Princeton’s Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC) is a 2021 recipient of the Marty Epstein Advocate of the Year Award, which recognizes excellence in advocating for safer bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.
The award was presented on June 1 at the opening of the virtual summit of the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition, following keynote speakers New Jersey Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver and U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11). Please follow these links for more information on NJBWC and the Summit program.
“PBAC is truly grateful to receive this award,” Lisa Serieyssol, PBAC chair, said in a prepared statement, “and our work has been possible because of the commitment of our members, and valuable guidance from our liaisons, Councilman David Cohen and Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton. We have been supported by our police officers, our public works staff, current and former Mayors Mark Freda and Liz Lempert (respectively), the Princeton Public Schools, in particular Acting Assistant Superintendent Dr. Robert Ginsberg, and community member and former Greater Mercer TMA educator Jerry Foster. We’d also like to recognize the earlier leadership of PBAC Chairs Janet Heroux and Steve Kruse, and former Council Liaison Tim Quinn.”
PBAC has been involved in many projects including adoption into the community Master Plan of their guiding document, Princeton’s Bicycle Mobility Plan, that has led to the installation of several bike lanes, 10 miles of bike boulevards, widened and rebuilt side paths, and increased bike parking, according to the statement.
To make it easier for residents, students and visitors to explore Princeton and access downtown by bike, PBAC recently updated the Princeton Bicycle Map.
In May 2018 its Beta Bike Lane demonstration project spurred interest in a more permanent solution which in turn led to an engineering corridor study to improve pedestrians’ and cyclists’ safety, according to the statement. The municipality is currently working toward the installation of bike lanes on this important east-west corridor.
PBAC pursued adoption of a bicycle parking ordinance requiring bicycle parking facilities in conjunction with any development application.
Princeton Council’s establishment of the Vision Zero Task Force in 2021 is the result of another initiative of PBAC and its commitment to safety, according to the statement. The task force is charged with drafting a Vision Zero Action Plan for the community.
In 2020 PBAC achieved the first in New Jersey Silver ranking for bike-friendly communities.