By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — The township Planning Board responded positively to a series of traffic management options proposed for an office building leased by Princeton University in the Carnegie Center West.
A representative from the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association appeared before the board last week along with Boston Properties Inc., a real estate investment trust that owns the properties, to discuss the options.
In November 2007, the board granted site plan approval to Building 701 of Carnegie Center West, a suburban office park located off Route 1 south.
At the time, the university had a 15-year lease on the structure with an option to purchase after 10 years, according to Boston Properties officials. The university expressed a desire the building be part of a campus-wide plan to maintain a walkable and pedestrian-friendly campus.
As a condition of the approval, passed as a resolution by the council in January 2008, Boston Properties was asked by the board to present traffic management options, which are not mandatory, according to the company’s attorney Kevin Moore.
The options will supplement the university’s free shuttle bus service, which will extend to include the office park, Township Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said. He is interested in establishing a similar system in the township, especially to serve the train station, he said.
”The experience from here will definitely be very useful for West Windsor Township to develop that kind of program in the future,” he said.
Carpooling was proposed to the board as a traffic management option. In this case, TMA would provide rideshare matching for tenants throughout Carnegie Center West. The state Department of Transportation offers a $100 gasoline credit card for carpools that register with the TMA.
As a second option, the IRS permits mass transportation deductions of up to $115 a month, or $1,380 a year, from an employee’s pay to purchase monthly transit or vanpool passes on a pre-tax basis.
Transit trip planning also will be offered to office staff as a third option. TMA offers assistance with planning routes and reading schedules for those who wish to plan their commute using transit.
Employees of Carnegie Center West would be offered a guaranteed ride home. If an employee is registered with a carpool and needs a ride home in an emergency, he or she can be eligible for up to four free rides home per year.
Vanpooling also will be encouraged, which is considered to work best with commutes greater than 20 miles. The TMA can identify pockets of people who can be placed in a vanpool or help employees set one up.
Carpool, vanpool and alternative fuel vehicles will be offered preferential parking spaces in the lot for Building 701. Bicycle racks and showers throughout Carnegie Center West also are included in the plans to encourage biking and walking to work.
A last option is zip code matching, another service offered by TMA. Employees would complete an application form with information on the location of their work, home, work hours and flexible work schedule. They then are provided with a list of potential ride shares with other people.

