City, MAPC to Host Community Conversations for Bike, Walk and Roll Plan

By Barbara Taormina

The City of Revere and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) this week held the first of four community conversations on Bike, Walk and Roll, a plan to make Revere safer and more friendly toward alternative forms of transportation.

“We want to create an environment where it’s safe to walk, bike and roll,” Chief of Planning and Community Development Tom Skwierawski told a fairly small Zoom audience that tuned in to join the conversation.

Skwierawski started the conversation with a personal example. He said that on hot afternoons his favorite thing to do is visit Revere Beach. But he added that he hates getting into a brutally hot car, fighting traffic and hunting for a parking space. “There’s no practical, possible or safe way to walk, bike or roll there,” he said.

Maura Holland of MAPC explained that her agency was on board to help with the goal of making Revere safer for all travelers, which is part of the city’s master plan.

Skwierawski said the main objective is to increase mobility and make Revere streets safer. But he added that the plan would decrease emissions and increase accessibility to spots in the city where people want to go.

According to Holland, MAPC is putting together a working group to piece together a plan – making sure they are building a consensus. She then shared a few facts about traveling in Revere. Of the city’s roughly 21,000 households, approximately 20 percent do not own a vehicle. About two-thirds of residents drive to work, while others use different options. Over the last four years, there have been 2,500 vehicle crashes in the city, many on Broadway, and that number continues to climb. Holland also mentioned that calls to 311 are dominated by requests for road repairs, such as potholes, and reports of illegally parked cars.

“We want to make sure we’re incorporating existing data and community ideas into the plan,” she said.

A draft of the Bike, Walk and Roll Plan is expected next spring and a final report in the summer of 2025. Skwierawski said the plan now includes adding several additional Bluebike stations, which provide short-term bike rentals, on the beach and expanding that network. High on the agenda are projects creating safe walking routes to city schools. And an increase in bike lanes. Any proposed changes will go to the Traffic Commission for approval.

One resident asked what the new bike lanes would look like. Skwierawski said it depends on the area. For example, with the need for parking and traffic, there isn’t much room for a separate, buffered bike lane on Broadway. But the working group will look at conditions and residents’ needs and develop a solution.

Holland said that once it is clear what residents want and need, design engineers will step in and help create whatever road construction is needed to increase safety. Community funding will be critical, she said.

Residents said speeding traffic is among the biggest safety concerns. Holland said the plan involves removing as many cars as possible from city streets. She acknowledged that Revere’s high number of state roads may make some changes a challenge but added that it is possible to work with state agencies, such as MassDOT.

Not long ago, Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna complained that MassDOT had developed a bike lane plan for Bennington Street without talking to the neighborhood or residents who regularly use the road. The planners of Bike, Walk and Roll are determined not to make the same mistake. There will be three more community conversations about possible changes to roads and an online survey for residents to share their idea about how to make Revere a community with multimodal transportation and safer streets for all residents.