Special to the Journal
The Revere Traffic Commission held a regular monthly meeting last Thursday, May 15, in the City Councillor Joseph A. Del Grosso Council Chambers. On hand for the session were Chair and DPW Director Christopher Ciaramella and fellow members City Engineer Nick Rystrom, Police Lieut. Sean Randall, and Acting Fire Chief James Cullen.
The commission held two public hearings, after which the commissioners voted to adopt proposed changes to the city’s parking and traffic control ordinances.
The first hearing pertained to a request for the metering of 17 public parking spaces designated for public use at the Gibson Apartments 2. Zach Babo, the city’s Parking Director, told the commissioners that the developers sought the spaces in order to provide parking for patrons of the new restaurant in the apartment complex.
Babo explained that the developers paid for the installation of the meters and that the spaces will be available to members of the public who wish to use the nearby conservation area. “This is a ‘win-win’ for the city because the developer is paying the costs of the meters and the public will be able to use them,” Babo said.
The commission unanimously approved the motion.
Next up was a request to reduce the speed limit on Campbell Ave. between Centennial Ave. and the Revere Beach Parkway from 25 to 20 m.p.h
Ward 2 City Councillor Ira Novoselsky, who had championed the proposal, spoke briefly in favor of it, noting that streets in the city that are commercial roadways have the lower speed limit, and a residential street should have a 20 m.p.h. limit as well.
“This is a request from my constituents,” said Novoselsky. “Campbell Ave. has become a cut-through for commuters and people are flying down that street. There have been 11 accidents in the past three years on the lower part of Campbell Rd.”
Ciaramella noted that MassDOT still must review the change in the speed limit because Campbell Ave. intersects the Parkway, which is a state roadway.
There were no opponents and the commission approved the measure, subject to final approval from MassDOT.
The commission then took up a request to add metered parking spaces in the Shirley Ave area as follows: four on Dehon St., 12 on No. Shore Rd., and 12 on Shirley Ave. In addition, a number of 15-Minute Only, 1-Hour, and 2-Hour parking spaces would be added in the area.
However, Novoselsky requested that the matter be tabled until he is able to hold a community meeting with residents to make them aware of the implications of the new parking spaces. The commissioners agreed to table the motion.
The commission next considered items of new business. The first was an amendment to exclude a number of multi-family developments from being eligible for the city’s resident on-street parking sticker program. The text of the amendment was as follows:
“The following new and proposed multifamily residential developments shall be included under Section 10.34.020 (G) as non-eligible for residential parking stickers:
8 Avon Street (12 units)
Amaya at Suffolk Downs (475 units)
650 Beach Street (32 units)
51-53 Centennial (13 units)
21 Green Street (29 units)
1510 North Shore Road (16 units)
1499 North Shore Road (38 units)
1198 North Shore Road (144 units)
1473 North Shore Road (11 units)
110 Ocean Avenue (48 units)
100 Revere Street (32 units)
571 Revere Street (52 units)
8 Revere Street (9 units)
451 Revere Beach Blvd (16 units)
459 Revere Beach Blvd (59 units)
37 Revere Beach Blvd (18 units)
133 Salem Street (71 units)
163 Shirley Avenue (24 units)
38 Walnut Avenue (20 units)
55 Walnut Avenue (30 units)”
Ciaramella and Babo spoke on this item, pointing out to the commissioners that these projects (some of which have not been completed) had received variances and special permits from the Zoning Board of Appeals on the condition that the residents of the developments would not be able to park on the city’s streets.
The commission unanimously voted to send the motion to a public hearing for its next meeting.
The next new request came from Councillor Anthony Cogliandro “for DO NOT ENTER – RESIDENTS ONLY signs to be placed at the beginning of 18 Rossetti Street and 19 Rossetti Street due to vehicles using the street to park all day and night.”
Rystrom suggested that “parking is the real concern” and that the “Do Not Enter — Resident Only” signs are not enforceable. He made a motion to amend the request to implement instead a “24-hour resident parking only” area. The commissioners voted to adopt the amendment, which they will take up at their next meeting.
Julie DeMauro from the City’s Planning and Community Development Office came before the commission to present the findings of the city’s Traffic Working Group (TWG) regarding a number of measures, which were described in the agenda as follows:
— Charger Street: The 85th percentile speed exceeded the speed limit at both the 52 and 181 Charger Street, the two areas where data was collected. All other criteria were also met. The TWG recommends that a flashing speed sign north of Grover Street be installed, as well as a stop sign at the intersection of Grover Street & Charger Street.
In addition, Christine Robertson, a Charger St. resident, requested that a speed bump be installed on the roadway.
However, DeMauro said that given the volume of traffic (more than 20,000 vehicles per day) on Charger St., a speed bump would not be appropriate and the commissioners agreed not to include speed bumps in the measure.
— Proctor at Adams Street: Proctor Ave: The 85th percentile speed exceeded the speed limit at this location, and the site met all the other criteria for Traffic Calming. In addition, it meets priority criteria due to its proximity to RHA senior housing and a daycare facility. It is proposed to place a speed hump west of Smith Street and a stop sign at B Street.
The commissioners voted unanimously to send both of those matters to a public hearing for its next meeting.
DeMauro noted that the TWG did not recommend the installation of traffic calming measures on Mills St. because the 85th percentile speed did not exceed the speed limit of 25 mph.
