Join the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance for its sixth annual Community Bike Ride on Oct. 6 (rain date Oct 7) as we head down the D&R Canal towpath to discover how it connects to other bicycling and walking routes.
Our eight-mile ride will leave from Turning Basin Park (Alexander Road and the canal) and head to Brearley House in Lawrence (located on the 20-mile Lawrence Hopewell Trail). We?ll stop there for refreshments and some give-aways, plus hear about the Lawrence Hopewell Trail and the East Coast Greenway before turning back.
This is the last in our series of free family-friendly bike rides for 2012. Meet at the park at 2:15 p.m.; the ride leaves at 2:30 p.m. No preregistration is necessary; just bring a bike in good working order and a helmet. Children under 13 should be accompanied by an adult.
This year, we are adding a walking option, from Port Mercer Canal House. Gather at the parking lot at 2:15 p.m. (departure time is 2:30 p.m.) for the 1.3-mile walk to Brearley House. Because of road construction, the parking lot is only accessible from Route 1, not Princeton.
The ride is so-sponsored by the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, Sustainable Lawrence and the Princeton Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee.
About two dozen people, many of them new faces, joined us on Sept. 15 for a five-mile loop from Community Park down the Trolley Line Trail to Penn-Lyle Road and past High School South back to the park. Thanks for coming along for the ride!
Comments Off on Our Trail-to-Trail Community Bike Ride (and Walk)
More than 2 1/2 years ago, Edward Boye was killed by a motorist while riding his bicycle on Dutch Neck Road in East Windsor, not far from the border with West Windsor. This month, the driver, Margaret Corrigan, was sentenced to three years in jail (and more here). Mr. Boye was disabled and used a special tricycle to get around. Ms. Corrigan was under the influence of medication when she struck Mr. Boye. She pleaded guilty to third-degree assault with an automobile and driving under the influence of narcotics in May after initially being charged with vehicular homicide.
Motorists, please share the road with cyclists, give them plenty of room while overtaking and refrain from passing on a curve when you can’t see oncoming traffic. Cyclists, follow the rules of the road, including riding the same direction as traffic, and be predictable and visible. With daylight hours shrinking, make sure your lights work, and consider adding a reflective vest to your safety gear. We sell them for just $10 at the farmers’ market.
Comments Off on Three-Year Jail Term in Cyclist’s Death
WWBPA volunteers counted 355 bicyclists and pedestrians at 5 locations around the train station on Wednesday September 12, 2012 between 5-8pm. Last year the count was 205, but we counted at more locations and for an hour longer this year – when comparing the same locations at the same time slots, biking and walking increased 18% over last year!
Cranbury/Wallace/571 (Rite Aid) ? 29 bike, 102 walk
Scott/Alexander (Arts Center) ? 26 bike, 80 walk, 3 others
Vaughn/Alexander (bus stop) ?? 15 bike, 50 walk
Station/571 (Rep. Holt Headquarters) ? 13 bike, 7 walk
Wallace/Alexander (WW lot) – 8 bike, 22 walk
Total: 355 people, 91 who bike, 261 who walk, 3 on skates or kick scooters
Thanks to our volunteers!
Of significant? note, traffic along 571 in downtown West Windsor flowed freely throughout the observation time. Last year, for about 20 minutes, congestion was so great that eastbound traffic at the Wallace/Cranbury light couldn’t proceed through the light even though it was green. While we’d love to say the reduced congestion was due to more biking and walking, it is very likely due to closing the jughandles at 571 and Rt 1 and at Fisher and Rt 1.
Other findings from the Rite Aid location:
Midblock crossings of 571 at Rite Aid driveway – 15
Car honks – 16, none directed at bicyclists/pedestrians
Semi trucks – 2
The 355 number should not be considered an absolute total – as we gathered at the Art Center comparing notes after 8pm, bikers and walkers continued to pass by. Also, at the Wallace/Alexander WW lot we counted only from 5-7pm, while at the Vaughn/Alexander bus stop we counted only from 6-8pm.
Princeton Adult School’s fall course list includes several sports and outdoor recreation classes, including a “learn to bike” class for adults, a bicycle repair and maintenance class, hiking in New Jersey and more.
The “learn to bike” class, taught by the founder of Bike Exchange, comprises four one-hour classes on Saturday mornings.
The four-session bike maintenance class will be held at Harts Cyclery on Route 31 in Pennington.
The hiking class will take participants to four different areas of the state on Saturdays. There’s also a separate class that spends an October morning exploring the woods at the Institute of Advanced Study with a professor who has studied the woods for more than 40 years.
Monthly meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month via Zoom. We will eventually resume meeting in the West Windsor Municipal Building. Email us at [email protected] if you would like the Zoom code.
Find us at the West Windsor Farmers Market (Vaughn Drive parking lot) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every other Saturday from May through Halloween.
Join the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance for its sixth annual Community Bike Ride on Oct. 6 (rain date Oct 7) as we head down the D&R Canal towpath to discover how it connects to other bicycling and walking routes.
WWBPA volunteers counted 355 bicyclists and pedestrians at 5 locations around the train station on Wednesday September 12, 2012 between 5-8pm. 
