Building a Bicycle and
Pedestrian Friendly Community
Thursday, January 19 by JerryFoster
Biking and walking is much more comfortable when motorist traffic is slower, plus safety is improved; lower speed reduces both the likelihood and severity of crashes. Sometimes motorists must be reminded to slow down — usually because the road design encourages them to drive too fast.
More » Comments Off on Ask for a Speed Hump — Not a Speed Bump — to (Quietly) Slow TrafficTuesday, December 20 by silvia
West Windsor has just been awarded three grants totaling $688,000 from Governor Murphy that will help make West Windsor even better for those who walk, bike and scoot.
Together with three grants awarded early this year, West Windsor has received $1.33 million from the state for new multi-use paths, new sidewalks, and other bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
More » Comments Off on West Windsor wins 3 more state grants for biking and walkingTuesday, October 4 by silvia
On October 30, 1938, a rising star named Orson Welles made history with his “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast. This fake “news bulletin” depicted a Martian invasion of Earth, causing real-life panic. The aliens’ landing site? The historic community of Grovers Mill, right here in West Windsor.
Explore this history and related local points of interest with a free 7-mile bicycle ride on Saturday, Oct. 22, with the WWBPA and the Historical Society of West Windsor. You can get more information here. And consider decorating your bike … or coming dressed as a Martian!
Friday, September 30 by silvia
A bike ride in Community Park was a fun way for a dozen third-grade Brownies to kick off a new year in Girl Scouts. With help from several WWBPA board members, the girls and some of their parents learned about bicycle safety before eagerly mounting their bikes.
We reviewed the ABC quick check that you should always do before a bike ride, proper helmet fit, hand signals, trail etiquette, and road rules before heading out on our bikes. We also briefed parents on the NJ Safe Passing Law.
The WWBPA can help your scout troop, neighborhood or school group learn to be better bicyclists. Email wwbikeped@gmail.com if you’re interested in a bicycle safety talk and escorted ride. Parents are welcome to attend with their children.
Comments Off on WWBPA teams up with WW Girl ScoutsWednesday, August 3 by silvia
Gas prices got you down? Are you concerned about your carbon footprint? Or are you looking for a way to get more exercise? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, consider substituting some trips by car with some by bike.
Here are some of our favorite tips:
More » 1 Comment »Tuesday, July 5 by silvia
For those who enjoy walking or bicycling along the D&R Canal towpath by the Delaware River, there’s now one more way to cross between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
More » Comments Off on A new bike/walk crossing over the Delaware RiverThursday, May 19 by silvia
Saturday is ebike information and demonstration day at the West Windsor Farmers Market.
As part of National Bike Month, the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance is bringing together ebike owners to answer your question and satisfy your curiosity about the many types and styles of electric bikes. Plus Princeton eBikes will be on hand with electric bikes for you to test-ride for a few minutes.
More » Comments Off on Test-ride an electric bike at the WW Farmers Market on SaturdayMonday, 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 »Sunday, May 1 by silvia
This beautiful new walking and biking map of West Windsor shows all bike lanes, sidewalk, trails and paths – and yes, cut-through sidewalks between neighborhoods — in the township.
Created by the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance together with Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association, this 22-inch x 24-inch map will inspire you and your family to explore more of the township on foot and by bicycle.
More » Comments Off on A new West Windsor walking and biking mapWednesday, December 22 by silvia
Thanks to PSE&G (which owns the land) and a nudge from the township, the Trolley Line Trail — the trail under the power lines — now extends to Village Road West instead of ending at Penn-Lyle Road. That means you can walk, jog, scoot or bike more than 3 miles from the northern end at Rabbit Hill Road without ever needing to be on the road (except when crossing at intersections, of course).
More » Comments Off on The Trolley Line Trail just got almost a half-mile longerFriday, November 2 by silvia
This quick survey, from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, is your chance to speak up about biking conditions getting to the Princeton Junction train station (and other transit stops you use):
Do you use your bike to get to a transit station? Would you be more likely to bike to the transit station you use if it was more easily accessible for bicyclists or had better bike parking? DVRPC wants your input!
