City Council

City of Salem, Massachusetts “Know Your Rights Under the Open Meeting Law, M.G.L. c. 30A ss. 18-25 and City Ordinance Sections 2-2028 through 2-2033.” The City Council Committee on Ordinances Licenses and Legal Affairs co-posted with the Committee of the Whole____________________________________________________________________________________ met in the Council Chamber on _Thursday September 18, 2025 _____________ at ______6:00_______P.M. for the purpose of discussing the matters(s) listed below. Notice of this meeting was posted on __August 1, 2025__ at ___ 12:23 P.M._ (This meeting is being recorded) ATTENDANCE OLLA – Hapworth (chair), Morsillo, Jerzylo & Cohen. COW – Prosniewski & Merkl. ABSENT WERE: OLLA – Varela. COW – Davis, Watson-Felt, Harvey & Stott. SUBJECT(S) #437 – No Turn on Red Hapworth - The purpose of this meeting is to review recommendations from the Traffic and Parking Committee about right turns on red at various intersections. We got through more than half in the last meeting. Primarily Ward 1, Ward 2, and part of Ward 5. The goal is to get through the rest of it. We will start at Highland Avenue, intersection with Jackson, Dalton Parkway and Essex Street. Hodge - Highland Avenue, intersection with Jackson Street, Dalton Parkway, and Essex Street. The proposed language is from northbound Highland Avenue to either eastbound Jackson Street or northeast bound Dalton Parkway, and from westbound Jackson Street to either northeast bound Dalton Parkway or northbound Essex Street, right turn on red prohibited. It is currently in the ordinance, and there is a sign. This is clarifying the language adding the directionality. Hapworth - The next one is Highland Avenue, intersection with Old Village Drive from southbound Old Village Drive to southwest bound Highland Avenue. Right turn on red prohibited. Hodge - This would add to the ordinance and add a sign at the Old Village Drive approach to Highland Avenue, but there would be no change in the southbound direction, which is currently not in the ordinance, and not signed, so right turn would be allowed. Hapworth - Moving on to Highland Avenue and the intersection at the Salem Hospital driveway. Hodge - Highland Avenue intersection with Salem Hospital driveway from northwest bound Salem Hospital driveway to northeast bound Highland Avenue, and from northeast bound Highland Avenue to southeast bound Salem Hospital driveway, right turn on red prohibited. Currently, the Salem Hospital driveway approach and the Highland Avenue northbound approach are both in the ordinance but not signed. Hapworth – Moving on to Highland Avenue, intersection with Swampscott Road and DiPietro Avenue. Hodge - Highland Avenue, intersection with Swampscott Road and DiPietro Avenue, from northbound Swampscott Road to either southeast bound DePetro Avenue, or northeast bound Highland Avenue, and from northwest bound DePetro Avenue to northeast bound Highland Avenue, right turn on red prohibited. Currently, the Swampscott Road approach and the DiPietro Avenue approach are not in the ordinance, but they do have signs that restrict right turn on red. Hapworth – We will move on to Highland Avenue, intersection with Willson Street, and Cherry Hill Avenue. Hodge - The intersection with Willson Street and Cherry Hill Avenue, from northwest bound Willson Street to northeast bound Highland Avenue, and from southeast bound Cherry Hill Avenue to southwest bound Highland Avenue, and from northeast bound Highland Avenue to southeast bound Willson Street, right turn on red prohibited. To put that in plain terms, on Highland Avenue, as you travel northbound towards the downtown core, we are proposing to add a restriction and a sign, right turn on red prohibited. From the Willson Street approach and the Cherry Hill Avenue approach, there is currently a sign, but it is not in the ordinance. Morsillo - Is this one that we need the permission from the state to do? Tucker – Yes, we may need to get permission from the state, Morsillo – Can we put up the signs and see if they dispute it? Hodge - We can add it in our ordinance and then circle back about getting the sign permissions from the state. They may just want an agreement that we would be responsible for the sign if it's damaged or needs to be replaced. It could be as simple as that. It could be more complicated, but we're happy to start that conversation if it hasn't already begun. Hapworth - We can move down to Lafayette Street, intersection with Harbor Street, from eastbound Harbor Street to southbound Lafayette Street. Hodge - Lafayette Street, the intersection with Harbor Street, from eastbound Harbor Street to southbound Lafayette Street, from westbound Harbor Street to southbound Lafayette Street, and from southbound Lafayette Street to westbound Harbor Street, right turn on red prohibited is currently proposed. And that is adding any direction you can turn right-on red, except for Lafayette Street northbound, because it is a one-way in the opposite direction. Hapworth - It's a heavily traveled street for schoolchildren. Is that part of the justification? Hodge – There’s a crosswalk at every approach. The stop is back from where the crosswalk is, so the concern from the Transportation Commission was that you must stop and then roll into the crosswalk, potentially having conflicts with someone who is crossing. Cohen –I'm in favor of this because every time I travel, especially southbound on Lafayette. There are so many people who are trying to get across the street. I see pedestrians edging into the street because you can't always see around that corner. Hapworth – We will move on to Lafayette St. The intersection at Loring Ave and West Ave. Hodge - Lafayette Street intersection with Loring Avenue and West Street (sic), from southbound Lafayette Street to southwest bound Loring Avenue, from northeast bound Loring Avenue to southbound Lafayette Street, from northbound Lafayette Street