The Salem City Council on Jan. 9 adopted a home-rule petition asking the Massachusetts Legislature to allow the city to use automated cameras to enforce speed limits in designated school zones.

Councilor John Marcello, who introduced the measure, said the cameras would “make it safer for students going to and from school” and that the petition limits enforcement to cases where a vehicle was recorded at more than 10 miles per hour over the posted limit. Marcello said violations would be mailed to the vehicle owner, would not automatically appear on a driving record as a moving violation, and that funds collected would be used for road safety projects and driver education.

The petition, Marcello added, is a resubmission of a measure the city has filed previously. “Massachusetts is one of only a handful of states that do not allow automated enforcement of speed or red light violations,” he said, arguing the change would reduce danger around schools.

Council discussion emphasized child safety. Councilor Stott said he was hopeful the recent state action on school-bus stop-arm cameras would help this petition advance. Councilor Cohen said he supports the petition but prefers the violation be treated as a moving violation; “I’m actually in favor of this being considered a moving violation,” Cohen said. Councilor Abey, who described having family members who drive buses, urged stronger penalties. Councilor Watzenfeld and others said they support automated enforcement as a first step and expect it to open the door to other camera-based traffic enforcement over time.

Marcello also addressed a technical limitation of camera enforcement: “It’s just a technicality of how the violation is written. Possibly as video enforcement and camera angles and everything gets better, we can pinpoint the exact driver,” he said, acknowledging current limits on tying video to a specific driver.

The council adopted the motion by roll-call vote; all 11 councilors present voted in the affirmative. The action sends the petition to Salem’s state delegation for consideration in the legislature.

The petition requires legislative approval before cameras could be installed; councilors said warning signs and advance notice would be part of any local implementation and that recent state changes allowing video enforcement of school-bus passing laws are related developments.

Why it matters: Council supporters framed the petition as a safety measure for children walking to and from school and as a step that could broaden the use of camera enforcement for other traffic safety issues.

What’s next: The city will forward the home-rule petition to state lawmakers; passage there would permit municipalities to implement the kind of automated school-zone speed enforcement described in the petition.