Karen B. Jackson, Princeton
To the editor:
What constitutes “success?”
DOT closed the jughandles into West Windsor and Princeton at Washington Road and into Princeton at Harrison Street and promptly declared it a resounding “success.” For those living in Princeton and West Windsor or anyone wishing to get into those towns to do business it is anything but a success.
No doubt about it, the flow of traffic along Route 1 is definitely better due to the longer green lights. But is the flow of traffic on Route 1 all that matters? What about the needs of people living and working in Princeton and West Windsor and those who need to cross Route 1 to travel between the towns?
With gas prices at almost $5/gallon isn’t the lengthy sitting on Washington Road and Harrison Street through 5 or 6 light changes a terrible waste of time and money? Just look at all the traffic backed up on Washington Road all the way to Lake Carnegie and you surely wonder, is this a “success?”
And having to drive to Alexander Road to make a U-turn to get back to Washington Road is another waste of time and gas. Plus it is dangerous because you must cross 3 lanes of traffic to get to the exit to Route 1. Is that a “success?”
The roads into Princeton and West Windsor were built to accommodate people who live and work in those towns and should be kept accessible for that purpose. It is wrong to restrict access to our towns just to expedite the flow of traffic on Route 1 for commuters in the morning and evening. All day long those of us who live and work in the area must put up with extensive delays and new, dangerous traffic patterns.
For any change to be declared a “success” it must benefit both the commuters on Route 1 and the needs of local residents and businesses. Regardless of what DOT declares it, this experiment is NOT a success!
Karen B. Jackson
Princeton
