Joelle Adams is for them. So is Camille Field. 

James Jackson is against them. And so too is Anthony Bucci. 

More than a dozen residents spoke out about speed cameras during a special Barrington Town Council meeting on Tuesday night, June 10.

Some residents, such as Shelly Pancoast, pleaded with the council to approve the installation of speed cameras in school zones in Barrington. Pancoast, a Massasoit Avenue resident, said she will not allow her children to play in the front yard for fear of speeding traffic. She said the town council should do what it can to keep children safe while they are in school zones. She also described how she volunteered at Hampden Meadows School and would see cars speed past the school. 

Other residents, such as Jennifer Azevedo, asked the council to think twice before approving speed cameras in Barrington. Azevedo, a Bay Spring resident and ACLU board member, shared her concerns about town officials who were willing to trade residents’ privacy for a sense of safety. Azevedo said she is very uncomfortable being surveilled as she travels through town, particularly in the current political climate. 

After two hours of discussion, members of the Barrington Town Council voted 5-0 to continue to explore speed cameras — they asked the town to issue a request for qualifications and proposals for the services of a vendor for speed camera installations within school zones. Councilors said they are waiting to see the detailed specifications from speed camera vendors before making a final decision. 

Those in favor

About a half-dozen residents shared their support for the installation of speed cameras in Barrington. 

Joella Adams, a member of the Barrington Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, said her children walked to Sowams School each day and she was flabbergasted that some people were calling the addition of speed cameras a small sense of safety. Adams said she did not want the community to wait before someone’s child was killed by a speeding car before taking a step to make Barrington safer.

Adams said that speed cameras could be implemented quickly and they are very effective. 

Claire Phipps said she is 100 percent in favor of installing speed cameras in Barrington. The mother of two Primrose Hill School students said many drivers do not pay attention to the caution lines painted on roadways. She also questioned the legitimacy of concerns over data privacy shared by some who oppose speed cameras. Phipps said that felt like a shallow cry, and that most people already have cell phones and drive through other towns that have speed and traffic cameras. 

Camille Field is the crossing guard who works in front of Sowams School. She said speeding is out of control on Sowams Road. She said traffic signs would not work. Field then invited anyone at the meeting to accompany her to work so they can experience the speeding cars firsthand. 

Those opposed

About 10 residents offered their arguments against the installation of speed cameras. 

Ann Strong said a combined $51 million in revenue has been generated by Providence, Pawtucket and East Providence in the last two years through collected fines. She said Barrington officials were jumping ahead to speed cameras and the community needed to first investigate the six other traffic-slowing measures included in the town’s Complete Streets report. 

Anthony Bucci questioned whether the council had already made up its mind on the speed camera issue. He encouraged other Barrington residents to push back on the speed camera tickets — “fight it, fight it, fight it,” he said to anyone who gets a ticket. Make it unprofitable for the town to install speed cameras, Bucci said. 

James Jackson, a longtime Barrington resident and former attorney for the town, said in his 67 years living in Barrington speeding did not seem to be an issue. He said the crossing guard at Hampden Meadows School does an excellent job. 

Jackson, who served as Barrington solicitor from 1962 to 1973, said the town should not delegate law enforcement to a private contractor located miles away from the community. He said speed cameras would be surrendering to technology without discretion whatsoever. 

“We expect police to exercise some discretion,” Jackson said.