The town of Boothbay Harbor has adopted a new format for public participation during selectmen's meetings and they have decided not to create any new rules for cyclists. Instead, they plan to encourage public awareness about safety issues. Both decisions were met with general approval from the attending public.

At the August 26 Boothbay Harbor selectman’s meeting, the board decided that when it comes to public participation at their meetings, it was better if people had a chance to voice their opinions about every item on the agenda so those comments could be taken into account before the selectmen reached a decision.

A single, regular public forum will still occur during every meeting, where citizens can suggest items to be placed on the agenda for the next meetings. Citizens can also contact the town office or any of the selectmen to get items on the agenda, so attending the meeting before is not necessary.

The new format went into effect immediately.

The selectmen also decided that they would rather not create a new set of rules for cyclists in Boothbay Harbor, but would rather encourage public awareness of the rules and safety concerns they have discussed.

It was suggested that Town Manager Tom Woodin, at the beginning of each summer season, place a Public Notice in the Boothbay Register regarding the dangers of riding on sidewalks and the footbridge. This notice would warn citizens that cyclists riding in the road must obey the same rules cars do, including one-way streets and stopping at stop signs and traffic lights.

It was noted by several members of the board that since the discussion began several weeks ago, there had already been improvement due to increased awareness of the issue.

“It's clearly better than it was,” Vice Chairman Robert Splaine said.

Katrina Clark can be reached at 207-633-4620 or katrinaclark@boothbayregister.com. Follow her on Twitter: @BBRegisterClark or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BBRegisterKatrinaClark.