Building a Bicycle and
Pedestrian Friendly Community
Monday, May 9 by silvia
The West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance will once again host a Ride of Silence as part of National Bike Week.
Now in its 20th year, the Ride of Silence is an international movement to honor all those cyclists who have been injured – or worse, killed – while pedaling. All rides around the world begin at 7 p.m. local time on Wednesday, May 18, weather permitting.
More » 1 Comment »Wednesday, June 6 by silvia
About two dozen riders, plus our West Windsor police escort and a funeral hearse from Mather-Hodge, made up our solemn Ride of Silence procession through West Windsor. We certainly got attention, particularly by the Conover Road ballfields! (Notice how well reflective gear works!)
We kicked off the farmers’ market season with a walk to the market and promoted bicycling and walking on two market days, Princeton’s Communiversity at the end the April and West Windsor’s own BikeFest extravaganza. We also held a class for adults who wanted to learn to bike.
Unfortunately, our plans for a bikers breakfast at the Princeton Junction train station with Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association were rained out.
Communiversity and our new bike safety wheel
Walking to the first day of the farmers' market
Comments Off on Share Our Memories of National Bike Month
Wednesday, May 2 by silvia
May is National Bike Month, and the week of May 13 is Bike to Work Week. A number of events are planned in West Windsor and neighboring communities; one (or more) is sure to be right for you. We’ve also included a few for walkers. (Note that not all events listed below are organized by the WWBPA)
May 5: West Windsor Walks to the opening day of the farmers’ market. Join us at 8:50 a.m. in the parking lot at the back of Maurice Hawk Elementary school for a leisurely stroll of just over a mile. We’ll start walking at 9 a.m. and are?excited that the route this year will take us along some stretches of sidewalk that weren’t there last year. Kids will be challenged by a game of “I Spy.” People in wheelchairs and kids in strollers are welcome.
May 6: Bring your child (up to age 10) and bike to a free bike skills class at Plainsboro’s Founders Day. Princeton’s police department is sponsoring a separate bike skills class that includes a bike obstacle course on May 19; call 921-2100, ext. 1848 for details.
May 11-12: Adults aren’t being left out. This skills class, offered through the West Windsor Recreation Department, is for those who want to boost their confidence when riding on the road. Cost is $50, but the WWBPA will reimburse $25 of the cost for members. Plus we’ll cover the other $25 for the first five members who write a review of the class that we can use on our website.
May 12: Buy a bike at Bike Exchange in Ewing and get a free helmet from Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association. Learn more about this and other GMTMA events during National Bike Month here.
May 14-18: National Bike to Work Week. Register for a free T-shirt and a raffle with GMTMA.
May 15: Bikers Breakfast at the Princeton Junction train station, sponsored by the WWBPA and Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association, starting at 6 a.m. Grab a drink and a snack on us. Want a bike locker? We’ll tell you how to get one.
May 16: The WWBPA is supporting one of three area Ride of Silence events to honor cyclists killed or injured on the roads. Meet at 6:45 p.m. in the Municipal Center parking lot; the silent one-hour ride will leave at 7 p.m. We will have a West Windsor police escort and a funeral hearse courtesy of Mather Hodge. We suggest you wear a black armband and turn on your front and rear lights. We will stick together for the entire 10-12 mile route. Last year, more than 12,000 cyclists took part in events around the world.
May 19: Tour historic Trenton with the Trenton Cycling Revolution. More information about this 15-mile ride and registration at www.trentoncycling.org.
May 26: BikeFest, West Windsor’s bicycling extravaganza, with rides for people of all abilities, from 1.5 miles to 40 miles. Register at www.westwindsorbikefest.com. Say “hi” to the WWBPA after your ride!
June 16: The WWBPA holds a free “learn to bike” class for kids who want to get off training wheels at the West Windsor Farmers’ Market. Watch the video of last year’s class. Note: This is a members-only event.
Comments Off on Celebrate National Bike Month 2012Monday, April 16 by silvia
The WWBPA is once again supporting a “Ride of Silence” in West Windsor as part of our National Bike Month activities. This is an annual international event to honor those cyclists killed or injured on the roads and to raise awareness among motorists that we are on the road. We will leave the West Windsor Municipal Center at 7 pm on Wednesday, May 16 for a slow, silent, one-hour, 10-12-mile ride through town. We will remain as a group, slowing down as needed.
You must wear a helmet! Think about ways to make yourself visible to motorists.
The ride is free; please bring a friend. (Also bring water, ID, spare tube and anything else you think you might need).
Please arrive for the ride at least 15 minutes early.
At least two other Rides of Silence are being planned in our area: in Princeton and in Montgomery.
Comments Off on Ride of Silence 2012Friday, June 3 by silvia
The WWBPA had something for everyone in May. Where did you see us?
