By Ksatie Wagner, Staff Writer
A consultant to the Princeton Regional Planning Board described some of Princeton University’s traffic plans included in its Campus Plan as “good techniques” while also warning that aspects of the plan would likely increase traffic at intersections that already experience problems.
Theodore Ehrlich of the transportation and infrastructure firm DMJM made these comments Thursday at a board meeting called to review changes made to the Campus Plan by the university in early September.
The Campus Plan is a comprehensive strategy to guide development of the 380-acre campus over the next 10 years and beyond. It was released as a 24-page brochure on the university’s Web site in January, later published in a 179-page hardcover book and has since been revised several times. Part of the Campus Plan involves moving the Dinky train station a few hundred feet south and reconfiguring the intersection of Alexander Street and University Place.
”Extreme increases” in delays are expected at the Alexander-Mercer intersection and Bayard-Stockton-Mercer-University Place intersection group and a diversion through neighborhood streets might also result from the changes called for in the Campus Plan, according to a report released by Mr. Ehrlich at the Thursday meeting.
Mr. Ehrlich said he didn’t think the university’s plans to move about 500 members of its faculty and staff to two sites in West Windsor — one at 701 Carnegie Center and another near the intersection of Roszel Road and Alexander Road — were going to decrease the heavy volume of traffic motorists on Alexander Road in Princeton currently experience.
”I just want to make it clear to you that many of those jobs off campus may not help the community at all,” Mr. Ehrlich said.
He added, “I think for those going down to Roszel Road, yes, people will come a different way, but I think (to get to 701 Carnegie) people will go the same way, going down Alexander to Carnegie Road.”
Mr. Ehrlich said while he thought there were various measures which could be taken to improve the intersection of Alexander and Carnegie Road but trying to improve traffic at the Mercer-Alexander intersection was hopeless.
The consultant had better things to say about the Campus Plan’s impact on the intersection of University Place and Alexander Street.
According to his report, the roundabout and associated pedestrian signal at University and Alexander that are part of the university’s Campus Plan will greatly improve operations and safety at that location. Other improvements, including turn lane additions, new signals, turn restrictions and pedestrian crossing improvements will maintain or improve levels of service at intersections, according to the report.
The university’s latest plan for the Dinky train station area is greatly improved from previous versions, according to the report. Conflicting movements are greatly reduced, but some improvements such as a fence are needed to direct pedestrians to the crosswalks at the station.
Reacting to concerns about increased traffic which Mr. Ehrlich and members of the Planning Board said the Campus Plan would create, university officials said they were aggressively pursuing a goal of reducing the amount of cars coming to campus by 174 by 2012.
