Minutes from the March 11^th 2004 West Windsor Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force Meeting

Meeting Attendees: Roger Alig, Peter Bilton, Ken Carlson, Susan Conlon, Dan Gerstenhaber, Myra Hochman, Arnold Kelly, Alison Miller, Sandy Shapiro, Don Smart, Kelvin Wirth

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

Miscellaneous- Ken mentioned the unprecedented number of bicycle and/or pedestrian-related meetings that have been held since the last task force meeting. The meetings were: Feb 17^th meeting on the Alexander Road bridge, Feb 19^th Orth-Rodgers Community Workshop, March 2^nd meeting of Princeton Junction area residents to discuss pedestrian safety in the Junction, the Planning Board review of the Dataram request for a variance which included the construction of a macadam path along 571 and down an easement to South Mill Rd, and the Town Council meeting where the speed limits along Alexander Road were discussed.

Sidewalks

· Sidewalk Prioritization- Susan spoke of her and Meg’s continuing efforts to prioritize sidewalk improvement projects in the Princeton Junction area. She showed the group 8.5 x 11 inch maps that Jim Parvesse had made for the prioritization effort. The maps are zoomed-in sidewalk inventory maps overlayed on aerial photos of either the train station or High School South with ½ mile and 1 mile circles radiating out from the center of the map. These maps have made it easier to conduct the prioritizations. Similar maps using Community Pool and the Library as generators could also be used to look at these areas.

· Photographs- Susan showed photographs she had taken while walking a commonly used commuting route in town. The route began at the Wallace Road entrance to the Train Station, continued down Wallace to Route 571, then up Route 571 to Alexander, then down Alexander to the orphan bridge. The photographs detailed the many hazards a pedestrian encounters when taking this route (lack of sidewalks, poorly marked crosswalks, lack of proper lighting, dangerous intersections). Susan and Meg are planning a walking tour of Princeton Junction following this route (planned for April 1). Their plan is to invite local politicians (including Brian Hughes) and residents and to point out the pedestrian un-friendly conditions that exist in this heavily foot-traveled area.

· Existing funding for improvements along Alexander Road- Susan reminded the group of the $66,000 grant the township received to improve the streetscape in front of the Alexander Road firehouse/arts center. There is also $25,000 in this year’s twp. budget to create stamped brick crosswalks at the Scott, Harris, and Gables intersections.

· Pedestrian improvements to CR 571 in Princeton Junction- Susan briefly reviewed the March 2^nd meeting of Princeton Junction area residents to discuss pedestrian safety along Route 571 in the Junction (see summary circulated in an earlier e-mail). There was a considerable discussion on the resolution written by Meg and edited by members of the Task Force. Alison strongly felt that the Resolution was asking for too much in that it was asking the County to make pedestrian improvements along the length of 571 from Clarksville Road to Wallace Road. She argued that this would be a recipe for continued inaction as development would have to precede any improvements. She suggested that the Resolution be modified to focus in on immediate improvements to just the Wallace/Cranbury Road-CR 571 intersection. Arnold made the suggestion that we should come up with a dollar amount on what it would cost to make improvements to this intersection. A letter to Brian Hughes has been drafted and will be sent out after the Resolution has been reviewed. (The resolution has since been revised and sent on to Council for presentation at the March 22^nd Council meeting. To simplify matters, it was thought best that the resolution should originate from the residents of the Princeton Junction area neighborhoods rather than from the Task Force).

· Sidewalk from Canoe Brook Road to High School South- Everyone was in agreement that the optimal location for a pedestrian bridge over Canoe Brook would be at the end of Nassau Place. It was mentioned that an easement from the school board might be needed.

· New Sidewalk- Alison informed us that a new stretch of sidewalk will be constructed on Rabbit Hill Road. The owners of an older house on the east side of Rabbit Hill Road. (the house is in front of Dey Farm Estates) are subdividing their property to allow for the construction of two new houses. One benefit of this sub-division will be the construction of a sidewalk along this property. This sidewalk will fill in a missing link on this side of Rabbit Hill allowing for residents to walk from Bennington Drive to where the PSE&G power lines cross Rabbit Hill Road.

Bikelanes

· Bike Tour- Dan gave an update on the bike event slated for May 29^th, which now has a name- the West Windsor Bikefest. There will be a bike rodeo run by Patrolman Sam Dyson and three rides- a long ride starting at 8:30 AM, a shorter ride at 9:30 AM, and a children’s ride at 10:30 AM. The expectation is that 100-150 people will participate in the event. A number of volunteers will be needed to staff the event and it was suggested that a list be circulated of volunteer roles. It’s anticipated that the amount of money raised through registration will not be enough to cover costs so the Committee is looking to get donations from local businesses to offset costs. There will be information tables set up at the Event. We should staff a table with information about the Task Force. We should also encourage FOWWOS to staff a table.

Recreational Trails

· Ken mentioned that there was an article in the latest FOWWOS newsletter on the Task Force’s proposed bikelanes and recreational trails. This article will be available on the FOWWOS web site in the near future (http://www.fowwos.org/)

· PSE&G ROW Trail- Ken updated the group on the status of the PSE&G Trail. PSE&G is nearing a final decision on whether to grant WW access to the ROW. The March 2^nd Trenton Times article was excellent publicity and will help keep public pressure on PSE&G. Any other ideas on keeping this issue in the public’s eye are welcomed.

Local Planning Assistance

· There was a brief discussion of the Orth-Rodgers Community Workshop. We need to feedback to Orth-Rodgers on sidewalk priorities as soon as possible. We also should request that the Sherbrooke/Route 571 crossing be considered as a Spot Location for design work.

Upcoming Meetings/Events

· March 22^nd - Town Council meeting where a resolution in support of Pedestrian improvements to 571/Wallace-Cranbury Road will be discussed. Please attend if possible.

• March 23^rd - WW Bikefest Meeting
• March 24^th- Smart Growth Meeting in Metuchen

· April 1- Walking Tour of Princeton Junction

Next Bike/Ped Meeting:

· April 8, 7:30 PM.