Oxford Approves New Community Safety Zones

Friday, 16 February 2024 06:33

The nine new community safety zones are in Woodstock, Ingersoll, Tillsonburg, Norwich, Tavistock, and Embro.

OXFORD COUNTY - Oxford County now has nine new Community Safety Zones.

They're located in Woodstock, Ingersoll, Tillsonburg, Norwich, Tavistock, and Embro. You can find their exact locations listed below:

- Parkinson Road from Mill Street to Norwich Avenue in Woodstock.

- Devonshire Avenue from Vansittart Avenue to Huron Street in Woodstock.

- Ingersoll Street North from Bell Street to Victoria Street in Ingersoll.

- Bell Street from Ingersoll Street North to Cashel Street in Ingersoll.

- North Street East from Broadway to Tillson Avenue in Tillsonburg.

- Hope Street West from Woodstock Street to the 50 kilometre per hour speed limit west in Tavistock.

- Hope Street East from Woodstock Street to the 50 kilometre per hour speed limit east in Tavistock.

- Main Street West from Florence Street to Stover Street in Norwich.

- Huron Street from John Street to Halladay Street in Embro.

Warden Marcus Ryan says community safety zones are located in areas with a greater need for community safety, including schools, playgrounds, community centres, and hospitals.

"This allows enhanced enforcement in those areas for OPP and in the future, if Oxford moves forward with automated speed enforcement, it would allow the implementation of automated speed enforcement or ASE in community safety zones."

He gives us some more background regarding the new community safety zone in Embro.

"So you have this combination of increased commercial traffic, which is good because a lot of it is farm traffic going off to the farms in those areas, but a lot of it is also pedestrian traffic crossing the road with people moving from where they live to go to the library or the new splash pad. We need to manage that safely so not only that commercial vehicular traffic can move through Embro, but the kids can go out the front door of their house and walk over the splash pad and have fun."

County Council signed off on the new community safety zones during this week's meeting. This is in addition to the 20 new community safety zones that were announced this past fall.