is the share of trips taken actively (walk, micromobility, transit). Counts cover November 1 through today, based on trips logged by Shift community members that start or end in Arlington — a growing sample, meant as an interesting local signal, not an official or census-level count. *CO₂ avoided is estimated from active miles traveled (EPA 404 g/mi baseline).
Where Arlington moves
New to Arlington? You're joining a town that moves — neighbors logged 11,147 trips on foot, by bike, and on transit in the last 90 days, and Massachusetts Avenue, Somerville Community Path and Somerville Avenue are where you'll find them. A corridor appears only once three or more different people have traveled it — and it follows Arlington residents wherever they go, including into neighboring towns, within about six miles of the town center.
Momentum
Active trips in Arlington by week ending, last 5 completed weeks, and climbing.
Friendly competition
Massachusetts towns by shift rate so far in November, the share of trips taken actively. Every town here has its own page: local stats, popular routes, events, and ways to get involved. Arlington is 35 points behind #1.
How Arlington moves
Trips and miles neighbors logged so far in November, by mode.
Share of trips
Share of miles
- Walking
- 14 trips · 17.3 mi
- Biking & scooting
- 12 trips · 38.1 mi
- Bus
- 10 trips · 35.7 mi
- Train
- 1 trips · 2.1 mi
- Driving
- 25 trips · 241.2 mi
What is this?
Shift is a free app from Green Streets Initiative, a Somerville nonprofit since 2006, for finding better ways to get around. Every walk, bike ride and transit trip people take with Shift adds to Arlington's totals on this page. Shift counts trips on its own.
Help Arlington climb the board.
Every walk, ride, and transit trip counts automatically. Download Shift free and put your trips on Arlington's board.
Community stats reflect trips by Shift community members that start or end in Arlington and refresh hourly. Municipalities and community groups can request aggregate data at info@gogreenstreets.org. A project of Green Streets Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.