By: Geoffrey Middleberg, Contributing Writer

Sen. Toomey introduced legislation today that if enacted would repeal U.S. Department of Transportation regulations requiring towns and municipalities to replace their street signs on the dime of local communities.

The Senator is branding this as a cost-cutting measure for small towns, who the Senator says are already cash-strapped.

Some communities, however, are finding innovative ways to pay for the signs, Northampton County, for example, is going to auction off the old street signs.

On the other hand, towns like Merion in Montgomery County might be forced to replace historic signs that local officials say make their communities unique.
Sen. Toomey said, “I have reached out to the Department of Transportation and look forward to working with them in alleviating the burden this regulation places on Pennsylvania municipalities and taxpayers, At the same time, I am introducing legislation to make sure that communities like Scranton are not forced to foot the bill for expensive federal mandates. While I appreciate the Department of Transportation’s safety concerns, these decisions are best made by local communities and municipalities.”

For its part, the U.S. Department of Transportation says it is trying to make the street signs as clear as possible for drivers in all road conditions.