Any legal action I can take against North Londonderry Township in Pennsylvania?

[kane1289]

This is a desperate attempt at any legal information I can get about a lack of safety concern in my township.

In 2014 the main road a couple blocks from my house was detoured for a repair of a sinkhole that closed the whole street down for 3 months and Penndot bypassed the main highway traffic down my street. Both lanes were jammed constantly I could not even get out of my driveway and go to the store without it taking 30 mins. Now this year there "repairs" from 3 years have failed and so they are closing both lanes again shortly to repair it again. However this time Penndot detoured people another direction down 117 to 322 and back on 422 towards 934. I contacted them about doing something to deter people from using our street again for their own personal bypass. Penndot explained to me that they did have detour signs up but obviously not detouring down my street this time. So, I contacted the township of my town and explained my concerns and offered an alternate route that is mostly farmland with only about 20 houses connected to the roads, where as now there is a about 70 houses connected to my street and a townhouse community. My street has no sidewalks for anyone to safely travel on and the noise is never ending all day and all night we all deal with this.

Now in their defense they did setup a 25mph speed monitor that flashes at the drivers if they go over 25, but as we all know that is about all it does. We still have to deal with all the cars and all the noise they bring. I feel like they are not listening to me when it comes to the safety of the families on my street and if anything would happen to me, my kids or anyone else would there be a case in which I could hold North Londonderry Township accountable. They are well aware of the traffic that is bypassing the PennDot detour, but refuse to close our street to local traffic only or close the street all together. Something has to be done to deter these people from using our street.

 

[Taxing Matters]

They are well aware of the traffic that is bypassing the PennDot detour, but refuse to close our street to local traffic only or close the street all together. Something has to be done to deter these people from using our street.

That’s a political problem, not a lot a legal one. You and your neighbors do not have a right to exclusive of your street, which is a public street, nor does the township owe you any particular level of traffic on your street.

 

[kane1289]

I'll try to remember that when there is a dead kid laying on the road.

 

[CTU]

I'll try to remember that when there is a dead kid laying on the road.

I'm sure that happens all the time and would never happen otherwise.

 

[not2cleverRed]

That’s a political problem, not a lot a legal one. You and your neighbors do not have a right to exclusive of your street, which is a public street, nor does the township owe you any particular level of traffic on your street.

Also, if PennDOT is responsible for the detour, OP should be complaining to PennDOT, not the township.

 

[Taxing Matters]

I'll try to remember that when there is a dead kid laying on the road.

Your concern for safety is laudable, but it still does not change the fact that this is a political problem, not a legal one. In order to sue, you would have to show that the city specifically owes YOU the obligation to reduce the traffic on your street from the detour. The problem is that the law does not impose any such duty on the city. Rather, these are the sorts of things that get hashed out in the political process.