Kent voters deny traffic cameras

Kent voters deny traffic cameras
Photo by Riley Klein

A Jan. 7 referendum vote to permit traffic enforcement cameras in Kent failed to pass with 391 "no" votes to 100 "yes" votes.

Kent's proposal was to purchase two traffic cameras to remotely ticket speeders.

Town Hall announced results approximately 20 minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m.

The referendum asked: "Shall the Town of Kent enact the "TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT SAFETY DEVICES" ordinance as on file in the Town Clerk's office, thereby authorizing the deployment of Automated Traffic Enforcement Safety Devices (ATESD) within the Town of Kent at school and pedestrian safety zones and at such other places approved by the Connecticut Department of Transportation to monitor and record motor vehicle speeds and to permit the imposition of fines for speed violations of at least 10 miles per hour in excess of the posted speed limit?"

The follow-up item read: "In the event question #1 is answered in the affirmative, shall the Town of Kent appropriate the sum of $46,296 to purchase two ATES Devices for deployment within the Town of Kent?" (Yes: 103, No: 388)

Traffic enforcement cameras were approved for use in Connecticut by general assembly vote in June 2023. It is up to municipalities to implement the cameras.

To date, Washington is the only town in Connecticut to approve use of the devices.

First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer said speeding is an issue in town, particularly near the elementary school, but the voters made it clear that speed cameras are not the solution for Kent.

"We will continue to look at ways to improve pedestrian safety," said Lindenmayer.

Latest News

Ruth Franklin discusses ‘The Many Lives of Anne Frank’ at Beth David

Ruth Franklin and Ileene Smith in conversation at Congregation Beth David in Amenia.

Natalia Zukerman

Congregation Beth David in Amenia hosted a conversation on the enduring legacy of Anne Frank, one of the 20th century’s most iconic figures. Ruth Franklin, award-winning biographer and critic, shared insights from her highly acclaimed book “The Many Lives of Anne Frank” with thought-provoking questions from Ileene Smith, Editorial Director of the Jewish Lives series. This event, held on July 23 — the date Anne Frank would have turned 96 — invited the large audience to reconsider Anne Frank not just as the young writer of a world-famous diary, but as a cultural symbol shaped by decades of representation and misrepresentation.

Franklin and Smith dove right in; Franklin reading a passage from the book that exemplified her approach to Anne’s life. She described her work as both a biography of Anne Frank and a cultural history of the diary itself, a document that has resonated across the world.

Keep ReadingShow less
Prokofiev, piano and perfection: Yuja Wang at Tanglewood

Yuja Wang performs with the TMCO and Andris Nelsons.

Hilary Scott

Sunday, July 20 was sunny and warm. Nic Mayorga, son of American concert pianist, the late Lincoln Mayorga, joined me at Tanglewood to hear Yuja Wang play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16. I first saw Wang on July 8, 2022, when she filled in for Jean-Yves Thibaudet on the opening night of Tanglewood’s summer season. She virtually blew the shed down with her powerful and dynamic playing of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Nic was my guest last season on July 13, when Wang wowed us with her delicate interpretation of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. We made plans on the spot to return for her next date in Lenox.

Keep ReadingShow less