Kent comments on speed camera plans

KENT — A public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. on Nov. 22 for the adoption of a new traffic safety ordinance that would install two speed safety cameras along Route 7 to the north and south of downtown.

At the Tuesday, Nov. 12, special meeting of the board, the selectmen voted to approve edits made to the ordinance chapter, and move forward to a public hearing ahead of a town vote on Dec. 6. If the town votes the ordinance through, it will then be passed on to the state for approval of the location of the cameras.

“There are quite a few speeders that have come into town lately,” said First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer. He located the ordinance as part of a multi- year effort on the part of the town to slow traffic in the center of Kent.

“Post Covid, people are back on the road,” he said, also citing the increasing permanent and visitor populations as contributing to increased excessive speed incidents. After several years of trialing speed mitigation measures, such as lowering speed limits and installing LED “your speed” signs, the situation hadn’t tangibly improved, said Lindenmayer, citing reports from police and the town’s own speeding data collection project.

Lindenmayer said the new ordinance is “a tool” to finally address the speeding issue in town. He mentioned that the town of Washington, Connecticut, is just ahead of Kent in its own process of implementing speed cameras, and has been helpful in providing data and guidance.

Lindenmayer stated that the cameras would be installed in plain sight with the proper signage — “no hidden cameras or moving them in the middle of the night,” as he put it.

“From the start, this has been a safety issue,” said Selectman Glenn Sanchez at the Nov. 12 meeting. He related a story of how he was once passed by another vehicle — crossing the double yellow line — while driving down Main Street. “It was unbelievable,” he said.

Selectman Lynn Worthington reported that some residents fear the move has other motivations. “I’ve heard complaints that this is another way to tax residents,” she said.

She recommended the board be upfront at the public hearing about the financial aspects of the ordinance. “It’s not a money-making endeavor,” she emphasized.

Lindenmayer was careful to point out that the ordinance itself states that any money received from citations will have to go toward the maintenance of traffic programs, such as improving signage and painting crosswalks.