Feds To New Jersey: Blue Lines Painted In Support Of Law Enforcement May Confuse Drivers
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Municipalities across New Jersey that have chosen to honor law enforcement by adding a streak of blue to the middle of their roads have been advised by federal officials to stop the practice.
A Dec. 8 letter from the Federal Highway Administration to Somerset County's Engineering Division confirmed that the blue center lines are in violation of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways.
The MUTCD states that "the pavement surface must be visible in the space between the lines in the same way that it is visible outside the lines.''
Office of Transportation Operations Director Mark Kehrli added in the letter that blue paint should only be used for designating handicap parking spaces.
The FHA said the blue lines could be unsafe and confusing to drivers, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.
The Boro of Glen Rock has painted a blue line on Harding Plaza in support of the GRPD as have many other towns in the...
Posted by Glen Rock Police Department - NJ on Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Residents in Glen Rock, where a ceremony was held in October to unveil a blue line down the middle of busy Rock Road, have no problem with the paint.
"It seems like more bureaucracy than a safety issue to me," one resident said. "I'd say the average driver is not going to be confused about a handicapped spot in the middle of the street. I don't see how it is a safety issue if I've been driving through town for three months and haven't noticed it."
"I've been driving 25 years so it's just something in the middle, they do it for St. Patrick's Day in some towns so I'm not sure what the difference is," another resident said.
"The federal government probably should worry about other things," another said. "It doesn't confuse me, we know what a white line is, we know what a yellow line is."
Mahwah Mayor William Laforet said for his town, it's important for police officers to have a visual reminder of support, WCBS 880's Kelly Waldron reported.
"We will not be removing that blue line because we feel very strongly about the way our officers keep our community safe," he said.
It's unclear whether municipalities can be penalized for keeping the blue lines.
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