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Residents file petition to halt town plan for automated traffic cameras; board to set procedural steps
Summary
Residents and selectmen debated a petition to override a prior board motion that would begin drafting an ordinance and safety plan for automated traffic enforcement; the town clerk will validate signatures before a potential town meeting vote.
Residents and selectmen sparred Thursday over a petition to stop the town’s plan to pursue automated traffic‑enforcement cameras.
The town administrator told the board that a petition seeking to override the board’s earlier motion "is being reviewed by the town clerks. They have 5 days, so they have till Friday to ratify all the signatures." If validated, the board will have 20 days to set a town meeting where residents can vote to extinguish or allow the motion to proceed, she said. The original board motion had authorized the town administrator to prepare an ordinance, a safety action plan and an RFP for vendors for automatic traffic enforcement devices.
Multiple residents argued the board should provide more public information before any town meeting. James Fox, speaking from Doubleday Road, said petition organizers collected "over 330 signatures on those those pages" in a short time and said supporters prefer alternatives such as state police radar patrols. Other speakers expressed constitutional concerns about automated enforcement and warned of misinformation circulating online.
The board did not act to rescind its earlier motion at the meeting; instead members said they will gather more information for the public and follow the petition‑validation process under the town charter.
