Minutes from the Feb. 12^th 2004 West Windsor Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force Meeting

Meeting Attendees: Roger Alig, Peter Bilton, Ken Carlson, Meg Chicco, Susan Conlon, Bruce Ellsworth, Dan Gerstenhaber, Heather Ibara, Arnold Kelly, Ken Leon, Alison Miller, Don Smart

Web site: http://www.princetonol.com/groups/bikeped/

Sidewalks

· Pedestrian accident at Washington Road and Wallace/Cranbury Road- Meg reviewed the accident involving a pedestrian and a car at Washington Road and Wallace/Cranbury Road on Friday Feb. 6^th. We will try to obtain a police report on the accident. There has been a significant response (e.g., letters written) about this accident from residents living in the vicinity of the train station. Meg has suggested we write a letter from the Task Force to the County Executive asking for immediate improvements to this intersection. She will circulate a draft of the letter for input.

· Sidewalk Inventory- Roger informed the group that of the latest iteration of the Sidewalk Inventory-it should be a final draft. We should still look it over for any further refinements. It was suggested that WW residents be informed about the Inventory. One suggestion was to put a notice about the inventory on the township web site. The other suggestion was to post a notice on the WW-P web site that the inventory is available at the Municipal Center.

· Sidewalk Prioritization- Meg and Susan spoke of their efforts to prioritize sidewalk improvement projects in town. Their plan is to select key destinations in town (e.g., schools, the train station) and to define routes to these destinations from various generators (e.g., local neighborhoods) using a radius of 1 mile. Routes that are used for more than one destination/generator pairing will get a higher priority.

· Sidewalk from Canoe Brook Road to High School South- The Bike/Ped Task Force has been requested by town council to provide a recommendation for the location of a small bridge over Canoe Brook to allow high school students to travel safely between High School South and the neighboring Colonial Park community. There are two locations for such a bridge. One location is unofficially in use, and that is at the end of Nassau Place. Kids cross over Canoe Brook at this location by using a chair that is sitting in the brook. This crossing could be easily formalized by the construction of a small bridge. The other location is on a 50 foot right of way easement between 6 and 8 Canoe Brook. It has been suggested that a sidewalk be constructed on this easement which would lead to a bridge over the brook. The sidewalk and bridge could be funded by the sale of most of the right of way to the neighbors who border the easement. It was suggested that the task force members visit the two locations and voice an opinion on which crossing makes the most sense.

Bikelanes

· Bike Tour- Dan gave an update on the planning of the West Windsor Bike Event. We’re still looking for a name for this event so please pass on any suggestions. One possibility, “War of the Wheels” was suggested at the meeting but may not set the right tone for the event! The Bike Tour date is set for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 29^th. The rain date is Sunday May 30^th. Additional volunteers are needed to help plan the event. Please contact Dan if you are interested in helping with the event.

Recreational Trails

· TEA-21 Grant application for D&R Canal Trail- Bruce briefly summarized the grant application that was submitted on 2/12 to the DOT to construct a trail along the D&R Canal on the West Windsor side of the Canal. There was substantial support for the application, including letters from Rush Holt, the Commissioner of the DEP, our local assemblymen and senators, and a town council resolution. Bruce thanked everyone who helped with the scoping the proposed trail and with the application. Bruce will circulate the final grant application to the group.

· Rogers Property- The Rogers property, a 13 acre lot bordered by Clarksville Rd, Landing Lane, and Bear Brook, is up for sale. FOWWOS is working with the property owner to try to preserve the property- a gorgeous parcel that was formerly a Christmas tree farm operated by Ron Rogers, an early West Windsor land preservationist. If the land is preserved, the Task Force is very interested in developing a trail through the property to give residents living around Grover’s Mill Pond a safe route to travel to the train station. FOWWOS has been working with neighbors bordering the property to help raise funds to purchase the property.

· Duck Pond Run Trail- Ken told the group that several weeks ago he and Alison took Newell Benedic of the WW Recreation Commission and Tony and Patti Vinci for a tour of the Duck Pond Run Trail. The Recreation Commission is interested in funding the development of recreational trails in town. From our walk, it was clear that the trail between Penn Lyle and North Post Road would be the easier segment to develop first.

Local Planning Assistance

· Ken C spoke about the efforts to date to provide feedback on the Orth-Rodger’s Existing Conditions Memorandum. He intends to send finalized comments to Orth-Rodgers within the next few days (this has now been done).

· The Orth-Rodger’s Community Workshop was held on Thursday, Feb 19^th. We’ll review the workshop at our next meeting.

Action Items

• Obtain police report on pedestrian accident at 571 and Wallace Road- Meg
• Ask that a notice be posted on both the township web site and WW-P Today web site that the Sidewalk Inventory is now available to township residents- Ken and Roger
• Circulate the final D&R Canal Grant Application to Task Force members- Bruce
• Look at the two possible locations for a formalized bridge over Canoe Brook to allow students to access High School South from Colonial Park- All

Upcoming Meetings

• Feb. 24^th, 7:30 PM- Bike Event Meeting

Next Bike/Ped Meeting:

· March 11 7:30 PM.

· Tentative Agenda items: Sidewalk Prioritization; Review of Orth-Rodgers Community Workshop; Bike Tour; Canoe Brook Bridge