Bar Harbor residents are looking to limit the number of travelers flooding the streets from cruise ships this summer.
A new citizen initiative would let voters decide whether to put a cap on the number of visitors coming from cruise ships in a given day.
If approved, the town would cap the number of daily cruise ship visitors at 1,000 regardless of how many ships are in port.
Organizers said it’s a matter of convenience and safety.
“Many times the population of our town and the land-based visitors all pouring in during a concentrated few hours during the middle of the day,” Petition Committee Chair Charles Sidman said. “It makes it unsafe. An ambulance can’t get through, people can’t get to their jobs. People can’t drive. If someone had an accident or a hard time, they’d be out of luck because it’s just too crowded. So it’s too much of a good thing.”
An exception would be made for cruise ships that are already booked for this season.
The initiative would require 300 signatures to go to a vote.