DVRPC, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, SEPTA, NJ Transit, PATCO, and Open Plans are collaborating to determine where investments in bicycle accessibility are most needed. Available online, a new map-based survey allows commuters to select the transit station they use and share their ideas on how transit stations can better accommodate bicyclists.
The survey, available at biketotransit.shareabouts.org, will continue accepting public input until December 1, 2012. The results of the survey will help to shape recommendations for investment in bike improvements at our region’s transit stations. For more information on DVRPC’s Office of Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning, click here.
Comments Off on Online Survey Seeks Transit Users’ Input on Bicycle Accessibility
Monday, September 24 by silvia
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)Thursday, August 30 by silvia
Join the WWBPA for the last of our 2012 bike rides. Our goal is to help you feel comfortable getting around by bike and showing you some new routes. The next one is Sept. 15 (rain date Sept. 16th): a five-mile loop down the Trolley Line Trail and along Penn-Lyle past High School South and back to the park. Meet at the tennis courts at Community Park (North Mill Road entrance) at 2:15 p.m.; ride leaves at 2:30 p.m.
Our last ride will be Oct. 6 (rain date Oct. 7). Our sixth annual Community Bike Ride (plus walk) is an 8-mile round trip down the D&R Canal to Brearley House and the new Lawrence Hopewell Trail, and back. Come learn about this new 20-mile route! Meet at 2:15 p.m. at Turning Basin Park parking lot (Alexander Road and the towpath); the ride leaves at 2:30 p.m. Walkers, meet at Port Mercer parking lot, 4278 Quakerbridge Road, for a 2.5-mile loop, also at 2:15 p.m.
No preregistration is necessary for either ride; just bring a bike in good working order and a helmet. The ride itself is free. Children under 13 should be accompanied by an adult. We will adjust routes as needed because of road construction. Check back on our website or Facebook page for final details.
Our August ride was to Plainsboro Preserve. Nearly 20 people took part. The kids loved the bugs; the adults discovered the point jutting into the lake. Some of us rode from Community Park, and others met the group at Town Center Elementary School.
Heading to the Plainsboro Preserve
Friday, June 29 by silvia
The West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance kicked off its series of casual summer bike rides with an easy ride for ice cream at Rite Aid with 25 people cycling through West Windsor neighborhoods (and no Route 571) on Saturday.
The riders, who included a five-year-old on a tag-along with his dad, a seven-year-old with a new bike and an eight-year-old new to town, left Community Park and went past the tennis courts on Hendrickson, through the arboretum and across Clarksville at the Norchester crosswalk. The stream of cyclists on Norchester shocked a pair of teens in a car! A little-known cut-though brought them to Ride Aid and ice cream — 1 1/2 miles from their starting point. A bonus: now some families know how to reach Community Park from the station (using the path by Schlumberger to reach the corner of Route 571 and Wallace Road).
The next ride will be an 11-mile loop of historic West Windsor on Saturday, July 28. We’ll meet at 9 a.m. at the kiosk that describes the route at the corner of South Mill Road and Village Road East, next to the World War II memorial. The ride will be led by Paul Ligeti, who designed and signposted the route for his Eagle Scout project.
You may know that the Martians “landed” in Grover’s Mill, but did you know West Windsor has two stops on the Underground Railroad? Or that Woodrow Wilson would bike from Princeton to walk around Grover?s Mill Pond? Join us!
Monday, June 18 by silvia
The West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance is launching its series of casual summer bike rides around the community with an easy ride for ice cream at Rite Aid through West Windsor neighborhoods (and no Route 571) on Saturday, June 23.
We will gather by the tennis courts at Community Park (near the North Mill Road entrance) at 2:45 p.m. and begin our ride at 3 p.m. We’ll go past the tennis courts on Hendrickson and use the crosswalk to Norchester on Clarksville. Then we’ll show you a little-known cut-though; just remember to yield to any walkers we meet.
The route is less than 1 ? miles each way, so perfect for younger riders. (Too short? Ride to the ride!)
Helmets are required and children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Remember to ride safely and follow the rules of the road.
The ride is free, but bring money for ice cream or other snack. The rain date is Sunday, June 24. There is no need to preregister.
Watch for details about more rides!
Comments Off on Ride For Ice CreamTuesday, January 17 by silvia
When Trenton Times columnist Mea Kaemmerlen wrote about West Windsor being designated New Jersey’s first bicycle-friendly community, she threw out a challenge to her town of Plainsboro: Catch up.
