Township seeks a safe alternative to driving.
By: Jill Matthews
WEST WINDSOR Consultants presented plans for a proposed bicycle and pedestrian path system that would crisscross from one end of the township to the other during a Planning Board meeting Wednesday.
The concept plan presented by consultants from Orth Rodgers Associates combines a series of existing and conceptual multi-use trails, bike lanes and pedestrian paths. The state Department of Transportation hired ORA for approximately $160,000 to complete the study.
The goal is to provide a viable, safe alternative to driving and increase bicycle and walking opportunities, both for recreational and transportation purposes, in the township. Specifically, the path system will work to connect residential neighborhoods, schools, business offices, transit stops, shopping centers and community facilities and services.
Site visits conducted by ORA in the past year determined that roadway conditions in the township vary widely and that two-thirds of all roadways in the township are incompatible with bicycle usage, under the DOT’s bicycle roadway guidelines, said Dan Kueper, a consultant from ORA.
While the guidelines deem the roads incompatible for bicyclists, that does not mean bicyclists need to avoid them completely or that some roads cannot be brought up to standards with minor changes, he said. Rather, it means that the roads are not as optimal as they could be for bicyclists, he added.
At the request of the township Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force, six target areas were also analyzed in detail, Mr. Kueper said. The targeted areas include: Route 571 and Wallace Road/Cranbury Road; Wallace Road and Alexander Road; Wallace Road and Wallace Circle-Scott Avenue; Route 571 and Sherbrooke Drive; Alexander Road from Berrien Avenue to the Gables Senior Housing Complex; and Canal Pointe Boulevard in the area of Princeton MarketFair.
Recommended improvements to the Canal Pointe Boulevard area to change the roadway from two lanes in each direction to one lane in each direction with left-turn lanes, six-foot bike lanes and a landscaped or striped median met with mixed reviews. Some at the meeting expressed concern at reducing the number of travel lanes because of major office development anticipated in the area, while others expressed support for the plans as a way to reduce speed on the road and increase pedestrian safety.
As a next step, Planning Board Chair Marvin Gardner said the board would ask the township traffic engineer to review the report and come up with recommendations in response to the plan.
As part of the process, the task force is requesting that the bicycle and pedestrian path plan be added to the township’s Master Plan. The path plan is expected to be incorporated into other studies, such as the Route 571 study and the Princeton Junction transit village study, so they can all be coordinated properly.
The township expects to place copies of the plans in the library and on the township Web site for public view.