North Royalton mayor acknowledges removing school-hour no-right-on-red signs; committee weighs short- and long-term fixes

Vice Chair Sarah Wojslaw and resident Connie Mayer told the Streets Committee on May 6 that a no‑right‑on‑red restriction during school hours formerly governed the Royalwood–Julia intersection and that the sign had been removed years ago. Mayer said the change increased risk for motorists and students at peak school times.

Mayor Paul F. Marnecheck, who spoke during the committee discussion, acknowledged he had asked for the signs to be taken down in the past and said the removal was an error. "I’ll own up to it," Marnecheck said. "I made a mistake."

Council members and residents discussed two possible paths: a short‑term reinstatement of no‑right‑on‑red signage during school hours to reduce immediate risk, and a longer‑term engineering reconfiguration of the Royalwood–Ridge–Julia intersection. Wojslaw said restoring the signs would be a straightforward, interim step while the city evaluates permanent solutions.

Marnecheck cautioned that the city must check legal and traffic rules before acting, saying he did not want to impose a measure that could have an unintended consequence. He asked staff and the Law Department to review whether reinstating a sign is permissible and how the city should inform the community if it proceeds.

Councilmember Mary Gorjanc and others recalled a previous review by Police Chief Tarase that argued against the sign as unnecessary; residents said conditions have since changed and urged a more conservative approach. The mayor said any short‑term sign would not be “declare[d] victory” and that a reconfiguration backed by engineering data may be necessary.

Next steps: staff will evaluate legal constraints and traffic options and report back to the committee; the mayor said he will pursue both short‑term mitigation and longer‑term planning if warranted.