Building a Bicycle and
Pedestrian Friendly Community
Friday, April 29 by silvia
A bike locker at the Princeton Junction train station is a great deal — and this is a rare time when there isn’t a waiting list. Well, until all of you start calling.
More » Comments Off on How to get a bike locker at the Princeton Junction train stationSunday, July 21 by ezeitler
More than 40 West Windsor residents of all ages walked up a narrow stretch of Cranbury Road during the afternoon of Friday, June 28, calling for sidewalks from Millstone Road to Princeton-Hightstown Road (County Road 571). Cranbury Road is a heavily traveled road that lacks a proper shoulder ? often a shoulder of any sort. Yet the right of way for the roadway is at least 33 feet ? leaving 11 feet or more for sidewalks without the taking of any private property. The West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance supports community efforts to implement a complete, family friendly, commuter friendly street for this important travel corridor in our community.
Residents of Cranbury Rd were joined by Mayor Shing-fu Hsueh as well as Council members Linda Geevers and Kristina Samonte for the walk. While some stayed at the gathering point, unwilling to walk with small children along the as-now unsafe road, most of the community members and officials walked the road single file, slowing rush-hour traffic. Some motorists stopped to voice support. In addition to the signs that residents carried as they walked, many also planted them in their yards, with messages such as ?Let us walk without fear.?
Residents have been asking for sidewalks for at least 20 years and told local officials they want to be able to walk safely to downtown Princeton Junction and to the train station as well as to let their kids visit neighbors.? They also called for better enforcement of the 25 mph speed limit, and several immediately volunteered their driveways when the mayor said the police would need a place to park.
The group walked from 109 Cranbury past Stobbe Lane, over Bear Brook and toward Sunnydale, stopping at the home of a mother and son who are in wheelchairs. There, the mayor made comments and took questions from residents. Mayor Hsueh said a grant application from the township last year to study a possible project was rejected by the state and that the county doesn?t have money either. He promised that if the state can?t provide funds, he would look at what the township could budget and approach the county for help. He also promised residents that he would arrange a group meeting with the township engineer to explain the township?s idea for the roadway, speak to the police chief about enforcement and to give residents regular updates. Councilwoman Geevers urged residents to remain organized.
Do you walk, bike or drive along Cranbury Road? Do you want safe streets for families, commuters, the elderly, and all other road users in West Windsor? Do you want your lawmakers to know that you support sidewalks on Cranbury Rd? Consider attending the West Windsor Township council meeting with other community members this Monday, July 22nd so representatives as well as members of the community can hear about these concerns. Public comment is available for those who wish to speak.
What: West Windsor Township Council Meeting with discussion of Cranbury Rd sidewalks
When: Monday, July 22nd, 2013, 7 PM
Where: West Windsor Municipal Building, 271 Clarksville Road, West Windsor, NJ
Hope to see many community members continuing to advocate for a safer Cranbury Rd for all users.
1 Comment »Monday, July 8 by ezeitler
Do you bike in West Windsor? Want to prevent your bicycle from being stolen, especially at the train station and other public parking locations? Want to increase the chance of recovering your bike if it is stolen? Consider participating in the free bicycle registration program being offered by WWBPA and the West Windsor Police Department. WWBPA and WWPD are launching the free program this month as a service to everyone who bikes in West Windsor. It’s similar to the program offered at Princeton University for riders on campus and commuters at the Princeton Dinky Station.
How does it work? Simply download a?form, fill it out with your bike’s description and serial number and return the form to the police department or the WWBPA to get your bike registration tag.
The self-adhesive aluminum tags attach easily to your bike frame (instructions), are very difficult to remove and make your bicycle less desirable to thieves. Each tag has a unique number and your registration?provides the West Windsor Police with contact information that makes it easier to ID and return stolen bicycles to their rightful owners.
Bike ID?registration forms?are available on the WWBPA website, West Windsor Police Department, 271 Clarksville Rd, or at?police website??and?at various events where WWBPA appears, e.g. WW Farmers Market and other announced events.
After you fill out the?registration form, deliver it to the WW Police Dept. or WWBPA at the Farmers Market on alternate Saturdays to pick up your self-adhesive numbered ID tag(s) and have the tag?numbers added to the registration form.
We’re hoping to get as many bikes as possible registered so share widely with your friends, coworkers and family members. We’ll be offering bike registration at the Farmer’s Market this Saturday, July 13th and at any event in which we host a table this summer, so feel free to drop by and check it out.
Tuesday, June 25 by ezeitler
WWBPA advocates for safer streets for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers alike. A critical need in our community is to improve safety and accessibility on Cranbury Road, a major connection between the train station and points west.?Current infrastructure?does not protect the most vulnerable users – pedestrians – who have no designated place on the road. A sidewalk, multi-use trail or pedestrian friendly shoulder would improve safety for those who must walk or choose to walk even given current unsafe conditions. Safer conditions would also encourage and allow more people to commute and travel without a car to our major transportation hub, especially those with special needs such as older adults and families.
