Building a Bicycle and
Pedestrian Friendly Community
Friday, March 27 by silvia
A 53-year-old man was hit while crossing Princeton Hightstown Road by Cranbury and Wallace roads on Sunday, March 15 by a distracted driver. He suffered a broken collar bone, a concussion and a cut to the back of his head.
Comments Off on Man hit in crosswalk by driver putting away his coffee cupThursday, February 27 by silvia
Mercer County has unveiled its new design for the section of Princeton Hightstown Road/County Road 571 between Cranbury and Wallace roads and Clarksville Road — our “Main Street”. The goal is to slow traffic along these 0.7 miles and create a more livable space for all.
Comments Off on Highlights of the Princeton Hightstown Road redesignWednesday, July 24 by silvia
A second set of those pedestrian-activated flashing lights (known as rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, or RRFBs) has been added to the intersection of Princeton Hightstown Road/County Road 571 and Sherbrooke Drive.
More » Comments Off on Speaking up pays off: A safer Sherbrooke/571 crossingThursday, February 16 by JerryFoster
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) chose New Jersey as one of 13 states which “experienced pedestrian fatalities above 150 per year and above the national rate of 2.5 per 100,000 population.” These states receive extra attention in the effort to reduce pedestrian fatalities on our roadways. According to the article “Spotlight on Pedestrian Safety” in the current issue of Public Roads, “FHWA’s aggressive approach to reducing the fatality rate in 13 States and 5 municipalities is showing promising results.“
The multi-year focus on pedestrian safety produced a plan called “Pedestrian Safety Management In New Jersey: A Strategic Assessment,” which “examines the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches and recommends improvements that would provide for a more systematic approach.”
So what specific recommendations will best improve pedestrian safety? The New Jersey report covers over 100 recommendations, but 3 have been chosen as the top priorities for improving pedestrian safety, according to a recent memorandum, “Promoting the Implementation of Proven Safety Countermeasures“:
- Medians and Pedestrian Crossing Islands in Urban and Suburban Areas
- Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (HAWK light, a pedestrian-activated traffic signal that stops traffic)
- “Road Diet” (Roadway Reconfiguration)
How can these proven safety features help West Windsor? The WWBPA recommends medians and/or pedestrian crossing islands for the new CR 571 design, along with a lower design speed and other measures, like a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (HAWK signal) at Sherbrooke Drive and 571.
A Rapid Flash Beacon, another type of pedestrian-activated signal, is planned for Sherbrooke and 571 – we hope it will greatly improve the safety of that crossing. Examples are at the trail crossing on South Mill and near the train station at Scott and Wallace. Studies of the Rapid Flash Beacon are promising, but of? the 22 roadways in one study, only 1 had a posted speed limit as high as CR571’s 40mph, and only 2 had about the same volume (17K-18K average daily traffic), and only 1 had more volume. So we’ll hope for the best.
A Road Diet is when the road is reconfigured from 4 lanes down to 3, one travel lane in? each direction and a center turn lane, plus bike lanes on each side. The WWBPA has long recommended road diets for Canal Pointe Boulevard and Alexander Road between Rt 1 and Vaughn Drive, and believes the treatment would be appropriate for Roszel Road and Carnegie Center Drive as well.
Why is the WWBPA for road diets in these areas but recommends medians and/or pedestrian crossing refuges for CR 571? The difference is in the? number and density of driveways – our Rt 571 downtown area has too many compared to office park settings like Canal Pointe and Carnegie Center.
3 Comments »
Sunday, December 25 by JerryFoster
This post was published as a Letter to the Editor in the West Windsor Plainsboro News December 16, 2011.? In response to Lucy Vandenberg’s letter in the West Windsor Plainsboro News December 2, 2011, WW Transit Village a Model for State. As I expect Ms. Vandenberg would agree, the Transit Village is a good start, but more needs to be done to achieve the benefits of Smart Growth.
It’s not enough that the Transit Village will “make it possible for people to get out of their cars and walk, bike, and take the train to their destinations.” We must be able to safely walk and bike to and from the Transit Village.
It’s not enough to have compact development – we need a grocery store within walking distance, like the Acme that used to be in downtown West Windsor. Land use law and/or policies must require diverse uses – we need more than banks and real estate offices downtown, so that people have a variety of walkable destinations.
