City Council Addresses Speeding and Noise Issues

  As the City Council headed into its lighter summer schedule, it took up some of the perennial issues of the season Monday night: speeding, parking and noise complaints. With a light agenda aside from approving the FY22 budget, several motions were on the floor addressing traffic issues in the city.

  Ward 4 Councillor Patrick Keefe said the quality of life issues upset residents and that he is requesting a public safety campaign in the city to address speeding. “We hear your concerns and we are doing everything we can to mitigate the issues,” said Keefe.

  Councillor-at-Large Jessica Ann Giannino addressed the fireworks concerns the week of the Fourth of July, reminding residents that fireworks are illegal and can cause trauma for veterans and disturb pets.

  Ward 5 Councillor John Powers presented a motion asking the public works department to install a “Slow Children” sign at appropriate locations on Sagamore Street and Rice Avenue. “Both of those areas – there is a playground down on Sagamore Street; there’s constantly children during this weather going over to the Rice Avenue beach area – who live in that area,” said Powers. “I think that as a way to curtail any of the speeding down there and advise people that there are children in both of those areas, I think that this is something that really should happen and should happen right away in a week or so.”

  Powers also introduced a motion requesting the Traffic Commission to install stop signs facing both directions on Rice Avenue at the intersections of Delano and Whitin Avenues in an effort to reduce speeding.

  Keefe presented a motion of his own requesting the Traffic Commission to install a stop sign on Prospect Avenue going west, at the intersection of Homer Street.

  “The three biggest concerns that we get, especially now in the summer, are speeding, parking, and then we are going to be dealing with all the calls for noise complaints, whether they are fireworks complaints or outside gatherings,” said Keefe. “The calls we get – I had a very concerned resident who lives on this street, and quite frankly, he was upset and he said, what are we doing? He was understanding that we have added speed readers throughout the city. I’ve asked for a public safety campaign from the City of Revere and the Revere Police Department; we’ve added more stop signs; we’ve added different traffic signals. But ultimately, the speeding hasn’t stopped – Park Avenue – there have been some issues. I am in a ward with a lot of through-ways – cutting through Everett, cutting through to get out of Broadway traffic.”

  Keefe said he wants to shed some light on the issue and hopes residents can be more vigilant and more respectful of each other.