By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — Township officials want to know what residents and commuters think of reconfiguring Canal Pointe Boulevard as a three-lane roadway with bicycle lanes.
The Burns Group, of Exton, Pennsylvania, conducted a Canal Pointe Boulevard traffic study to evaluate the existing and future conditions on Canal Pointe Boulevard, and to determine if any modifications would better serve all users. Canal Pointe Boulevard is a two-lane, two-way roadway south of Meadow Road with four lanes to the north. The roadway is curbed its entire length. It is 36 feet wide south of Emmons Drive, with no lane markings; 36 feet wide north of Emmons Drive and south of Meadow Road; with two 18-foot travel lanes; and four 11-foot travel lanes (two in each direction) north of Meadow Road.
The Burns Group reasons in its project report that the potential reconfiguration of Canal Pointe Boulevard as a three-lane roadway plus bicycle lanes would provide a single through travel lane in each direction to reduce overall travel speeds, since one slow vehicle would restrict the speeds of the vehicles following it, whereas under existing conditions those trailing vehicles have the ability to pass.
Eliminating the four 11-foot wide travel lanes would address the pattern of same-direction sideswipe crashes, according to the Burns Group.
Provisions of left turn lanes at all intersections would allow turning vehicles to move out of the way of through vehicles, lessening the risk of rear-end crashes. This would also provide better alignment and sight lines for head-to-head left turning vehicles at the Carnegie/Carillon Boulevard intersection, according to the Burns Group.
“In total, we believe that the ‘Road Diet’ reconfiguration will reduce crashes on the corridor, based on the patterns observed through the crash analyses,” the Burns Group report states.
The conversion of the roadway from four lanes to three would also reduce the exposure of pedestrians to moving traffic, and would reduce the length of time a crossing pedestrian must walk within active travel lanes in order to cross, according to the Burns Group.
Providing striped bicycle lanes would significantly improve conditions for cyclists, and would therefore fill an important gap in West Windsor’s bicycle network, according to the Burns Group.
Resident Alison Miller said the Canal Pointe Boulevard restriping plan is an exemplary example of increasing road safety. The Burns Group also addresses the potential negative aspects of the potential redesign.
“As shown in the traffic analysis, the primary negative aspect of the ‘Road Diet’ reconfiguration of Canal Pointe Boulevard is the impacts on side street and driveway delays, most notably at the intersections of Alexander Road and Carnegie Boulevard/Carillon Boulevard,” the Burns Group report states. “However, we note that volumes assumed for this analysis may be somewhat conservative, resulting in overprojections of delay. In addition, if volumes and delays do increase to this level, traffic signal warrants for the Carnegie/Carillon intersection may be satisfied. In fact, with regard to signal warrants, reduction in the number of Canal Pointe Boulevard through travel lanes from two to one per direction reduces the minimum major roadway volume criteria for the warrant analysis.”
One additional observation is that the “Road Diet” treatment is an appropriate measure between two diametrically opposed land uses where roadway users have completely different needs for the corridor, according to the Burns Group.
Residents tend to use the roadway not only as their gateway to/from their communities but for direct routing that promotes their own personal day-to-day living seven days a week. The office employees tend to only see the corridor as their commuting route with little thought as to what interactions may occur outside their typical weekday jobs, according to the Burns Group.
Ms. Miller said the development in the area is a 1980s example of mixed use development of housing, office space and retail in close proximity to one another.
“If the road is made more pedestrian friendly you have a village design,” she said.
Resident John Church said one side effect of the reconfiguration could be increasing traffic on Route 1. To submit comments, which will be accepted through May 8, visit www.westwindsornj.org/notices/Canal-Pointe-comment-form.pdf.