We heard it, as did some Plainsboro residents. So please join us and your neighbors at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 1 at the Plainsboro Library to discuss your ideas for better biking and walking in the community.
Where do you and your family want to ride or bike, and what would make it easier? The WWBPA wants to partner with people who live, work, or even go to school in Plainsboro. Together we’ll explore some ways to make Plainsboro a more bicycle and pedestrian friendly community.
Please help us spread the word to your friends and neighbors. Hope to see you there!
Comments Off on Join Us in PlainsboroTuesday, December 13 by sandy
WZBN reporter Rose Eiklor interviewed Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh and WWBPA President Jerry Foster and 2nd Vice President Alison Miller. The broadcast was on December 6, 2011.
Jerry made the case for a revised plan: “While the new plans will allow pedestrians to walk along Route 571 much more easily due to the new sidewalks, they won’t be able to cross as easily. And it’s not enough, in our view, to be able to just walk along a road; we’ve got to be able to cross it safely as well. Any median or refuge island that goes in the middle would be a huge improvement to being able to cross the road safely. The other main thing that we’re looking for is less speed through this section of our ‘Main Street.'”
Alison continued:
There also are many, many commuters who will cross right here [the intersection of Route 571 with Wallace/Cranbury], because this is the way to the train station, and it’s expensive to buy a parking space, especially when you can walk. And commuters are always in a hurry, and we’re very concerned about commuter safety.”
Mayor Hsueh worries that any changes in the design at this point will require the Township and County “to go back to square one again…I have reservations about [their design], because they didn’t know that we’d already discussed with County about those concerns. But County…also has certain kinds of ground rules regarding a county roadway, and we have to compromise with them.”
The mayor continued: “The speed limit is decided by the state DOT, so my feeling is, once we have this design done and once we have people riding bicycles around, [there will be] opportunities we can request for reevaluation of the speed limits, and there are technical standards–it’s not even political negotiations, it’s all based on statistical analysis.”
Commenting on the YouTube site, WWBPA trustee Chris Scherer notes, “It is not financially or socially responsible to implement a ‘ solution’ that requires rework to be considered safe and effective.”
WZBN TV-25 is New Jersey’s Capital News Station.
4 Comments »Friday, November 11 by silvia
Help us promote nighttime visibility among “invisible” cyclists and others.
We will be at St. Anthony’s of Padua in Hightstown at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20 and at St. Paul’s in Princeton at 7 p.m. Monday Nov. 28. At each event, we will give a short presentation in Spanish (and English)? that also includes some basic “rules of the road.” We’ll then offer visibility and safety items such as reflective vests, lights and helmets for half price, funded in part by a generous donation from the West Windsor Policemen’s Benevolent Association. We need people who can help with the presentation as well as Spanish and non-Spanish speakers to help fit helmets, model vests and otherwise encourage “invisible” cyclists to be more visible to motorists at night.
Interested in helping? Email us at wwbikeped@gmail.com
Would your place of worship be interested in a safety presentation? Or have another suggestion? Email us!
2 Comments »Saturday, June 18 by silvia
About 20 people from West Windsor and neighboring communities headed earlier this month to Freehold and the Metz Bicycle Museum, a museum filled with what must be more than 100 bicycles collected over 60 years by a former Cranbury resident who, we learned, came up with the idea for those scalloped cement blocks to edge gardens.
Most of us used part of the Henry Hudson Trail, a well-used, shaded and paved path on what was once a freight railroad line. We were accompanied from Marlboro High School by a number of local residents who gave us some extra local flavor: Freehold High School, Bruce Springsteen?s alma mater (we heard a few stories about him!); the Battle of Monmouth monument; and lunch on Main Street.
A smaller? group of hardy cyclists peddled from West Windsor to Freehold (about 22 miles). They had the bright idea to stop for ice cream on the way home!
Our youngest cyclist, 9-year-old Ashley, hitched her bike to Dad’s some of the time. We learned she’s a budding fashionista with real affinity for shoes. So guess what her favorite bike had?
See more of our pictures here.
Comments Off on Fabulous Day in FreeholdFriday, 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 PicturesMonthly 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