Tuesday, July 27 by sandy
Perils for Pedestrians is a monthly television series promoting awareness of issues affecting the safety of people who walk and bicycle. Producer John Z. Wetmore interviews advocates and government planners from around the country (and sometimes the world) about problems such as missing sidewalks and crosswalks, dangerous intersections, speeding traffic, and obstacles to wheelchair users and people with disabilities; solutions to such problems are offered.
The most recent episodes are available at on blip.tv and older episodes (the series began in 1996) are linked from the index on pedestrians.org.
The shows are broadcast on the Princeton Public Access TV Channel (available in West Windsor on Verizon FiOS Channel 45). This summer they are shown on Tuesdays at 7 PM, Fridays at 1:30 PM, and Sundays at 11:30 AM.
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Posted in Advocacy, Bicycle routes, Bicycling Trip, Bikeability, Film, Pedestrian, Safety, Trails, Walkability |
Tuesday, July 20 by sandy
We’ve been advocating putting some of West Windsor’s roads on diets, principally Canal Pointe Boulevard and Alexander Road (see our post from May 2010). A “road diet” means reducing travel lanes, for example, from four to two with a center turning lane, thus allowing room for bike lanes and sidewalks. This leads to fewer changes in lane by cars and fewer accidents.
A June 2010 study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Transportation shows that road diets still allow for the same number of cars on the roads, with from 19% to 47% fewer crashes (percentages vary depending on whether the road diet is in an urban or suburban area).
Four-lane configuration before road diet
Three-lane configuration after road diet
Source for both photos: Pedestrian Bike Information Center, “Road Diets” training module, 2009.
Click here for a summary report in HTML or PDF.
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Posted in Advocacy, Canal Pointe, Complete Streets, Safety |
Wednesday, July 14 by sandy
This summer the police in Manville, a borough in Somerset County, are issuing tickets–not just for traffic violations. They’re stopping children wearing helmets while riding bikes and giving them ice cream tickets. The recipients may redeem the tickets for a free ice cream cone at a local ice cream shop. Read more in an article from the Manville News.
That’s a nice way to encourage kids to follow New Jersey’s law (children under 17 must wear helmets while riding bicycles). We’d like to encourage everyone, regardless of age, to wear helmets when riding bicycles.
“In 2008, 716 [20 in New Jersey] pedalcyclists were killed and an additional 52,000 were injured in traffic crashes. Pedalcyclist deaths accounted for 2 percent of all traffic fatalities, and pedalcyclists made up 2 percent of all the people injured in traffic crashes during the year.
“All bicyclists should wear properly fitted bicycle helmets every time they ride. A helmet is the single most effective way to prevent head injury resulting from a bicycle crash.”
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
For proper fitting of a helmet, safety tips, and more information,
go to the WWBPA page Ride Smart Ride Safe.
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Posted in Bike Skills, Safety |
Sunday, July 11 by silvia
This is how Washington Road might look with bike lanes.
The West Windsor Council is discussing a resolution that asks Mercer County to designate ther shoulders on part of Washington Road as bike lanes. Please show your support at Monday’s meeting (July 12, West Windsor Municipal Center, 271 Clarksville Road) and speak up during public comment at the start of the meeting ( 7 p.m.)
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Posted in Bikeability, Route 571, Safety, Washington Road |
Tuesday, July 6 by sandy
Arrol Gellner is on a campaign to improve traffic flow and safety by reducing the number of traffic lights and instead using stop signs.
Here are his 3 columns:
Better, cheaper solutions for traffic control
Getting the wrong signal on traffic improvements
Seeing red over unnecessary traffic signals
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Posted in Road Signs, Safety |
Sunday, June 20 by sandy
The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center of the Federal Highway Administration just released its National Bicycling and Walking Study 15-Year Status Report.