to eastbound West Street (sic), and from westbound West Street (sic) to northbound Lafayette Street, right turn on red prohibited. Currently, from the West Ave. approach and at the Loring Ave approach, it currently is in the ordinance that right turn on red is prohibited, but there is no sign. Then at the Lafayette Street southbound approach, it is not in the ordinance, but there is a sign. Then at the Lafayette Street northbound approach, it is not signed and not in the ordinance, so we are proposing to add a sign and add it to the ordinance. All the locations would be properly signed and in the ordinance. Cohen – I agree that this intersection is dangerous, and you can’t see people coming especially from Marblehead. Morsillo - Looking at the map, you'd have to be creeping out into the crosswalk again to make that turn from Lafayette onto Loring. I am in favor of these four. Prosniewski - That's my neighborhood and I go in and out of there every day when I leave my house to go either downtown or to Vinnon Square. The sign at Lafayette to Loring was added when the intersection was re-done a few years ago. Have there been any accidents at that intersection? Tucker - In the period that we looked at, there are no collisions showing there. Hapworth - The only change I have to this is just to remove the word street from west and add the word avenue in these three different locations. Next up, Loring Avenue, intersection at Canal Street and Jefferson Ave. Hodge - Intersection with Canal Street and Jefferson Street (sic) Avenue, from northbound Loring Avenue to northeast bound Loring Avenue, from southbound Canal Street to westbound Jefferson Avenue. Right turn on red prohibited. Northbound and southbound directions on Loring Avenue are not in the ordinance, but they are signed. Cohen. If you're driving on Canal St. and CVS is to your right, and you're trying to go right onto Jefferson, that is one of the most confusing intersections. Tucker - Those are confusing for the motorist. I would contend even that if you're on Canal Street at the red light, that you wouldn't be going right on red, you'd be going through a red light, until you get to the next stop. That's the one that we need to look at Loring at Jefferson. Do we want to allow a right turn there? It does have good sight lines. It could benefit from clearing the intersection behind it. Morsillo - My only problem with suggesting this is that there is an arrow from Loring taking the left onto Jefferson. And if people are taking that right because they have a right on red, we know no one respects anything here. When they have a right on red, they're going to take it no matter what. That's going to back up that turn lane on Loring Ave. trying to take that left onto Jefferson. Hapworth - We'll move on to Grove Street intersection with Boston Street. Hodge - We have Grove Street, the intersection with Boston Street from South westbound Grove Street to northwest bound Boston Street, right turn on red prohibited. These are currently not in the ordinance, but they are signed, so this would be adding ordinance language where signs currently exist. Hapworth - We'll move on to Nichols Street, intersection with Boston Street. Hodge - The intersection with Boston Street, it's the same location. It's the northeast bound Nichols Street to southeast bound Boston Street, right turn on red prohibited. Hapworth - North Street intersection with Mason Street. Hodge - Intersection with Mason Street, from northeast bound Mason Street to southeast bound North Street, from southeast bound North Street to southwest bound Mason Street, right turn on red prohibited. This is no change to Mason Street which is currently in the ordinance, and it is signed as right turn on red prohibited. It would be adding on North Street, inbound to downtown direction, the southeast bound, adding ordinance and sign to restrict right turn on red onto Mason. Hapworth - Are we at North Street, intersection with Orne Street and School Street? Hodge - Intersection with Orne Street and School Street, from southeast bound North Street to southwest bound School Street, from northeast bound School Street to southeast bound North Street, and from northwest bound North Street to northeast bound Orne Street, right turn on red prohibited. Starting on North Street, there is currently a sign in the westbound direction towards Peabody, but it is not in the ordinance, so this would be proposing to add it. On School Street, heading northbound, there is currently ordinance language to restrict right turn on red, but there's no sign, so we're proposing to add a sign here. Then on North Street, going eastbound into the city, there is currently ordinance language, and it is signed, so we're not proposing any change. And then at the Orne Street approach, it is currently not in the ordinance, and it is not signed, and we are proposing no change. Hapworth - From what we've done here tonight, we've only made two minor amendments here replacing, Street with Avenue on West Ave, and replacing Street with Avenue on Jefferson Ave. Does someone want to make a motion, so we can keep it official? Jerzylo - I’d like to go back to the northbound Congress, onto eastbound Derby Street. Last night at 4:30pm, the cars were 20 cars deep so I would like to do right on red at northbound Congress onto eastbound Derby Street. There's no data for any accidents there. Motion to remove the section that reads, “and northbound from Congress Street onto eastbound Derby Street”. No one seconded the motion. Cohen - Motion to accept the West Street to West Ave and Jefferson Street to Jefferson Ave amendments. Seconded by Morsillo. Motion carries 4-0. Morsillo - Motion to refer to the full Council with a positive recommendation for approval as amended, seconded by Cohen. Motion carries 3-1. On the motion of C. Morsillo meeting adjourned at 6:40 P.M. ________________________________________________________ (Chairperson)