traffic – The Media Pub News (TM)

Princeton Future fall meetings set goals

The grassroots nonpartisan Council on Princeton Future met twice this fall at the Princeton Public Library to engage community participation in making plans for the region, and the meetings have yielded suggestions to solve several issues.

Both meetings were led by Kevin Wilkes, AIA, and president of Princeton Future. Several members from government and other organizations were available to answer questions and to offer recommendations.

At the first meeting on Nov. 21, participants discussed community housing, transportation and mobility, and downtown vibrancy. These individuals also participated in a survey where they gave feedback on areas in town that they liked the most and those they liked the least. Wilkes reported the results of these activities at the Dec. 5 meeting.

Princeton Future Fall '15 Meetings from Michelle Dryden on Vimeo.

Among recommendations and feedback, were to reduce traffic in town. This has been a longstanding issue and as a result, Peter Kramer and company have developed the Princeton Ride Share app to encourage carpooling in the Princeton area.

Princeton Future also suggested other goals such as engaging Princeton University plans to expand and grow. Wilkes reported that there are suggestions for reinforcing the positive qualities for places where people usually gather in town. He also mentioned the concerns about first floor spaces in community housing. Also, there were suggestions for improving the health and nutrition of Princeton residents, said Wilkes.

According to Wilkes, the council is actively working to produce desired results for the community.

Re-opening route 1 jug handles, priority to Princeton-area residents

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. — A concerned resident appealed to Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders at their formal meeting last Thursday, to act on their behalf to re-open route 1 jug handles.

David C. Parris, curator of natural history for the State for New Jersey is a resident of Penns Neck Village near Route 1 in West Windsor, where there have been traffic troubles because DOT has closed jug handles to traffic. Photo by Michelle Dryden

David C. Parris, curator of natural history at the State of New Jersey, and resident of the troubled area, complained to the board that the citizens in the village of Penns Neck, a section of West Windsor Township, need relief from the chaotic traffic burden that the closing of the route 1 jugs handles has been causing them.

Parris said, “Our businesses are suffering.” He talked about “a community where we won’t have any businesses left soon.”

Parris is annoyed that the State Department of Transportation (DOT) closed two jug handles off the route 1 highway as a test or pilot to see if it would reduce traffic flow along the corridor.

Parris described his Penns Neck community as a rural, good, old-fashioned, right-angled street community with inner-circle businesses. He said it is good if people are going to retire and continue to live there and walk to everything. But even then, there could be accidents for pedestrians, he warned.

He said that the AT&T business has been suffering, because of the bad driving habits of drivers through the community, who use their driveways. He said there have been like two accidents in a day.

He along with other residents and businesses, have been affected by these closures. Instead of the community, which is in the Princeton/West Windsor area, having less traffic, there is a build up and a lot of illegal turnings.

Parris complained that drivers “think they can drive through the intersection turn into their drive way and drive turn out the other driveway immediately be headed into Princeton as long as there is no traffic backup.”

Both the State and West Windsor Township have to invest in police presence in the area to curb the illegal driving activities.

Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders holds their formal meeting on Sept. 27, 2012. Photo by Michelle Dryden

The residents of the affected areas do not believe that their voicing their concerns individually is effective. Therefore, they have organized a group they hope to get DOT’s attention.

“Forming a citizens group called Smart Traffic Solutions, the residents are rallying against a DOT test program that has shut down the Route 1 jug handles at Washington Road and Harrison Street temporarily,” writes Bridget Clerkin at The Times of Trenton.