Hello everyone! My name is Maanya Devaprasad, and I am currently a student advisor for the WWBPA. Today, I just wanted to share a few of my experiences these past few months. As a high school student in West Windsor, I have used this newfound time due to recent events to learn new things, cook, bake, garden, bike, and, most importantly, spend more time with my family. As I look back at the past few months, my most cherished memories happened either in the kitchen or at the park. In the kitchen, I have been trying to bake all types of desserts for my family, and I gave a few of my friend’s recipes a try. In the park, I especially enjoyed seeing all the members of our community walking and biking around. As I biked around the park with my family, I loved seeing so many other families walking or biking. Sometimes I even go on bike rides with my friends around my community because it is one of the safest activities we can do together during a time like this. Overall, I’m happy to see so many people outside staying safe while also trying to make the best of such an unforeseen time.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 Bicycle Collection WWBPA table near shed at the West Windsor Community Farmers Market, Vaughn Drive Lot, Princeton Junction Train Station, 9 AM-1 PM. Donated bikes will go to the Trenton Bike Exchange, which supports The Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County. Email wwbikeped@gmail.com with questions.
May is Bike Month. GMTMA and our neighboring TMAs are doing virtual bike month, sign up and ride anywhere, even indoors, they’ll donate to local food banks: http://p1.pagewiz.net/uyjq6wc7/
The WWBPA is once again accepting applications from high school seniors in the West Windsor-Plainsboro school district or who live in West Windsor.? Up to $1,000 in scholarship money (no more than $500 to one student) is available. Applicants are required to write a short essay or create a short video on a topic relating to bicycle and pedestrian safety.
Click?Here?to download the new application, which is due April 15, 2015.
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Saturday, June 1st is National Trails Day, where people all over the country will be getting out to enjoy and build up our trails. We’re lucky to have so many great trails in the parks and along the waterways in NJ and if you go out any time from sunrise to sunset, the crowds will tell you how popular they are for both recreation and transport. Where do you wish we had a trail where we don’t? I know the extension of the Trolley Line Trail as part of the Knight Trail is one item on the wish list of the students in West Windsor and Plainsboro. Where else would a trail help you to get around more safely and comfortably, or help you to get out and about walking and hiking?
For those wanting to get out on National Trails Day, here are some of the events happening in our area in celebration of National Trails Day:
Run from Trenton to Piscataway on the D&R Canal Towpath. They start around 5 AM for the 34.1 mile run! Those who ?only? want to run 20 miles start at Rocky Hill.
For all the events in New Jersey from the shore to the Delaware Water Gap and to search PA, NY, etc
WWBPA will be at the Farmers’ Market on June 1st to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Stop by our booth and say hi before you head out hiking, walking and biking!
Paul Ligeti and Alice Eltvedt are this year’s winners of the WWBPA’s scholarship to graduating high school seniors.
Paul, who graduated from North and is headed to the University of Michigan, impressed us with his Eagle Scout project: an 11-mile bike route of historic West Windsor sites, with a well-researched website that describes the story of each site and red markings at each spot. Paul has led two rides of his route for the WWBPA, and all have been impressed with his work.
Paul Ligeti
Alice, who is going to Princeton after graduating from South, led by example as she rode her bicycle to the West Windsor pool. The racks have been overflowing!
Alice Eltvedt
The scholarships are one of two sets of annual awards from the WWBPA to honor those who share our vision of a bicycle and pedestrian-friendy community. We also selected three winners of our community service awards and presented them at our annual meeting in March.
Mike Viscardi, a project development? planner, has been a fantastic contact for the WWBPA at New Jersey Transit. It has only been with Mike’s help that we have been able to add bike racks and lockers on two occasions.
Michael Ogg, a former trustee, has raised our awareness of the needs of the disabled when making improvements to our sidewalk network. We thank Michael for all his contributions.
And West Windsor Township, beginning with Francis Guzik, the township’s engineer, has added so many bike lanes, filled in many gaps in the sidewalk network and added safe pedestrian crossings in the past few years. Thank you!
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The WWBPA’s annual meeting always includes a moment to honor individuals for their service to our community. This year’s award winners were:
George Fallat, Mercer County’s traffic engineer. George has been a big supporter of bicycle and pedestrian improvements on county roads. We can thank him for the wide shoulders on the repaved portions of Washington and Clarksville roads this past summer, the crosswalk at Avalon Watch, including the pedestrian refuge island, and support for Share the Road signs on county roads (paid for by the WWBPA and BikeFest and installed by the county), among other improvements. We also credit him with helping to facilitate the improvements at the intersection of Route 571/Princeton-Hightstown Road and Wallace and Cranbury roads. George has always been ready to listen to suggestions from the WWBPA and we look forward to working with him in the future.
Alex Drummond is West Windsor’s director of public works. His team has installed bike racks at the farmers’ market and racks and bike lockers at the train station. His crew also took down the lockers at the Howell bus station that were moved to West Windsor. None of these projects could have happened without some heavy lifting from the public works department. In addition, many share the road signs around town have been installed by public works. We can’t thank you enough for all of this.
Ken Jacobs is the head of West Windsor’s recreation department and one of the behind-the-scenes forces of BikeFest. This annual cycling extravaganza wouldn’t work as well without his help. His award was accepted on his behalf by Dan Gerstenhaber, the driving force behind BikeFest.
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The WWBPA recently gave its annual awards to honor those whose community service helps make our community a better place to walk and bicycle.
Trustee Silvia Ascarelli presents a WWBPA Community Service Award to Dan Gerstenhaber
Dan Gerstenhaber, the chairman of the BikeFest committee, was honored for his tireless work in running every BikeFest our community has?had — now seven.
WWBPA Trustees Jerry Foster, Chris Scherer, and Alison Miller present a Community Service Award to Beth Feehan. Former WWBPA Trustee (now Advisor) Susan Conlon, also honored, looks on.
Theresa Best, Mireille Delman, and?Beth Feehan?were honored for their?work organizing the West Windsor Community Farmers’ Market.
In addition, the WWBPA honored two?founding trustees who have stepped down in the past year: Ken Carlson and?Susan Conlon. Both?joined the WWBPA’s advisory board.
Monthly meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month via Zoom due to Covid. We will eventually resume meeting in the West Windsor Municipal Building. Email us at wwbikeped@gmail.com 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.
The WWBPA is once again accepting applications from high school seniors in the West Windsor-Plainsboro school district or who live in West Windsor.? Up to $1,000 in scholarship money (no more than $500 to one student) is available. Applicants are required to write a short essay or create a short video on a topic relating to bicycle and pedestrian safety.
