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Kennebunk climate committee flags West Kennebunk traffic surge and eyes EV charging, survey
Summary
The Climate Action Committee reviewed a Transportation Emissions Report that found increased summer traffic in West Kennebunk and suggested using the data to site EV chargers, run a community survey and study retail leakage; the committee approved prior minutes and assigned follow-ups.
The Kennebunk Climate Action Committee reviewed a Transportation Emissions Report June 15 that showed a measurable increase in traffic in West Kennebunk and identified patterns the committee could use to target transportation strategies.
Karina presented the report, calling the finding that "the west Kennebunk increased traffic is valid," and said she had removed as many variables as possible to isolate the trend. She said the analysis used TomTom GPS-based trip data, which provides origin, destination, trip duration and average speed, and that seasonality produced higher volumes in summer months.
Lee Jay Feldman, the committee’s staff liaison, and Joshua Tabor cautioned that commercial traffic — including Commerical trips associated with Corning and Poland Spring truck routes — may skew the results. Lisa Pratt, a member of the Select Board, noted Poland Spring routes trucks along the same corridor and said those routes should be included in the dataset.
Committee members discussed how the findings could inform practical steps: siting new EV charging stations where trips concentrate, commissioning a Retail Leakage study to target economic development, and designing a community survey to confirm resident travel behavior. Joshua Tabor said he would email Stephen to gauge interest in developing the survey; Karina said she would check whether the survey aligns with the town’s alternative energy plan and incorporate revisions before sharing them with Lee Jay for review.
The committee also discussed operational issues such as reducing idling by tour buses. Karina noted that most trips appeared to be to and from the Port rather than downtown Kennebunk, a pattern the committee could target with localized strategies.
The committee recorded one procedural action: approval of the minutes from the June 1 meeting (motioned by Joshua Tabor and approved by the committee).
The committee asked Karina to update the Transportation Emissions Report with recommended clarifications and to circulate the revised draft for further comment. No formal vote on policy or expenditures related to EV infrastructure was taken; the committee set tasks for staff and volunteers as next steps.
