Minutes from the Nov.13, 2003 West Windsor Bicycle/Pedestrian Meeting

 

Meeting Attendees: Roger Alig, Peter Bilton, Ken Carlson, Meg Cicco, Sue Conlon, Dan Gerstenhaber, Arnold Kelly, Marcus Loecher, Daryl McMillan, Alison Miller, Sandy Shapiro, Don Smart

Guests: Harriet Hudson

 

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

 

Sidewalks

·        Sidewalk Inventory- Roger received the last edited segment of the Sidewalk Inventory and will now pass the Inventory on to Jim Parvese for the next iteration of the map.

·        Pedestrian work around for Cranbury Road- Roger proposed a safe route for pedestrians to walk from Rt. 571/Wallace Road to the Grover Mill Pond area.  From Rt. 571, the route would enter the Sherbrooke neighborhood via an existing sidewalk behind Dominoes and then proceed along Berkshire Dr. to a sidewalk that connects Berkshire Dr. to Landing Lane.  From this connecting sidewalk, Roger proposed the development of a new path that would extend to Cranbury Road, just before the bridge over Bear Brook.  This would give residents in the Cranbury Road/Millstone Road area a safe option for walking to the train station.  Next step- talk to Sam Surtees about feasibility.

·        Safe Routes to School- Meg updated the group regarding the DOT’s Safe Routes to School Program.  The Safe Routes program is in the process of picking pilot areas to test the program.  Meg has made sure that West Windsor is on the list as a potential pilot area.  There was discussion as what areas in town to focus on for Safe Routes to School.  The consensus was to focus on High School South and Maurice Hawk, as the areas around these schools have a high density of children walking to school as well as pedestrians walking to the train station.  A sub-committee will be developed to focus on Safe Routes to School.

·        Eckerd Drug Store Development- Susan, Meg, and Sandy updated the group on the proposed Eckerd Drug store on the corner of Rt. 571 and Cranbury Road (replacing the Al’s gas station on the corner).  Several public meetings were held where the developer and township officials informed residents about the proposed development.  Sidewalks will be constructed along both sides of the development (Cranbury Road and Rt. 571).  The corner will be “beautified”, with some sort of community focal point (e.g., a clock tower).  It was suggested that the sidewalk along Rt 571 be aligned with the sidewalk that leads into the Berkshire development and that improved lighting be put in place.   This proposal is on the agenda for the Dec. 4th Zoning Board meeting (8 PM).  It was suggested that Ken C speak on behalf of the Task Force at this meeting.

·        Mobil Station Development- Susan and Sandy also informed the group that there is a proposal to enlarge the Mobil Station on Rt. 571 and Alexander Rd., leading to a widening of the roadway in front of the station.  The question was raised as to whether the development will include the construction of sidewalks.  

·        Development along Rt 571 in Princeton Junction- There was a general discussion on the need for the Task Force to understand the overall vision for development along Rt. 571 in Princeton Junction.  Knowing the development plan would help the Task Force plan for pedestrian and bicycle improvements.  It was suggested that a walking tour of the Junction area with township officials might be helpful to further the Task Force’s understanding of the area.

·        Millstone Road Sidewalk Project- Ken gave an update prepared by Bruce on the progress of the Millstone Road sidewalks.  Bruce and Jim Parvesse visited Millstone Road several weeks back.  Jim informed Bruce that the current road is 24 feet wide, the township owns 33 feet, and the Master Plan involves a 50 foot right of way.  From Jim’s point of view, sidewalks would be 12 feet from the current end of pavement- this breaks down as follows: a 5 foot roadway expansion, a 3 foot grass median, and a 4 foot sidewalk.  Jim and Bruce thought this would be a non-starter for the Millstone Rd residents, and Andy Pratt who lives on Millstone Rd, confirmed this.  Jim proposed an alternative of just adding a 4.5 foot shoulder without a sidewalk, making the road 33 feet wide, just like on the Plainsboro side.  At Bruce’s suggestion, Andy led several residents up to the Plainsboro side and they felt this would be an agreeable alternative.  Members of the Task Force felt that this is a non-desirable alternative- wide shoulders would encourage drivers to drive even faster and would by themselves not provide a safe route for pedestrians, especially children.   Another alternative was put forth- leaving the current roadway surface at 24 feet and putting in a 3 ft median and 4 ft sidewalk.  We need to see if this would be acceptable from an engineering point of view.  The point was made that there may be a need for creative solutions to such traffic problems, perhaps relaxing certain standards to allow for a context sensitive design. 

·        Bike Tour- Dan updated the group on the Bike Tour Committee’s progress.  The committee (Dan, Roger, Daryl, Myra, and Ken Leon) met on 10/30 and discussed ideas for the event.  The proposed date is sometime over Memorial Day Weekend, to coincide with the opening of the pool.  The committee envisions the tour to be a fun family event, with several rides for different ages/abilities, vendors and music and food being present, and perhaps several events before Memorial Day that could cover bike safety and other bike topics.

