FHA Frowns On Blue Lines On New Jersey Roads
by Kim Glovas
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A number of New Jersey communities began adding blue lines to roads in October, to honor their police forces.
But a letter from the Federal Highway Administration says that's a violation of federal rules.
Local towns including Cherry Hill, Mantua, and Oaklyn have lined part of a street with blue paint to honor police officers. But Somerset County in North Jersey asked the Federal Highway Administration for clarification before it moved on the idea.
In a letter dated December 8th, the FHA said space between two parallel lines should be pavement or black top. It said filling in the space does NOT comply with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways.
In addition, the letter says, blue paint should be reserved "exclusively" for the background color for accessible or handicapped parking spaces.
The FHA says it DOES support law enforcement, but there are other ways to do so without changing road markings which could cause confusion to motorists.
