Easton Asked State Highway for Speed and Red-Light Cameras on Route 50

EASTON, MARYLAND — Easton has asked the State Highway Administration to put speed cameras and red-light cameras on Route 50 through town, from Airport Road to the southern end of the corridor, according to minutes of the Sept. 8 Town Council meeting.

Mayor Megan J.M. Cook reported at that meeting that the town had sent State Highway a support letter tied to the vulnerable road user legislation. The mayor's update does not mention a response from SHA.

The state law behind the request, the Vulnerable Road User Protection Act of 2026, took effect Oct. 1. It lets SHA place and run speed cameras on stretches of state highway it has identified as "safety corridors" — segments with the highest risk to pedestrians, bicyclists and people on scooters, based on SHA's Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment. Local governments can also run cameras on those corridors if they have their own local law and an SHA permit.

SHA says it is in the procurement phase and expects the cameras to start operating in fall 2027. Under the law, a camera records a violation only when a driver is at least 12 mph over the posted limit. Fines range from $40 for driving 12 to 15 mph over the limit to $425 for driving 40 mph or more over. For SHA-operated cameras, revenue first covers program costs; excess revenue goes to the state's Transportation Trust Fund for highway safety and system preservation. Drivers get warning notices instead of tickets for the first 30 days a camera is running.

For towns without their own camera ordinance, SHA asks for a letter of support naming the corridors where they want cameras, sent to the local SHA district office. SHA says deployment depends on available camera capacity. When it picks a location, the district office calls a stakeholder meeting with the local government to share the site, speed and safety data, and the installation schedule.