EASTON, Md. — Easton town leaders are asking for the state to install automated speed cameras along Route 50, and now they are asking the Talbot County Council to back them.
The Town of Easton has already sent a formal letter to the State Highway Administration requesting the cameras, and the Talbot County Council is now working to send its own letter of support.
The town is requesting this support for the segment spanning from MD 322 (Easton Parkway) Southern Junction to the MD 322 Northern Junction, as well as from the MD 322 Northern Junction to the intersection of MD 309 (Black Dog Alley) and Airport Road
The stretch in question qualifies as an area of high risk for "vulnerable" road users, including bicyclists and pedestrians, under a new state law that takes effect Oct. 1.
The Vulnerable Road User Protection Act of 2026 authorizes the State Highway Administration to place speed monitoring systems in state-designated safety corridors identified as high risk to vulnerable road users. It also allows local jurisdictions to use speed monitoring systems in safety corridors under certain circumstances.
The town has been working on getting this support for some time.
Easton Mayor Megan JM Cook said the push comes as the state works on a separate pedestrian safety project along Route 50 – installing new sidewalks, crosswalks, and ADA compliance upgrades.
"As State Highway also is doing their road improvement with the sidewalks, we're pushing people, pedestrians, bikers more to cross Route 50, either to go shopping on the east side, come downtown on the west side," Cook said. "So we're looking to have more users, more pedestrians and bicyclists in an area where we see a lot of speeding and a lot of accidents."
Cook said the town has long dealt with crashes and speeding along the corridor, and that concern is growing as Easton expands.
"Not only have we had the accidents and the speed issue over time, but the town of Easton is conscious about getting residents as we grow to the east side of 50," Cook said. "We have a rail to trail on the west side of 50, and we are conscious about extending that to our residents."
For some who live and travel through Easton, the danger isn't hypothetical. Kevin Kervick, a bicyclist who regularly crosses Route 50 when he visits town to see his mother in law, described a recent close call at a crosswalk.
"I waited till the light turned to walk. So I go, but I always look. Even though it says go, I always look," Kervick said. "So I look to the left and sure enough, a car was coming right at me, you know? So I'm going this way. And the car was coming like that. I mean, she wasn't stopping at all. And she got real, real close, like almost hit me."
Resident Joellen Rodriguez said she supports the idea of speed cameras, but wonders how much good they will actually do.
“I think a speed camera would be at least a warning to people that they need to slow down going through Easton,” Rodriguez said. “One thing I'll say, and probably not be well received is there's, I very rarely see any police in that area. So I don't think people are real worried about whether they speed through or not.”
Mayor Cook also said that along Route 50 there are four schools that border the highway.
“Along route 50 we also have two elementary schools and two high schools that border and as kids are driving to work, walking to school or driving to school, walking to school, you know we got to make sure everyone remains safe,” Cook said.
Although Route 50 runs through the town, it is a state-owned roadway, meaning Easton cannot make changes to it on its own — leaving the request in the state's hands.
The Talbot County Council is expected to continue discussion on its drafted letter of support at its next meeting on Sept. 22.
