Calls for Action on Alexander Road##M:[more]##
We are writing to ask for action now to fix the dangerous Alexander Road curve, site of many accidents, the latest one, fatal. While we understand that there may be plans eventually to straighten the road, we prefer to see immediate interventions to ensure the safety of every person traveling into Princeton on Alexander Road in wet, snowy, dark, or otherwise dangerous conditions.
We are calling on the public officials of Princeton and West Windsor to:
1.) reduce the speed limit to 15 or 20 miles per hour in the turn and across the bridge;
2.) post a “dangerous intersection ahead” sign with flashing lights, supporting speed reduction through the turn; and
3.) install skid-resistant tracking grooves in the road itself, or speed reduction bumps before the curve to make sure the speed is slow enough.
What does it take to protect the public from a curve with such a history?
If there is no fast track way to implement these safety features, local officials need to work with the county and the state to come up with one right away.
Janet Heroux
Jane Milrod Jemas
Deborah Dorman
The letter writers are all from Princeton Township. See below for a response from West Windsor mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh. Also see story, page 1, for more news on dangerous roads and planned improvements.
Parallels to Katrina
There are depressing parallels between the conditions that proved disastrous for New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and the conditions that led last week to the tragic death of Rebecca Annitto, 14, of Princeton.
For many years it has been known that the levees were inadequate to withstand a storm as strong as Katrina, and that the elderly, poor, and patients in its hospitals were among those most seriously at risk. But officials were “getting ready” to issue hospital evacuation plans, or waiting for the moment when other fiscal needs were less pressing, or otherwise postponing the day when they would actually deal with the problem.
The dangerous S-curve on Alexander Road where the crash occurred in which Rebecca Annitto died has been the site of numerous accidents over the years. With respect to the accident that killed Rebecca, the police have reportedly indicated that they do not expect to file charges against anyone; the problem is the road itself, which is unsafe in wet conditions. A young woman who had an accident there a few years ago, fortunately without injury, told me the policeman who responded said he himself had been in an accident at the same place, and that the police seemed to receive a call involving some mishap there almost every time it rained.
The mayor of West Windsor, where this curve on Alexander Road is located, stated that earlier this year it was listed by the town’s engineering department as the number one “problem traffic area.” Although straightening the road was recommended, the mayor reportedly said this was “not going to happen overnight,” because “it has to go through the governing process and budgeting, plus review and study.” The mayor said that the work would be covered by the next budget, but we have all seen how budget priorities change when the spotlight of public scrutiny moves on to something else.
West Windsor has got to move expeditiously and to involve other levels of government, if necessary, to get this very dangerous problem solved. I commend the mayor for saying he would push for both interim safety measures and permanent straightening of the road. Now he needs to follow through, and interim safety measures must be implemented immediately. I call upon the West Windsor authorities, Mercer County, and the State to move as quickly as possible to prevent another tragedy on Alexander Road. I attended the funeral of Rebecca Annitto, which was profoundly moving, beautiful, and very, very terrible. I hope never to attend another funeral like it.
Wendy L. Mager
Cherry Hill Road, Princeton
From WW Mayor Hsueh:
I would like to respond to a number of letters that have been printed in your paper about the Alexander Road “S” curve and the recent, tragic accident that resulted in the death of 14-year old Rebecca Annitto. First, and foremost, I would like to offer our deepest sympathies to the family of Ms. Annitto. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this extremely difficult time.
As elected and/or appointed township officials, we are always deeply affected by accidents that occur in the township that lead to serious injury or death. While it is true that the township cannot make everyone safe in all circumstances, we certainly want to take actions to improve conditions wherever we can. The curve has been in existence for a long time. While there is a warning sign about the “S” curve itself and a recommended speed limit of 20 m.p.h., the township can and will add additional signage.
While previous administrations in West Windsor may have responded to isolated road problems, I have tried to look at the township as a whole and implement programs that address infrastructure maintenance proactively rather than reactively. Earlier this year, I directed our traffic consultant and internal staff to review and analyze accident data for a number of problem locations throughout the community and provide recommendations for tangible improvements. This High Priority Safety Mitigation Study was submitted to the township in April and the top 15 priority locations were discussed with Township Council at the April and May council agenda meetings. The cost estimates associated with each of the recommended improvements were completed in June and will now be included in the 2006-2011 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
My administration will continue to work with the Township Council to identify and prioritize needs and implement solutions for all who live and travel through West Windsor.
Shing-Fu Hsueh
Mayor, West Windsor
Make Roads Safer For Bicyclists, Too
When the last mayoral and town council campaign was in full swing, there were talks from the eventual winners that West Windsor would become a more bike-friendly town. When is that going to happen?
