Harris street, Revere Meeting Statement
Dear Editor,
I attended the meeting last night, and I left feeling fired up.
The turnout alone was proof that residents of this city are deeply upset. With more notice and time to prepare, I believe even more people would have attended.
I also want to acknowledge that Tom Skwierawski did a good job facilitating the meeting. Managing a room full of frustrated and emotional residents is not easy, and that effort should be recognized.
That said, after reflecting on the discussion and its outcome, I am left feeling unheard and somewhat misled.
Throughout the meeting, much of the responsibility was attributed to MassDOT and other outside agencies, with the suggestion that they are preventing the city from taking action. However, what was overwhelmingly clear in that room was simple: residents want Harris Street restored to the way it was. I use the word “simple” intentionally, because from our perspective, it truly is that straightforward.
We were essentially told that restoring the street to its original configuration is not going to happen.
Instead, the proposed solutions involve adjusting additional routes and surrounding streets to compensate for the problems created by the Harris Street change. This creates a domino effect — layering fix upon fix rather than addressing the root issue. It feels like a temporary patch rather than a meaningful solution. If we continue down this path, we will keep chasing secondary problems without ever resolving the original one.
Harris Street is a city-owned road. That means someone in this city has the authority to make changes. Residents are not looking for extended pilot programs, layered traffic experiments, or minor adjustments such as additional signage and speed bumps. We are asking for immediate, decisive action to correct what has clearly become a serious quality-of-life issue for this neighborhood.
When residents asked what could be done right now, we were told “better signage and some speed bumps.” That response does not reflect the urgency or the scale of the problem. This situation is affecting daily life, safety, traffic flow, and overall well-being in this area.
How long is this going to take? The community is asking for immediate relief. Restoring the street to its original configuration would eliminate the chain reaction of adjustments being proposed elsewhere.
This should not be as complicated or convoluted as it is being made to seem.
The residents of this city — and especially those in this neighborhood — do not deserve to feel dismissed or pushed aside. It is frustrating to feel as though citizens are being forced to do the investigative work and advocacy themselves when responsibility ultimately lies with city leadership.
We are asking for accountability, clarity, and action.
Molly O’Hara
