LAWRENCE: Lawrenceville-Pennington Road bike path supported

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   Township officials plan to support a proposed pedestrian and bicycle path along the Lawrenceville-Pennington Road, between the Hopewell Township-Lawrence Township border and the former Johnson Trolley line, south of Merion Place.
   Township Council has authorized Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun to write a letter of support for the path in Lawrence Township to Mercer County officials, including the Mercer County Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force which proposed the path.
   Dubbed the Hopewell-Lawrence Bikeway, the eight-mile-long path would begin at Washington Crossing State Park at Route 29 on the Delaware River and roll eastward into Lawrence Township.
   The western section of the bikeway starts at Washington Crossing State Park and continues on County Route 546 and County Route 631 (Ingleside Avenue) into Pennington Borough.
   The eastern section extends from Pennington Borough along County Route 640 — also known as Main Street in Pennington — to County Route 546, which is Lawrenceville-Pennington Road. It would end on Lawrenceville-Pennington Road, south of Merion Place in Lawrence.
   The shoulder of the road on Lawrenceville-Pennington Road would be striped for a bicycle path, Mr. Krawczun said. It is adequate for a bicycle to travel along the shoulder and motorists would be advised of the bikeway by signs, he said.
   ”The benefit of it is, it would allow bicycle riders to connect to the Johnson Trolley line path that could take them to Main Street (in the village of Lawrenceville),” he said. “It provides improved movement for bikes to access our parks. It also creates a connection to the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail.”
   The Lawrence-Hopewell Trail is distinct from the proposed Hopewell-Lawrence Bikeway. The Lawrence-Hopewell Trail, proposed in 2002, is a 20-mile loop that connects Lawrence and Hopewell townships. Portions of the trail have been constructed.
   The Lawrence-Hopewell Trail crosses the campuses of the Educational Testing Service, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and The Lawrenceville School, and Mercer County Park Northwest in Lawrence.
   ”We support this recommendation (for the Hopewell-Lawrence Bikeway) on the fundamental principle of bicycle and pedestrian safety,” Mr. Krawczun said. “We look at it as an opportunity to expand the bicycle safety for resident of Lawrence Township and the surrounding community to provide routes that enable people to travel by bicycle to recreational and shopping areas.”