By Adam Swift
Ward 1 City Councillor Joanne McKenna will be moving to an at-large seat next year, but currently, she is still making sure the city addresses a number of traffic issues in her ward.
At last week’s council meeting, McKenna introduced several traffic-related motions.
McKenna asked that the mayor request that MassDOT mark a “Don’t Block the Box” area on Bennington Street at the intersection of Crescent Avenue.
“What happens is traffic backs up on Crescent Ave., they try to get out, take a left to go to Boston, and … if the traffic is all the way down to the Beachmont School, they can’t get out,” said McKenna. “If someone lets them out, there are two rows of cars and they can’t see who is coming in the opposite direction, and someone is going to get whacked. These boxes do work, especially in California, California has them everywhere, and I would like to see more of them come to Revere.”
McKenna noted that it is the second time she has made the motion, and hoped that MassDOT will do the right thing.
McCkenna, along with Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky and Ward 3 Councillor Anthony Cogliandro, introduced a similar motion for the mayor to request that MassDOT install “Don’t Block the Box” markings on the VFW Parkway at the intersection of Beach Street.
“People try to run the light at Beach Street, and then there is a row of cars in the opposite direction and they can’t get through,” said McKenna.
Novoselsky said the intersection has been an issue for a long time.
“It is a very bad intersection; people who are blocking the intersection don’t even live in Revere, it’s all the people coming from out of town,” he said. “There is a sign there that says don’t block the intersection, but people don’t understand it and don’t do it, they still block and cause major gridlock at that intersection.”
McKenna also introduced a motion asking that the Mayor request MassDOT to increase the timing of the traffic signalization on Winthrop Avenue for traffic headed West to Revere Beach Parkway and lower Winthrop Avenue.
The current timing has traffic backed up to the intersection of Winthrop Avenue and North Shore Road during rush hour, according to the Ward 1 councillor.
Novoselsky introduced a motion requesting the Department of Planning and Community Development work with DCR, MassDOT, and the traffic commission to reduce the crosswalk at the intersection of Campbell Avenue and Revere Beach Parkway for the safety of pedestrians and traffic safety.
Since there is a new opening at the median strip for the Revere Fire Department, the reduction would force cars to take a right onto the Parkway instead of crossing over to head to Beachmont or Suffolk Downs, according to Novoselsky. He said the request was previously submitted in 2023 with no action.
