Traffic working group sets new petition rules, recommends enforcement and traffic-calming studies on several Revere streets

The Revere traffic working group presented new petition rules and recent speed-data findings at the Sept. 18 Traffic Commission meeting, recommending targeted enforcement and referrals to on-call engineering for several streets.

Transportation coordinator Julie Demaroz, of the Department of Community Development, said the group will require a signed petition of at least 10 neighbors that specifies an exact block (for example, a direction and block segment) where speeding is occurring. Demaroz said the working group will primarily use the 85th-percentile speed metric but build flexibility into decisions by considering raw vehicle counts that exceed posted limits on high-volume streets.

Demaroz said: "One of the key things is that all petitions have to have something coming in from the neighborhood. So there needs to be the 10 signatures signed petition by a group of residents within the neighborhood for this particular petition." She added that when the 85th percentile does not show excessive speed the group will still consider streets where 50 or more vehicles exceed 25 mph or where average volumes exceed thresholds for further review.

Data and recommended follow-up

- Haddon Street: Two data-collection series showed no speeding by the 85th-percentile metric. The working group recommended targeted enforcement with Revere Police during peak periods (6–9 a.m. and around school midday) rather than immediate infrastructure changes. Staff reported an increase of about 200 cars on the street during the first week of school compared with summer detour conditions.

- Centennial Avenue: Although the 85th percentile did not exceed the threshold, staff recorded 257 vehicles exceeding 25 mph. The working group recommended consideration of a raised crosswalk and a drainage review and sent the location to the city's on-call traffic contractor for design and placement evaluation.

- Campbell Avenue: A second data collection north of an existing speed hump showed the 85th percentile above 25 mph and 247 vehicles recorded over 25 mph. The working group recommended trial placement of removable speed pillows and further placement analysis by on-call engineers following Federal Highway guidance for spacing between speed-hump devices.

- Endicott Street (at Leverett Avenue): Data showed the 85th percentile above the speed limit with about 225 vehicles over 25 mph. Because of street geometry and connections, the working group recommended a broader on-call review that could consider bump-outs, extended islands or other solutions and noted that subsurface utilities could affect project scope.

Other items

- The commission received a request from Mayor Keith asking Police to enforce M.G.L. c. 91, §1(e) and for an education campaign in schools about motorized-scooter laws and proper use. Chief Levita reported the department had issued an internal directive and bulletin for school resource officers and officers across the department, describing enforcement options and outlining the law.

- The commission agreed to reach out to MassDOT about safety measures at 795 North Shore Road at Vera Street and Oak Island after repeated collisions that the property owner said has occurred over more than a decade; staff will forward the resident's email to MassDOT for evaluation of guardrails or barriers.

Demaroz said future data collection will include Mills Avenue, Rice Avenue, Walnut Place, Lantern Avenue and East Mountain Avenue; the working group will return to the commission with on-call engineering recommendations and any proposed traffic-calming installations. "We'll be looking at East Mountain again," Demaroz said, "because normally when you change the roadway, you put in a sidewalk, you narrow the roadway, that lowers speed."

What happens next: The working group will refer recommended sites to the on-call engineering contractor for design and placement analysis, coordinate targeted enforcement with Revere Police for sites like Haddon Street, and bring proposed infrastructure changes back to the commission following the on-call reviews or pilot trials.