One community in central Pennsylvania has literally taken to the streets to show support for their law enforcement officers.
According to the Lancaster Online, Conoy Township in Lancaster County has painted a blue stripe between the double-yellow lines on some of its streets to express support for police, firefighters and ambulance workers.
But the state Department of Transportation is concerned that the town may have crossed a line — figuratively, that is.
The lines in Conoy Township look very similar to this image, which was taken in the New Jersey township of Aberdeen. (Image via Aberdeen Township/Facebook)
According to the Lancaster Online's report, the stripe doesn't comply with state highway rules.
PennDOT spokesman Greg Penny told the Lancaster Online that drivers could get confused and the township could be liable if the coloring causes a crash. Still, Penny wasn't sure if the agency would take action.
"It’s well intentioned and a nice idea, but it’s not really an appropriate way to show support," he told the newspaper.
More from the Lancaster Online:
Penny said he’s unaware of any other Pennsylvania municipality painting lines in such a way. A couple years ago, a township wanted to paint its centerline red, white and blue to mark its 250th anniversary, but PennDOT denied the request.
Township supervisor chairman Stephen Mohr disputes the idea that a blue line could be such a distraction.
"If that little blue line distracts somebody, they were going to be distracted and weren’t too attentive anyway," Mohr told the Lancaster Online.
The town has no immediate plans to remove the stripes. Towns in neighboring New Jersey took similar action earlier this year, drawing both praise and criticism.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
