Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign: Post-Ridgewood Run Cleanup Sparks Neighborhood Confusion
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Since 1976, the Ridgewood Run® has been a beloved Memorial Day tradition in Bergen County. Drawing thousands of competitive athletes, recreational runners, families, and spectators, this spirited event perfectly showcases the beautiful, tree-lined streets of the Village of Ridgewood while celebrating health, wellness, and community.
But while the race itself is a massive success for the town, the aftermath of this year’s event has left some local residents feeling frustrated and confused.
The issue? A slow post-race cleanup—specifically involving hundreds of temporary “No Parking” signs that lingered long after the runners crossed the finish line.
When Event Set-Up Forgets the Clean-Up
For an event of this scale, logistics are massive. But as local neighbors point out, hosting a major town event requires remembering that people actually live here. For residents, how a neighborhood looks and functions after the crowds go home is just as important as how it gets set up before the starting gun fires.
Following this year’s race, a flood of temporary “No Parking” signs littered the race area, creating immediate neighborhood confusion.
Initially, some neighbors believed race participants or organizers had littered the area with useless signs as early as Saturday. Worse, because the signs remained posted well past the event’s conclusion, many residents were genuinely scared to let anyone park on their own streets, fearing fines or towing.
The Timeline of the Delay
While some signs—such as those on Fairfield between Glen and Linwood—were finally removed by Monday afternoon, others remained standing much longer. As of 8:30 AM the following morning, signs were still seen lining the route from Glen Avenue to Franklin Turnpike.
A Communication Breakdown: Public Works vs. Police Department
When annoyed residents reached out to the local government for answers, they were met with a bit of municipal finger-pointing.
The Ridgewood Public Works department initially suggested the signs were put up for traffic control for the Memorial Day Run but directed further inquiry away, noting that the signs were actually placed by the law enforcement.
Ultimately, Ridgewood Chief of Police Forest Ross Lyons stepped up to clear the air and explain the logistical bottleneck.
“The officers were supposed to remove them when they relieved their post yesterday,” Chief Lyons assured residents. “However, we did not have all officers from our town; some were from other towns. We have officers out now removing the rest.”
Because Ridgewood relies on mutual aid from neighboring police departments to secure a race of this magnitude, the directive to take down the signs during post-duty wrap-up didn’t make it to the out-of-town officers.
Looking Ahead to Next Year’s Ridgewood Run
The Ridgewood Run remains the perfect way to kick off summer in New Jersey, and its status as a premier local tradition isn’t up for debate. However, this year’s “sign snafu” serves as a textbook reminder for town planners: the goodwill of the neighborhood is essential and post event planning is just as important are the event planning itself.
Moving forward, a dedicated “sign-recovery sweep” by local Ridgewood personnel could easily prevent this kind of post-race headache, ensuring that residents get their streets—and their parking spaces—back just as fast as the runners finish the race.
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Back to the drawing board, meeting of the minds. Still can’t figure this out.
Who is in charge?
You are. You have a brain and two hands. Use them.
What a nothing burger this story is – fake outrage
I observed Parking Enforcement take signs down on Tuesday working at a snail’s pace.
If this is Ridgewood’s biggest problem we are pretty dam lucky! Move on to a real issue.
Next time state the day and times of no parking. Was previously done with flyers on the telephone poles.
I wouldn’t worry about it. Parking enforcement is only worried about writing tickets outside of Salad House.
In other parts of the world people worry about important things.
In Ridgewood we worry about signs, leaves, and the temperature of our Latte.
When a resident believes the race is over, call the police department (at 201-652-3900) and ask whether the sign can be taken down. If so, walk outside, remove the sign, and throw it in the trash. Done and done.
From what I see on a daily note, that there’s a lot of this organization going on throughout the village
Yes, definitely communication needs to change across the board.
I cannot believe people put thumbs down on communication, when you lose communication, you lose everything, I would love to talk to a person or persons that put thumbs down regarding communication, there is a lot of miscommunication from department to department. A lot of rumors, a lot of backstabbing, a lot of storytellers, just bullshitters, and a lot of jealousy. And if you don’t follow a click, they don’t inform you on anything. It’s just you’re saying, that’s why Morales shot the shit. No one trust anyone. It really is one big joke. It’s amazing how much as kissing goes on. And the ones that put thumbs down, those the people that are causing trouble.
Lies, the biggest bullshitter walked out the door a few years ago.