On May 7, we led our second annual walk to mark the start of the farmers’ market season. About 20 people, from grandparents to grandchildren, joined for a walk from Maurice Hawk School to the Farmers’ Market at the Vaughn Drive Parking Lot.? The first stop was at the Arts Center on Alexander Road where Greening of West Windsor (GroWW) was holding an Herb Sale to benefit the plantings at the Arts Center.? We observed the new sidewalk along Alexander Road from Scott Avenue to Wallace Road under construction, and noted that on next year’s walk we would use it.? Crossing Wallace at Alexander instead of at Scott is much safer because cars have a much greater sight line to the pedestrians.? We proceeded to the station, under the tracks, and along the pathway to the Farmers’ Market, where the WWBPA handed out maps and held a drawing for a T-shirt, a reflective vest, a set of lights, a set of ankle bands and a couple of Share the Road decals.
As part of National Bike to Work Week, we joined Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association for a chilly “bikers breakfast” at the station on May 17, offering food, drink and encouragement to cyclists and others. We hope some are ready to get back on a bike, even if not to get to work.
On May 21, we were back at the farmers’ market, teaching about 50 kids to ride bikes without training wheels, using a “balance first” method taught to us by Bike New York.
On May 28, we were at BikeFest, talking to participants about what we do and offering ideas on where to ride.
Our “Ride of Silence,” to honor cyclists killed or injured on the roads, was delayed by rain until June 1. We rode through West Windsor, led by a police car and funeral hearse. If you missed us, check out the photos.
Comments Off on The WWBPA’s May in PicturesSunday, May 22 by silvia
Our rained-out Ride of Silence will now take place on Wednesday, June 1. It’s one of three events planned for the first days of June.
A Ride of Silence is a one-hour, 10-mile ride (in silence) to honor those killed or injured while cycling on the road. We are thrilled that we will have both a West Windsor police officer and a hearse from Mather-Hodge Funeral Home in our procession. Thanks!
The ride leaves at 7 p.m. from the Municipal Center parking lot, so please arrive by 6:45 p.m. so we can start pedaling on time. Bring lights, reflective vest if you have one — anything to help make us even more visible!? We of course will be obeying all traffic rules. This ride is about promoting safe riding practices, courtesy and sharing the road.
In addition, we are holding a “yoga for cyclists” class with instructor Nancy Sheehan at the Cranbury Library off Main Street on Thursday, June 2. The session starts at 7 p.m. We’ll talk first about fun places to ride in the area (what’s your tip?) and then get into our deep stretch. The May session was great; join us this time!
On Sunday, June 5, we’ll be visiting the Metz Bicycle Museum in Freehold. The museum houses one of the world’s finest collections of antique bicycles,? dating from the 1850’s to the 1950’s.? Hundreds of bicycles are artfully displayed. Boneshakers, highwheelers, quadricycles, tricycles, ordinaries, safeties, children’s bikes, trick bikes, and many more unusual and one-of-a kind cycles make up this fascinating collection. See a lamplighter bicycle that is over eight feet high as well as miniatures made by a prisoner of war in Belgium in the early 1940s.
We will be riding there from Marlboro High School on Route 79 (NOTE CHANGE from the Bicycle Hub in Marlboro, NJ), starting at 11 a.m., and using the off-road Henry Hudson Trail for most of the 6-mile route. This leisurely ride is free, but museum admission is $10. You must RSVP for this ride because of the museum’s capacity; email wwbikeped@gmail.com.
We’ll also be at the West Windsors Farmers Market on June 4; see you there?
Comments Off on Ride of Silence Rescheduled for June 1Wednesday, May 18 by silvia
West Windsor’s Ride of Silence scheduled for tonight has been cancelled because of the weather. We’ll be rescheduling, possibly for June 1.
Comments Off on Ride of Silence PostponedTuesday, May 17 by silvia
Join with thousands of others around the world in honoring cyclists killed or injured on the roads by taking part in a one-hour Ride of Silence.
Three are planned in the Mercer County area, and the West Windsor ride will leave at 7 p.m. from the Municipal Center parking lot. This FREE ride is the only one of the three that will include a funeral hearse in the procession! Many thanks to Mather-Hodge Funeral Home for providing one.
The ride will be about 10 miles and last one hour. We will ride as a group and of course obey all traffic laws. Helmets are required. Think about how to be particularly visible …turn on your lights, wear a reflective vest.
Check on Wednesday if the weather looks dicey. (No ride if it’s raining; we’ll aim to reschedule.)
Did you see the write-ups in the Trenton Times and the Princeton Packet?
Comments Off on Ride of Silence is WednesdayMonthly 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.
April 13 — monthly meeting
May 11 — monthly meeting
May 17 — Ride of Silence
June 8 — monthly meeting
July 13 — monthly meeting
August 10 — monthly meeting
September 14 — monthly meeting
October 12 — monthly meeting
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
Freeholders Clarksville Rd Crossing at Hawk Drive
Cranbury Road Improvements
Bicycle Racks throughout West Windsor
Rt 1 Jughandle Design Recommendations
Clarksville & N. Post Safety Improvements
Keep federal bike/walk funds?
Biking and walking to transit
Walk and bike to school safely
Downtown Princeton Jct/Rt. 571 Recommendations