Speed management and road safety measures

Update: May 25, 2022

At its meeting of May 25, 2022, Oxford County Council passed the following resolution with respect to Report No. PW 2022-26 - Speed Management and Road Safety Reviews - Princeton, Plattsville, Woodstock and Zorra:

Resolved that the recommendations contained in Report No. PW 2022-26 tilted “Speed Management and Road Safety Reviews - Princeton, Plattsville, Woodstock and Zorra” be subject to maintaining the speed limits and speed zones currently in place on Oxford Road 2, Princeton and Douro Street, Plattsville.

Community information and consultation

March 14, 2022

Since 2019, Oxford County has been undertaking speed management, traffic calming and road safety investigations to improve safety on County roads.

Road safety reviews have considered road design, need for stop signs, road crosswalk sight lines, traffic speed and volume, speed zone limits, collision data and other factors that have an effect on how traffic moves through a community. The studies use an evidence-based approach in recommending both near and longer-term road safety measures. Read the Council report

Understanding speeding factors

Oxford residents have expressed concerns about speeding, and this is only likely to continue with Oxford County's strong population growth. Whether it's in a rural or urban community, speeding poses a serious risk to public safety and even property.

Many factors play a role in speeding. What is known through research is that posted speed limit signs do not slow down traffic, and that changing speed limit signs often results in no significant changes to driving speeds.

Rather, most drivers travel at a speed they consider to be comfortable, regardless of posted speed limits. For this reason, the County's recommendations for controlling speed on roadways focuses on proven measures to reduce speed, like electronic speed feedback signs, traffic calming measures (centre delineators, pavement markings), and community entrance features (landscaping, street lighting, gateway signs) to provide visual cues that drivers are entering a residential or commercial area.

Learn more

Do you have questions about the road safety reviews in your community or want to learn more?

• ATTEND YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL MEETING. Oxford County staff will present results of the road safety reviews on the following dates:

• ATTEND THE OXFORD COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. This includes a public meeting during which members of the public can delegate to make a presentation or state comments.

This meeting will be streamed live at www.oxfordcounty.ca/livestream then recorded and posted to www.oxfordcounty.ca/council. If you would like to delegate at the public meeting, send a message to the County Clerk, Chloe Senior, at csenior@oxfordcounty.ca.

• CONTACT THE PROJECT LEAD. You can send a message directly to the project lead: Frank Gross, Manager of Transportation and Waste, at fgross@oxfordcounty.ca.

What we found

The driver operating speed (speed that 85% of drivers typically drove at regardless of posted speed limit) along Oxford Road 2 in Princeton ranged from 63 to 77 km/hour. Driver operating speeds at the east and west limits in the 60 km/hour zone ranged from 82 to 105 km/hour.

What we're recommending

• Adjust the 80 km/hour speed zone to the Horner Creek Bridge at the west end and at 911# 687037 at the east end.
• Change the posted speed limit through Princeton on Oxford Road 2 to 60 km/hour.
• Change the posted speed to 70 km/hour from the Horner Creek Bridge to house # 120 (west village limits).
• Consider gateway signage, streetlighting and landscaping at east and west approaches.
• Add electronic speed feedback signs for incoming traffic at east and west limits of proposed 60km/hr zone.

Download the map

What we found

The driver operating speed (speed that 85% of drivers typically drove at regardless of posted speed limit) along Oxford Road 3 in Princeton ranged from 59 to 74 km/hour. Driver operating speeds approaching the village at the north limits from the 60 km/hour zone ranged from 89 to 96 km/hour.

What we're recommending

• Adjust the 80 km/hour speed zone just north of Roper Street and add gateway signage, streetlighting and landscaping.
• Add electronic speed feedback signs for incoming traffic from the north and one temporary electronic feedback sign inside of the village limits for outgoing traffic near Cowan Insurance.
  
  

Download the map

What we found

The driver operating speed (speed that 85% of drivers typically drove at regardless of posted speed limit) along Oxford Road 8 (Douro Street) in Plattsville ranged from 55 to 105 km/hour.

What we're recommending

• Relocate gateway signage to village limits.
• Change 60km/hr speed zone to 70 km/hour from 100 metres south of Elizabeth Street to 50 metres south of Isabella Street.
• Add one to two streetlights near Elizabeth Street.
• Introduce electronic speed feedback signs north of Seaton Street and south of Elizabeth Street.
  
  

Download the map

What we found

The driver operating speed (speed that 85% of drivers typically drove at regardless of posted speed limit) along Oxford Road 7 north of Ingersoll ranged from 89 to 93 km/hour.

What we're recommending

• Adjust the speed zone to 70 km/hour from 20 metres north of Newton Street further north by approximately 590 metres.

Download the map

Study area

Oxford Road 59 (Vansittart Avenue) from Oxford Road 17 to CP Railway underpass in Woodstock

What we found

The driver operating speed (speed that 85% of drivers typically drove at regardless of posted speed limit) ranged from 69 to 80 km/hour.

What we're recommending

• No proposed speed limit or speed zone changes.
• Electronic speed feedback signs for incoming traffic north of Ridgewood Avenue as well as for outgoing traffic between Pittock Park Road and Fairway Road / Frederick Street.
• Intersection improvements, including left turn lanes at Fairway Road / Frederick Street and Ridgewood Avenue, as well as a southbound left turn lane at the intersection of Oxford Road 59 and Pittock Park Road.
  
  

Download the map