Oxford teen’s plea to boost safety at deadly intersection hits home

An inspiring presentation from a teenager who lives near a rural Oxford County intersection where crashes frequently occur – including two fatal collisions in two years – has influenced officials to improve traffic calming measures.

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Nathan Bean, 17, spoke Wednesday at an Oxford County council meeting on behalf of Zorra Township residents concerned about safety at the intersection of Oxford Road 6 (37th Line) and Road 96 (Oxford Road 28) about 10 kilometres southwest of Tavistock.

“Over the past three years there have been two fatalities, numerous injuries and countless collisions at the intersection of these two highly trafficked roads,” Bean told councillors. “As a lifelong resident of Zorra Township, I have seen firsthand how dangerous this intersection is.”

Bean said many crashes at the intersection occur because drivers on Road 96 misjudge turns, fail to take a good look or disregard stop signs. He called on councillors to take steps to make the intersection safer.

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“This is a problem about life. . . a problem that if not solved will take lives,” Bean said. “Each fatality represents more than a loss of life. It’s a call for urgent action to prioritize safety over budgetary considerations.”

The most recent deadly collision at the intersection involved a crash between a motorcycle and an SUV last month. The 65-year-old motorcyclist from Dorchester died in hospital.

“I went to school the next day and you actually still saw (signs of the crash), and that was something I was not expecting,” Bean said.

There was another collision a week later at the intersection, he said.

In March 2022, John Sangster, 79, a London doctor, was killed in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection.

Bean lives on a farm one concession over from the collision-prone intersection. Although he hasn’t witnessed an impact, he said he’s come across the aftermath of at least 10 crashes and has heard of more than 20.

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To aid collision prevention, rumble strips are scheduled to be reinstalled later this year, an installation Bean asked county officials to hasten to “prevent needleless fatalities.” The strips were previously removed for roadwork.

Bean also suggested flashing amber lights and lower speed limits to reduce collision severity. He said a prior traffic study revealed insufficient motor vehicle volume threshold to implement an all-way stop but encouraged Oxford County to re-investigate the measure to “help save lives.”

Councillors responded favourably to the recent high school graduate’s presentation.

“It’s presentations like yours that make us more aware of the urgency,” Coun. Jerry Acchione said.

“I don’t know what to say, that was just really an exceptional presentation,” said Coun. Deb Gilvesy, calling Bean’s address “very informative, well-researched (and) well-delivered.”

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Following Bean’s presentation, councillors voted unanimously for Oxford County staff to provide a report about a potential four-way stop at the intersection.

“He made a very, very well-informed and personable delegation to council and so council said, ‘Yeah, let’s do something with, this,’. . . and get some expert advice from our staff on what we can do to make that intersection safer,” Oxford County Warden Marcus Ryan said.

Bean’s comfort in public speaking underscores teens’ career aspirations. In September he is moving to the nation’s capital to begin undergraduate studies in political science and public administration at the University of Ottawa.

“I’ve always been passionate about government, I’ve always enjoyed and seen a lot of potential for government,” Bean said. “People like to say, ‘Government’s doing this wrong, this wrong’ and I look at it and I say, ‘Well look at what they could do right.’”

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Bean said when he was in Grade 4, he was part of a program where youth presented ideas to Zorra Township council, and his group’s suggestion that the municipality adopt community gardens came to fruition a few years ago.

“That sort of got my foot in the door and ever since then, I’ve done lots of public delegations,” Bean said.

Ryan said Bean’s interest in government shows the value of the Zorra Township program.

“At the end of the day, an intersection in Oxford County is probably going to be made better, because of the fact that we went to the schools and did a council meeting and showed kids that they could approach their government,” he said.

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@BrianWatLFPress
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada

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