You're Breaking the Law by Backing Out in Montgomery

If you live anywhere in Montgomery Township, and you back out of your driveway, you're breaking the law.

The township will look to amend that this month.

Bruce Shoupe, director of zonning and planning for the township, requested supervisors Monday night authorize advertisement for a March 25 public hearing to amend the zoning code for the Required Parking" section under Article 19: Off-Street Parking and Loading.

Shoupe said the section was originally put in the zoning code in 1967, and later amended in 1981.

Shoupe said, per the existing ordinance, every vehicle should be turning around in a driveway or lot and exit frontways onto township streets.

"It directly relates as to how cars are not allowed to back out into roadways," Shoupe told supervisors. "The present code is subject to every roadway in the township, even residential streets."

The amendment would correct the zoning code to prohibit backing out onto county roads, state roads and high-traffic secondary township roads only.

"We feel the true intent was for the high-traffic roadways, the county roads, the state roads and the high-traffic secondary roads," he said.

In other words, under the proposed amendment, vehicles leaving residential, commerical or industrial lots onto a county road, state road or secondary township roads must do so frontways.

"I’ve violated this ordinace for the past 17 years," joked township Supervisors Chairman Joe Walsh. "Could you ticket my wife just for kicks?"

Supervisors approved the advertisement in a 4-0 vote for the March 25 public hearing. Supervisor Robert Birch was absent from the meeting.

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