Traffic Commission approves temporary changes on Sigourney and Derby

  The Traffic Commission approved a 60-day trial of new traffic patterns on Sigourney Street and Derby Road to address neighborhood concerns about motorists who use the two streets as a cut through between West Revere and Squire Road. Both streets are currently one-ways, but the 60-day plan will change the one-way directions for portions of the street.

  Derby Road is currently one-way coming off Squire Road all the way to Malden Street. The change would make the lower half of Derby Road from Grover Street one way going out to Squire Road, while the upper half of the road toward Malden Street would remain unchanged. Conversely, Sigourney Street would switch to a one-way street going from Grover Street toward Malden Street, while the bottom half of the street heading toward Squire Road would remain unchanged.

  Ward 6 City Councillor Richard Serino said he hopes the changes will provide some relief for residents from motorists who use the two streets as cut throughs. Serino said he hopes to address traffic issues on the other side streets in the neighborhood in the future. “On Derby Road, I would say that since Joe’s Market opened in 2013, and since Market Basket came to Northgate in 2014, and over the years with more traffic in general on Squire Road and in our community, these residents of Derby Road have seen a dramatic increase of traffic coming off of Squire Road onto that one-way,” said Serino.

  Meanwhile, Serino said, motorists use the one-way on Sigourney Street as a cut through to head from West Revere toward Northgate and Rte. 1.

  At last week’s Traffic Commission meeting, a number of residents spoke in favor of the proposed changes and raised their concerns about the increased traffic, safety issues and trash in their neighborhoods as a result of the traffic. Derby Road resident Michelle Kelley said there has been a tremendous increase in traffic since Market Basket opened in Northgate, and that trash from the nearby fast-food restaurants is a continual problem. She said the traffic and trash problems will only get worse when a Popeye’s restaurant proposed for Squire Road at Derby opens.

  Kelley also presented a petition in favor of the changes signed by all the residents of Derby Road from Grover Street to Squire Road. Additionally, she noted that 1,600 vehicles per day travel down Derby.

  Sigourney Street resident Joanne Giannino presented a petition from her neighbors in support of the changes, noting that over 4,100 vehicles per day travel down her street.

  Several Sigourney Street residents, including Revere Police Sgt. Chris Giannino, said there is a constant danger of accidents on the street. “My car has been hit three or four times in front of my house, and every one of my neighbors has lost a car or two in front of their houses over the past 10 years,” said Sgt. Giannino.

  One resident did caution that making changes to Derby and Sigourney would only push the issue toward the other small side streets off of Squire Road.

  Serino said he hopes the changes on Derby and Sigourney are only the beginning and that a larger plan to address traffic in the entire area is developed.

  Part of the reason the Traffic Commission adopted a 60-day trial is so the police department could analyze data to see how it impacts the surrounding streets, according to Traffic Commission Chair Paul Argenzio.

  “We don’t want to push the problem to other streets,” said Traffic Commission Member and Police Chief David Callahan, adding that the department would be analyzing the traffic data. “We absolutely have to do something because these folks need some relief, and I can see their frustration.”

  Serino said he supported the 60-day trial for the new traffic patterns, which is scheduled to start on Sept. 1, with the caveat that things don’t go back to the way they were after the trial period.