Southport selectmen on July 6 heard from a summer resident calling attention to the island’s ongoing speeding problem and offering a possible remedy — photo enforcement.

“It’s the increase in traffic and the increase in speed,” Meredith MacKusick said about the problem.

MacKusick’s winter residence is in Rockville, Maryland, which adopted a “safe speed” program in 2007. The program uses portable camera units placed in areas around the city which are able to record the license plates of speeders.

Called photo enforcement, the cameras photograph vehicles if they are traveling in excess of 12 miles above the posted limit.  The record is then sent to the police department for review and, if necessary, a traffic citation may be sent to the speeder. MacKusick explained that signs around the city inform drivers that speed limits are photo-enforced so they are aware that cameras are present in certain locations.

Pedestrian safety became a serious concern for the city, which is located in a county that experienced 16 pedestrian deaths in one year before the “safe speed” program started. According to Socrates Yiallouros, who supervises photo enforcement for the Rockville Police Department, “The program started in 2007 with a few cameras.  This year, we have 17 cameras in use — both fixed pole and portable cameras.” Yiallouros gave an example of a more than 10 percent decrease in issued tickets in one year. “It made a real difference in overall safety and driving habits,” he told the Register. Cameras are located in school and residential areas and are moved as needed.

Southport Selectman Gerry Gamage commented that “speeding is the most common complaint we receive.” Other safety initiatives on the island have included the use of speed bumps on certain roads and silhouette figures of children placed at the roadside. The selectmen thanked MacKusick for the information and said they would consider the suggestion.

The Maryland program required a change to state law and a pilot program was initiated in 2006. Speeding cameras are currently prohibited in Maine and would also require an act of the legislature.

MacKusick explained that the goal for a “safe speed” program on Southport is not to generate revenue from traffic citations. “Walkers are in danger,” he said. “This is a safety issue for residents and visitors.”MacKusick has been coming to the island since he was a child.