By Frank Mustac, Special Writer
A plan to install a crosswalk with added safety features to help Lawrence-Hopewell Trail users cross Carter Road was endorsed Monday night by the Hopewell Township Committee.
Also known as Route 569, Carter Road is owned and maintained by Mercer County. The county asked Hopewell Township for an official endorsement by way of a resolution.
The 20-mile loop-shaped Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT) connects Hopewell and Lawrence townships with a pathway open to walkers and bike riders.
The proposed “mid-block crosswalk” would serve a portion of the trail still under construction, from Pennington-Rocky Hill Road to Carter Road. Plans are for the crosswalk to feature warning signs equipped with what are called “rectangular rapid flashing beacon” LED lights to alert approaching motorists.
The committee’s vote on the endorsement resolution had been postpone from a previous meeting held earlier in March. At that previous meeting, Committeeman John Hart voiced concerns whether the planned crosswalk would actually add to safety along a relatively remote rural stretch of Carter Road with a posted 50 mph speed limit, just to the south of Pennington-Rocky Hill Road.
One potentially hazardous scenario that Mr. Hart said worried him is a truck motoring toward the crosswalk at 50 mph that cannot stop soon enough once the driver sees a “flashing light out of nowhere and someone is crossing.”
“I think it’s dangerous. I think someone is going to cross there when there is a truck or some other vehicle and they’re going to get hit,” Mr. Hart said Monday. “We’re talking about a rural area where (a driver) doesn’t expect to see a flashing light out in the middle of the countryside here.”
He also seemed to question the necessity for the lights at the crosswalk.
“Can’t they (trail users) just wait until it’s clear (of traffic) and just cross?” he asked rhetorically. “Do we have to hold their hand every time they go down these trails?”
Committeeman Todd Brant also seemed to express skepticism about the project.
“There might be other safer measures,” he said, suggesting a bridge or tunnel for pedestrians, instead.
However, despite their objections, both Mr. Brant and Mr. Hart each said they are “not against safety.”
Also expressing their concerns for safety, Mayor Kevin Kuchinski and Committee members Vanessa Sandom and Julie Blake spoke in favor of installing the crosswalk, as proposed, with the flashing LED lights.
Paul Pogorzelski, administrator and engineer for Hopewell Township, said he had conferred with his fellow engineers from Mercer County and Lawrence Township about the proposed mid-block crosswalk on Carter Road.
“We are very worried about safety,” he said, acknowledging the challenges associated with “these peculiar crosswalks that are a very difficult subject for any engineer.”
However, he also said that the master plan map of the trail indicates several “mid-block crosswalks that we already have in Hopewell Township that are in use for the Lawrence Hopewell Trail.”
“We have really not had any issues with mid-block crosswalks,” he said explaining that pedestrians and bicyclists at such crossings can “just push a button and it lights up, which gives advanced notification that someone is in the crosswalk.” Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation co-presidents Eleanor Horne and Becky Taylor also weighed in on the discussion, with Ms. Horne saying that the organization supports the crosswalk design with the flashing beacon, as recommended by the Mercer County engineer.
“Our vision is for a family-friendly trail. We understand that there are increased concerns for safety when there are young riders, inexperienced riders and families with children,” Ms. Horne told the Township Committee. “We think that the whole package of safety measures will reassure you that the crossing will be made as safe as possible.”
Mr. Pogorzelski suggested the following addition to endorsement resolution: “Because of the 50 mile per hour speed limit, it is recommended that the crossing be constructed using the highest visibility practices, and in addition, advanced warning devices be provided for vehicular traffic, and clear site lines be maintained for the trail crossing.”
