Residents Sound Alarm Over Driving Schools Flooding Mill Street Neighborhood

By Barbara Taormina

REVERE – Residents from the Mill Street neighborhood were at the City Council meeting this week to support a motion from Ward 1 Councillor James Mercurio and Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya that the Mayor request the Mass. Registry of Motor Vehicles to review and enforce regulations regarding driving school instructors conducting on-road instruction in the city of Revere in a disruptive manner, which places a burden on local infrastructure and public safety resources.

Mill Street resident Niko Kostopoulos said the neighborhood is inundated with driving schools. “The registry does its road test in our neighborhood, so driver education goes on all day, every day, from 7 a.m. till it gets dark out,” said Kostopoulos. “The driving schools stage at the nearby DCR Cronin Memorial Skating Rink, where there are signs that say ‘Road Test Parking.’”

Kostopoulos said student drivers are practicing U-turns, parallel parking and making sudden stops, which make the streets unsafe for children and families.

Maria Kostopoulos shared a story of how she was crossing Mill Street and was almost hit by a student driver. She said she just wanted the council to understand it’s a problem with public safety.

Taft Street resident Brenda D’Errico said the problem with driving schools has been going on for two years. And D’Errico said it’s driving schools from Lynn, Everett, Chelsea — from everywhere. She said student drivers frequently run through stop signs, posing a risk for kids crossing the street. And it doesn’t let up. D’Errico said that at night student drivers are back in the neighborhood driving and practicing with their parents.

“These streets have become an informal training ground for multiple driving schools, creating an ongoing strain on the quality of life and public safety,” Mercurio told fellow councillors.

“The volume and concentration of vehicles on these streets is excessive. We are asking the mayor to work with the registry to review these practices and ensure regulations are being followed and enforced and that no single neighborhood is being unfairly burdened,” he added.

Councillor Guarino-Sawaya echoed Mercurio and said instructors are having driving students practice unsafe maneuvers, such as three-point turns and parking near an intersection, which causes congestion. She said she has corresponded with the mayor and State Rep. Jessica Gianinno, who have both been on the phone and sent emails to the registry.

“I am requesting that the mayor continue with the registry,” said Guarino-Sawaya. “It’s not about limiting driver ed, it’s about ensuring it’s conducted safely and responsibly within a residential neighborhood.”

Councillor-at-Large Marc Silvestri said he had done some research and found there are no restrictions or regulations for driving schools and on-road instruction. He said the city could initiate times when driving schools could operate. He also said enforcing traffic regulations and issuing violations would also be a way to rein in the driving schools.

The City Council unanimously supported the motion.