WWBPA ?supports the Cranbury Road neighborhood in their efforts to create a safer Cranbury Road ?for everyone. Please join in on?June 28th (see info below) and show your support to have?a sidewalk/multi-use trail or pedestrian-friendly shoulder lanes installed?on the Cranbury Road from Route 571 to Millstone Road making Cranbury Rd accessible for all residents.
“As a group of West Windsor residents living on or near Cranbury Road, we invite you to join us for a walk along our street, north of Princeton-Hightstown Road, on?Friday, June 28. Or try to. We live in a beautiful area but, unfortunately, there are no sidewalks, nor even a shoulder.??We–and our children–face the danger of speeding cars as we walk to see our neighbors next door or to nearby stores. A stroll to the Princeton Junction train station or our local restaurants can become a perilous adventure.
Slowing traffic is important, but we are also asking our local and county officials to install a sidewalk/multi-use trail or pedestrian-friendly shoulder lanes on the road from Route 571 to Millstone Road. Cranbury Road has an unused right-of-way along this stretch, so this could be done without compromising any private property.
We invite all to join us at 109 Cranbury Road at?4 p.m.?on?Friday, June 28?as we walk along Cranbury Road to demonstrate the need for a safe route for us, our kids and the motorists and bicyclists who travel it daily.??Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh will join us.
We hope to see you then.”
-Sarah & John Thomson,?113 Cranbury Road
-Samirah & Yasser Rezvi,?109 Cranbury Road
1 Comment »Wednesday, June 20 by silvia
New Jersey Transit is allowing cyclists to get on and off at low-level train stations (think Jersey Avenue, not Princeton Junction) but is adding restrictions on bikes on any train during weekend mornings and evenings. Beginning July 1, bikes no longer will be allowed on trains going into Manhattan from 9 a.m. to noon and outbound from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on both Saturdays and Sundays. There is no distinction made between those going from, say, Princeton Junction to New Brunswick and those going all the way into Manhattan. Nor was it clear how many people are bringing bikes on trains and why the restrictions were needed.
If you agree with us that the new rules are a bad idea, you can tell New Jersey Transit in the comment section of their quarterly customer satisfaction survey (the latest survey is available through June 28), their online feedback form OR you can speak with leaders directly TODAY (June 20) between 4:30p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Seventh Avenue Concourse at Penn Station.
Comments Off on Loosen the Weekend Rules for Bikes on TrainsSaturday, February 25 by JerryFoster
The WWBPA is partnering with New Jersey Transit, West Windsor Township, West Windsor Parking Authority, West Windsor BikeFest and the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association to add bike lockers to the Princeton Junction train station.
The lockers, which were unused at? the Maplewood train station, were recently disassembled and brought to storage by township employees, and will be reassembled when the concrete pad is poured on the New York-bound side of the tracks at Princeton Junction station.
Thanks to all our partners for helping to make this happen!
Comments Off on New Bike Lockers for Princeton Junction Train StationThursday, September 8 by silvia
Please join us in encouraging New Jersey Transit to allow bikes to board from all train stations, even those with low platforms, during off-peak hours. This policy, in place since 1998, was recently revised to ban boarding from low platform stations. You can send a quick online letter by clicking here.
NJ Transit is now restricting bicycle access to all of its stations that do not have a high-level platform, including the key Hoboken Terminal. That ends up putting nearly half of NJ Transit?s 163 commuter rail train stations out of reach for cyclists looking to take their bikes (thankfully not the Princeton Junction station). This new policy also does not make a distinction between full-sized, standard-frame bicycles and folding bikes.
Comments Off on Speak Up for Bikes on TrainsWednesday, August 31 by silvia
While other transit agencies are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to greatly expand bicycle access to their trains, New Jersey Transit has quietly changed its policy regarding bicycles on trains that will severely limit those wishing to take their bicycles with them on their next trip, our friends at WalkBikeJersey report.
NJ Transit is now restricting bicycle access to all of its stations that do not have a high-level platform, including the key Hoboken Terminal. That ends up putting nearly half of NJ Transit’s 163 commuter rail train stations out of reach for cyclists looking to take their bikes. This new policy also does not make a distinction between full-sized, standard-frame bicycles and folding bikes. Read the full report here.
2 Comments »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.
September 30 — at the farmers market and bike drive to benefit Bike Exchange
October 3 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
October 10 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
October 12 — monthly meeting
October 14 — at the farmers market
October 17 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
October 24 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
October 28 — at the farmers market
October 28 — Martian bike ride with the Historical Society of West Windsor
November 9 — monthly meeting
December 14 — monthly meeting
Ongoing – Register your bike with the WW Police Department for free
Volunteer Opportunities – Sign up to give back to the community
Recent Infrastructure
Proposals and Actions
In support of a walking and biking path along the Dinky tracks (sent separately to many elected officials)
A call for rapid-flashing beacons for the intersection of Penn-Lyle and Canoe Brook
Clarksville Road bridge recommendations (and response from NJDOT project consultants)
Recommendations for improvements around the Princeton Junction train station
Suggested locations for rapid-flashing pedestrian beacons
Suggestions for bicycle and pedestrian improvements
Freeholders Clarksville Road Crossing at Hawk Drive
Cranbury Road Improvements