A bill that would have allowed Oxford to place a speed camera at the intersection of Bonfield Avenue and Oxford Road died in committee.
PHOTO BY BRAD DRESSOXFORD — Oxford will not be getting a speed camera anytime soon. A bill authorizing a speed camera for the town did not make it to the floor of the Maryland General Assembly before its session closed April 12.
The bill made it to a third reading in the House of Delegates Environment and Transportation Committee. But it died in the Judicial Proceedings Committee in the Maryland Senate without getting a vote, following the path of dozens of bills in the legislature’s 90-day session.
“I imagine what happened is the bill got jammed up,†said Del. Johnny Mautz, R-37B-Talbot, who sponsored the bill for Oxford. Mautz said there was disagreement in the legislature this session, which “basically shut down a lot of bills.â€
If passed, the bill would have allowed Oxford to place a speed camera at the entrance to town at the intersection of Bonfield Avenue and Oxford Road. The town has a speeding problem on Oxford Road, which has a posted speed limit of 50 mph before dropping to 25 mph just before the entrance.
According to Cheryl Lewis, the town clerk, Oxford recorded 5,000 vehicles “in excess of 50 mph†since December.
The speed camera is in direct response to the death of a resident. In 2019, Edith Jane Beglin was struck and killed by a speeding vehicle while crossing the intersection.
A similar bill was introduced in 2020 but was delayed because of COVID-19.
Jimmy Jaramillo, a town commissioner for Oxford, said at an April 13 meeting that “we will see if we get lucky next time,†suggesting they might try and introduce the bill a third time in the 2022 legislative session.
“I am very disappointed in the Senate Judicial Committee,†he said, “and them not giving it the ability to be voted up or down.â€
Commissioner Gordon Fronk suggested they could work with the police to “slow the traffic a little more.â€
Oxford already has a speed monitoring system that flashes red when a vehicle is over the speed limit, and police also watch the entrance to town.
Mautz said he is not a “fan†of speed cameras, but he gave this bill his full support because the town wanted it and the county council had supported it.
The legislator said the town could consider putting up another speed monitoring system or markage on Oxford Road.
“We’re getting the state highway to meet with the town,†he said, to examine ways “to visually get (cars) to slow down.â€
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