It’s not enough that compact development could be environmentally beneficial – we need specific open space preservation tied to specific dense developments like the Transit Village. It’s irrelevant that other space in New Jersey is already preserved.
It’s not enough to have Smart Growth policies for land use – transportation policy must support land use policy, by implementing the flexible standards in the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (NJDOT) Smart Transportation Guidebook.
It’s not enough that NJDOT and West Windsor Township adopted Complete Streets policies – Mercer County must also adopt the policy, which requires roadway improvements to support walking and biking. Otherwise major roads like CR 571 in downtown West Windsor are subject to expensive but counter-productive “improvements” that don’t meet the the township’s goal for “pedestrian-friendly, village scale development.” There’s nothing pedestrian-friendly about a wider road with 30% more cars going 45mph, with no place to safely wait in the middle when crossing.
The Rt 1 Regional Growth Strategy is not enough, since it doesn’t sufficiently support redevelopment in Trenton and New Brunswick, the two already-compact but underutilized “developments” anchoring the region. With the right policies, much of the region’s growth could fit into Trenton and New Brunswick with far less environmental and traffic impact. Without supporting our cities, the strategy’s Bus Rapid Transit system will effectively encourage sprawl in outlying areas, contrary to its stated goal.
Respectfully, it’s wrong to promise reduced congestion by implementing Smart Growth, even with Smart Transportation and the Bus Rapid Transit system. Like water, the transportation network balances itself as people choose to walk, bike, drive, or take the bus or train, depending on the cost and convenience of each. If there is less congestion, people will switch to driving until there is enough congestion to make it better to take another way.
The Transit Village is a good start, but doesn’t exist in a vacuum. We need complementary supporting policies to achieve the benefits of Smart Growth. If Smart Growth just means new and denser development, then it has already failed to achieve its goals.
6 Comments »Monthly meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month, at 6:15 pm at the WW library and via Zoom. Email us at [email protected] for details, including 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.
Aug. 22 — At the farmers market
Aug. 23 — Special walk in Rogers Preserve
Aug. 25 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
Sept. 1 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
Sept. 5 — at the farmers market
Sept. 8 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
Sept. 10 — Monthly meeting
Sept. 15 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
Sept. 19 — Community Day at Duck Pond Park
Sept. 22 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
Sept. 29 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
Oct 3 — at the farmers market
Oct. 6 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
Oct. 13 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
Oct. 17 — Bike drive at the farmers market to benefit Bike Exchange
Oct. 20 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
Oct. 25 — Annual Martian bike ride with the Historical Society of West Windsor (details to come)
Oct. 27 — Weekly walking group at Community Park
Oct. 31 — our final day at the farmers market in 2026
Ongoing – Register your bike with the WW Police Department for free
Volunteer Opportunities – Sign up to give back to the community
Now Accepting Applications for WWBPA Student Advisory Board
Recent Infrastructure
Proposals and Actions
How to make Old Trenton Road better for all users
Our recommendations for the D&R Canal State Park master plan
New Jersey’s e-bike law needs to exempt 20 mph e-bikes
In support of a grant application that would include a canopy for bike racks
What needs to be included in Mercer County’s New Mobility Element
Our recommendations for the FY26-27 capital improvement budget
In support of an extension of the Union Transportation Trail in East Windsor
A request to Mercer County for rapid-flashing beacons at Edinburg Road and Howell Court
In support of West Windsor’s status as a Safe Routes to School community
In support of a rapid-flashing beacon at the D&R Canal towpath and Quaker Road
Our suggestions for modifications to the Edinburg Road multi-use path
A call for sidewalks on Millstone Road
Input on design for roundabouts in West Windsor
Feedback on a draft Complete and Green Streets policy for the township
A request to speak with NJDOT about a safe bike/ped crossing of U.S. 1 at Fisher Place
In support of the Moses Tunda Tatamy Trail
Our recommendations for the FY25-26 capital improvement budget
In support of safety improvements on Alexander Road in Berrien City
A request to Plainsboro for rapid-flashing beacons between the high school and middle school
A request to Mercer County for rapid-flashing beacons at Clarksville Road and Norchester Drive
Policy recommendations in the wake of a pedestrian fatality on Rabbit Hill Road