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Resident complaint prompts city study of Fairmount Boulevard/Taylor Road intersection after repeated crashes
Summary
A Fairmount Boulevard resident told council he has been struck repeatedly by vehicles after a guardrail was removed; city said it contracted engineering firm GPD to study the intersection and will meet with the resident and neighbors.
A Cleveland Heights resident told council on March 3 that vehicles fleeing police or otherwise have struck his house multiple times after a guardrail that once protected his property was removed following a Fairmount Boulevard project. The city said an engineering study is underway and recommended near-term traffic-safety measures already put in place.
Resident John Gall said the guardrail outside his home was removed after a resurfacing project in the mid-2000s and described three separate crashes that damaged his property, including a 2012 incident in which a vehicle traveling at high speed struck cars in his driveway and damaged his garage. Gall said he had repeatedly requested the guardrail be reinstalled and that temporary signs and markers placed by the city were insufficient.
City response and next steps: City officials told Gall they contracted engineering firm GPD at the end of 2024 to perform a comprehensive safety and traffic analysis of the intersection; the study is expected to be completed within about 30 days and GPD will meet at City Hall with Gall and neighbors to gather local observations. The city also described interim measures already installed: illuminated flashing LED signs indicating the t-intersection, a double-sided arrow in the tree lawn, and a speed hump/table on southbound Taylor Road.
Questions about ODOT: Council asked whether Ohio Department of Transportation rules prevent reinstallation of a guardrail. City staff said ODOT traffic engineers and local engineers have said a guardrail was not appropriate at that specific location primarily because of lot width; the transcript records no written ODOT pronouncement specific to the property. Staff suggested continuing the engineering study rather than litigating the matter at a council meeting.
Ending: City officials said GPD’s site study should take place within two weeks and will gather input from Mr. Gall and other neighbors; any recommended safety work beyond interim measures will follow the engineering firm’s findings.
