Councillor McKenna seeks to slow down motorists on Winthrop Avenue

Ward 1 Councillor Joanna McKenna says motorists are speeding on Winthrop Avenue and she wants a solar-powered speed reader installed on the busy street in Beachmont that continues downward to Winthrop’s Short Beach along Winthrop Parkway.

The Council unanimously approved McKenna’s motion that Mayor Brian Arrigo request the Police Department to install the speed reader between 651-951 Winthrop Ave. McKenna said that motorists are racing up the street after the stop sign, thus making it a dangerous situation for pedestrians and children.

“We have a problem because we have Winthrop residents cutting through Winthrop Avenue and Crescent Avenue,” said McKenna. “Cars are speeding up the street. I’m asking the mayor if we put a solar powered speed reader from 651 to 951 Winthrop Avenue to slow the traffic down.”

Ward 5 Councillor John Power said he would support McKenna’s motion and that he would also like to see similar signage on Route 1A/North Shore Road. “This needs to be done ASAP,” said Powers. “We need traffic signalization down there – and more enforcement.”

McKenna also made a motion that the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) replace faded “No Parking” signage on both sides on Winthrop Parkway.

The Council also approved McKenna’s motion to have a Verizon representative appear before the Council “to explain why old telephone wires are still hanging and wrapped around utility poles throughout the city.”

“It’s happening all over the city, but in Beachmont, it’s the worst,” said McKenna.
Power backed up McKenna’s motion, requesting that City Clerk Ashley Melnik send a letter to Verizon asking the company why the problem has not been addressed.

Councillor-at-Large George Rotondo lauded the intention of the motion, but “we need to get the mayor to get these people [Verizon and RCN representatives] here. At the end of the day, it’s the mayor who signs the contract, it’s the mayor who’s going to be able to enforce the contract.”
McKenna made it 4-for-4 with the unanimous passage of her motion to have the Fire Department and DPW conduct a public safety test on Bellingham Avenue for the purpose of checking safe passage of fire apparatus and snow plows due to state regulations preventing the parking of vehicles on sidewalks.

New Ward 6 Councillor Richard Serino hit the ground running with two requests for the Traffic Commission to study the possible installation of a three-way stop sign at the intersection of Washington and Mountain avenues and the replacement of a “Do Not Enter” sign (that previously faced easterly) at the intersection of Linehrust Road and Agatha Street. Serino said he will speak about his requests at the next meeting of the Traffic Commission.