Arlington has been named the 19th best city for drivers according to WalletHub's latest rankings, which consider a variety of factors such as the cost of vehicle ownership, traffic conditions, road safety, and accessibility to automotive services. The study compared a whopping 100 large U.S. cities, weighing 30 different metrics to arrive at its conclusions, the City of Arlington's website reported.
The evaluation process spanned four key areas: Cost of Ownership & Maintenance, Traffic & Infrastructure, Safety, Access to Vehicles & Maintenance, and Arlington's composite score amounted to 58.46, positioning it justly among the top 20, alongside Texan brethren Corpus Christi, Plano, and Lubbock, each city graded on a 100-point scale to measure the driver-friendliness quantitatively.
When delving into Arlington's Traffic and Infrastructure, the quality of roads and bridges stood out. The Public Works Department allocates a solid $28.7 million for street maintenance and, even more, a hefty $61.9 million for construction endeavors aimed at improving commutes within the 99-square-mile urban expanse.
Moreover, Arlington boasts a street-rating system, classifying streets into Red, Yellow, or Green to identify and prioritize repair needs and prevent roads from entering a state of disrepair, leading to extravagant rebuild costs with 82% of the city's 3,015 lane miles maintaining a score of Yellow or Green, indicating a vigilant approach to infrastructure by city planners.
The city's commitment to safety is encapsulated in the Safe Streets Arlington initiative, which seeks to enhance protection for all roadway users through the integration of safety projects in regular street maintenance and construction undertakings. According to their website, this will foster an even safer driving atmosphere in the city.