·        Local Planning Assistance Project- Ken C updated the group on the first meeting of the Local Planning Assistance Steering Committee.  Present at the meeting were Sue Blikstein and Devin Gargan of Orth-Rodgers, Ken C and Ken N, Jim Parvesse, Leo Donner, a resident  from Windsor Haven, WW Lieutenant Frank Coyle, and Bill Riviere from NJDOT.  Ms. Blikstein reviewed their progress to date, which includes an inventory of existing conditions and a discussion of bicycle compatibility standards.  The minutes were circulated recently and the slides from the meeting have been posted on our web site.  The next meeting is Dec. 2nd.  One of the main things that Orth-Rodgers is looking for at this juncture is a recommendation of four spot locations for which Orth-Rodgers will develop concept improvements (i.e., design work showing proposed recommendations).   These would be four problematic intersections or particular locations in need of traffic calming.  The group came up with the following recommendations.  The point was made that this inventory will be useful (and should be made a continually updated inventory) to the Task Force beyond the immediate need for the Local Planning Assistance process.  The top four locations were:

 

·  Pedestrian crossing of Rt. 571 at Sherbrooke (across from the Acme)

·  Improved pedestrian mobility at the intersection of Wallace and Scott Roads

·  Improved pedestrian mobility at the intersection of Alexander and Harris Road

·  Improved pedestrian mobility at the intersection of Canal Pointe Blvd & Princeton Market Fair (exact location forthcoming)

Other locations were the following:

·  Rt. 571 and Clarksville Rd intersection

·  Vaughn Dr. and Alexander Rd intersection

·  Cranbury Rd and Rt. 571 intersection

·  Edinburg and Old Trenton Road intersection

·  Improved bike/ped access on the Washington Road bridge over the Railroad tracks

·  Wallace and Alexander Road intersection

·  The Alexander Rd “S” curve near the Canal

·  Alexander Rd and the Gables intersection

·  Millstone and Cranbury Rd intersection

 

Recreational Trails

·        Recreational Trail Grant- Millstone River Trail- Ken C. informed the group that he applied for a $6,250 grant from Amersham BioSciences as part of their Corporate Responsibility Program.  This money would provide the matching fund portion of the DEP Recreational Trail Grant for the Millstone River Trail. 

·        Recreational Trail Grant- WW D&R Canal Trail- Bruce and Susan intend to write a grant application for the next round of DEP’s Recreational Trail Grant, due December 17th.  The grant is for the development of a trail along an existing sewer easement that runs parallel to the D&R Canal on the West Windsor side, from Alexander Road to the Princeton Golf Course.  Such a trail will enable residents of Canal Pointe and West Windsor to enjoy the West Windsor side of the D&R Canal and will link up with D&R Canal at both Alexander Rd and the footbridge over the Canal at the golf course.  

 

Action Items

  • Set up a walk of the Duck Pond Run trail and provide map to Newell Benedict- Ken C
  • Reschedule Millstone Rd trail walk- Ken C
  • Talk to Sam Surtees about the feasibility of constructing a path from the Landing Lane/Berskshire Dr path to Cranbury Rd just before the Bear Brook bridge- Roger
  • Establish a sub-committee to focus on Safe Routes to School- Meg
  • Advocate for adequate sidewalks and pedestrian mobility/safety at the Dec. 4th Zoning Board for the proposed Eckerd Drug store on the corner of Rt. 571 and Cranbury Road- Ken C or whoever is available
  • Determine if there is a development plan for Rt 571 in Princeton Junction- Ken C
  • Talk to Jim Parvesse about the Task Force’s alternative design for Millstone Road- Bruce
  • Arrange walking tour of Rt. 571 in Princeton Junction with Mayor and other twp officials
  • Arrange meeting with Mayor to discuss Bike Tour- Ken C and Dan
  • Communicate the top four Spot Locations to Orth/Rodgers- Ken C
  • Draft resolutions in favor of Grant Application for WW Canal Path for both FOWWOS and Township Council and put topic on agendas for upcoming meetings- Bruce, Susan, and Ken C

 

Upcoming Meetings

  • Bike Tour Subcommittee- Tuesday, Nov. 18th 7:30 PM Municipal Center
  • FOWWOS- Dec. 2nd, 7:30 PM
  • Zoning Board Meeting- Thursday, Dec. 4th, 8 PM
  • Town Council Dec. 15th 8 PM
  • Local Planning Assistance Steering Committee- Dec. 2nd 1 PM

 

Next Bike/Ped Meeting

·        Dec. 11th, 7:30 PM   Potential topics:

·        Bike trail along NE Corridor Train tracks
·        Sherbrooke crossing
·        WW Canal Path Grant Application