By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
Borough officials made their ire at Princeton University’s plans to move the Dinky train out of the borough official and on the record Tuesday night, approving a resolution opposing the removal of the railway station.
The resolution states the proposed move is contrary to smart growth norms, contrary to state development and redevelopment plans, contrary to NJ Transit police and not in the best interest of borough residents.
In other transit news, Rutgers Urban Design Studio and the URS Corporation presented ideas for a streetcar-like light rail system that would go from the Dinky station to downtown.
It was presented as an alternative planning option to the proposed zoning for Princeton University’s $300 million arts and transit plan, which calls for moving the Dinky rail line 460 feet farther away from town.
Light rail could act as a springboard to continue mass transit up University Place to Nassau Street and bring people into the heart of the downtown, said Jim Constantine, professor of the class.
The group of master’s degree candidates at the Bloustein School who took Princeton’s transit problems on as a class project found the community master plan does not address the Dinky or transit in general and a sense of regional connectivity is absent with no discussion of commerce and transit.
Tuesday night was a duplicate of the presentation the students gave to Princeton Future earlier this year.
Streetcar development can lead to economic development and increase property values. Streetcars impact property values because of permanence, connectivity and marketability. Streetcars addresses parking issues with a “park once” approach as people don’t have to worry about their cars, which leads to more time and money to spend in town.
URS, a San Francisco-based engineering design firm that has designed every operating modern streetcar in the United States, echoed the belief that streetcars enhance property values. They explained the difference between a streetcar and light rail.
Streetcars are a form of light rail, but generally run a shorter distance at higher speeds. They are electric vehicles that run on rails and can share traffic lanes or have their own designated lanes.