The good news is that people are biking and walking more–we’re making more than twice as many trips by foot or bike than we did in 1990. We’re not quite where we’d hoped yet–11.9% of all trips are by bike or foot, though transportation planners had hoped for 15.8%. And too many cyclists and pedestrians are still injured or killed on roadways. (No numbers on walking and biking trips in West Windsor, but it feels like there are more people out on their bikes.)
We are slowly making progress toward a healthier and safer environment. The Obama administration has doubled the funding for walking and bicycling programs, from less than $600 million in 2008 to $1.2 billion in 2009 (Joan Lowy, Associated Press, June 16, 2010).
“Americans want and need safe alternatives to driving,” LaHood said in a statement. “By making biking and walking safer and more accessible, we’ll be able to provide Americans with more choices and help foster more active, livable communities.”
To read more, go to U.S. Department of Transportation blog.
For the complete report: National Bicycling and Walking Study 15-Year Status Report
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Posted in Bikeability, Pedestrian, Safety, Walkability |
Thursday, June 17 by sandy
www.pedbikeimages.org / Dan Burden
One way to teach motorists to stop for pedestrians is to enforce the law. That’s just what’s happening in Montclair, as reported in the NorthJersey.com article ‘The worst it has ever been’: Many drivers ticketed for not stopping for pedestrians.
The Atlantic City Press reports similar ignorance of the law by motorists at the Jersey shore. The Press further reports that a Long Beach Township man seeks to scrap the NJ law.
“The driver of a vehicle must stop and stay stopped for a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except at crosswalks when the movement of traffic is being regulated by police officers or traffic control signals, or where otherwise prohibited by municipal, county, or State regulation, and except where a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing has been provided, but no pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to yield. Nothing contained herein shall relieve a pedestrian from using due care for his safety.”
excerpted from The State of New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety.
Read more at The New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety
For more information, click here for the WWBPA Action page.
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Posted in Pedestrian, Safety, Walkability |
Wednesday, June 9 by sandy
Planning for an improved intersection, June 9, 2010
From the West Windsor Township Web site:
Construction begins on the Cranbury Road/ Wallace Road/ CR 571/ NJ Route 64 intersection improvements
Construction has begun on improvements to the intersection of Cranbury Road/ Wallace Road/ CR 571/ and NJ Route 64. The project includes new pedestrian crossings in every direction, countdown timers on traffic lights, and a dedicated left turn lane coming off of the bridge (eastbound) turning onto Cranbury Road. In addition, the State has approved using the eastbound side of the bridge as a pedestrian crossing with a sidewalk on the south side of the bridge leading to Station Drive and a crosswalk to get to the sidewalk on the south side of Washington Road.
If you have any questions concerning this project, please contact the West Windsor Township Engineering Division at (609) 799-9396.
http://www.westwindsornj.org/road_construction_060810.html
Construction vehicles near intersection, June 9, 2010
Posted in Pedestrian, Road Signs, Route 571, Safety, Walkability |
Sunday, May 16 by sandy
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency pedestrian ad campaign
National Transport, LLC, a shipping and auto transport company, posted a blog entry, Pedestrian Safety: Not Just for the Young or the Old, with good suggestions for pedestrians. To improve safety, pedestrians should
- take precautions when using headphones
- cross at crosswalks or at traffic lights
- making eye-contact with drivers
- cross only when traffic has come to a complete stop
- wear bright colors
Read the National Transport, LLC Blog >>
Read and/or listen to the NPR story, Distracted Pedestrians An Increasing Risk >>
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Posted in Pedestrian, Safety |
Friday, May 14 by silvia
A West Windsor resident emailed the WWBPA about a broken button to activate the pedestrian walk signal at the intersection of Alexander Road with Bear Brook Drive and Vaughn Drive as well as two street lights that were out at the intersection.
The WWBPA forwarded his concerns to the mayor, who quickly ensured that the needed repairs were made by Mercer County and PSE&G, respectively.
Thanks for the quick work!
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Posted in Advocacy, Pedestrian, Road Signs, Safety |