In this time of higher gas prices and increased school year traffic there are more cyclists on local roads. However, the roads of West Windsor are anything but bike-friendly, being strewn with gravel, broken glass, and potholes, and suffering from narrow to no shoulders.
For example, the stretches of Washington and Harrison roads between Carnegie Lake and Route 1 are loaded with small rocks from the Princeton University fields and work roads. On the other side of Route 1, the bridges on Route 571 and Cranbury Road (between Sunnydale and Stobbe) are so laden with loose gravel and other debris that it is necessary to ride towards the center of the road to avoid a possible flat tire.
I have not seen this gravel removed in three years of crossing these bridges, which are heavily commuted by cyclists going to and from the train station. Also, these bridges, as well as the one on Millstone/Grover’s Mill Road, suffer from large gaps that connect the concrete of the bridge to the pavement of the road. There are a few bumpy patch jobs that, again, force a cyclist to seek smoother passage.
Certainly there are many other examples of these problems along local roads, but I think the point is clear. I can’t imagine that a portion of our property taxes aren’t allocated toward road maintenance and that West Windsor doesn’t have access to street cleaners, yet the condition of our roads suggests otherwise.
So when will this township follow through on its pledge to make West Windsor a bike-friendly community? I hope it will be soon. In the meantime, ride carefully!
David Serughetti
Penns Neck
Busing Frustration
As the school year begins, I bet that I am not alone in asking why it takes my children 45 minutes to get home from a school that’s five minutes away. I’d like to know what my children do from dismissal time to the time they get on the bus (sometimes that’s 20 minutes — I’ve seen it), and who can alleviate the situation.
I’ve tried to speak to the transportation department, vice principals and other parents. Some say there are fewer buses, some say the process just needs tweaking, some say that’s just the way it is. That shouldn’t be how it is.
For some, a solution is to walk home. My fourth-grader’s school is within sight of my back yard, but our home is across busy New Village Road, which has no crossing guard. As the newspapers have reported, students at Dutch Neck Elementary School were successful calling for a flashing traffic beacon at their school and now parents have inquired about obtaining a crossing guard for Village and/or Grover Middle School.
I hope that more parents take an active role in pursuing this option. It could take some of the load off the busing situation.
Kathy Lane
West Windsor
Editor’s note: The school district is required to submit busing requirements for competitive bids every year. That results in frequent changes in bus assignments and occasional problems at the beginning of each year, which are normally ironed out as the year progresses. See story, page 17.
Bus Rapid Transit Also Has Problems
On September 20 in West Windsor, New Jersey Transit presented details of the Alternatives Analysis for Bus Rapid Transit in the Central New Jersey Route 1 region.
While bus rapid transit is an attractive and important plan for the future, one segment of proposed Bus Rapid Transit Route No. 1 has some of the same problems as a roadway already dismissed by the state Department of Transportation as environmentally unacceptable — the segment traversing pristine woods and wetlands between the Princeton Junction train station and Route 1, stopping at David Sarnoff Laboratories.
The website www.princetonol.com/groups/millstone gives links to the DOT’s executive summary of the Final Environmental Impact Statement regarding the proposed Millstone Bypass in the Penns Neck area. The FEIS states that an alternative roadway has been chosen, away from the woods and wetlands between Sarnoff and the Amtrak line, to a) minimize potential wetland and floodplain impacts, b) minimize habitat fragmentation and avoid disturbance of potential habitat for the threatened long-eared owl, located adjacent to the Little Bear Brook on the Sarnoff property, c) minimize impacts to parks and natural areas, and d) reduce potential pollution impacts from new road surfaces.
To speed planning and development of BRT in Central Jersey and to avoid unnecessary and repetitive environmental studies, we urge NJ Transit to find an alternative to this segment of proposed BRT Route No. 1.
Martha and Olav Redi
Fisher Place, West Windsor
School Spending: $2K a Day for What
I have voted for the school budget every year, but I may reconsider next year if a recent note in your paper (The News, September 9) is indicative of the waste in the budget. I’m referring to your report that the board approved spending “$2,”000 per day plus expenses, for a period not to exceed five days,” to Michael Rettig as an educational consultant for middle school scheduling. I don’t care if it can come to no more than $10,”000.
First of all, I can’t believe our large staff of school administrators doesn’t include someone who knows how to create a middle school schedule. (Who created the schedule last year?) Second, how could Michael Rettig, whatever his credentials, command $2,”000 a day for this service? And finally, on $2,”000 a day, I would think Mr. Rettig could pay for his own lunch and gas. There must have been better uses for that $10,”000.
Martin Timins
West Windsor
Follow-Up to Frascella: Property Taxes ‘Horrific’
In a letter to assuage concerns of realtors and real estate clients (The News, September 23) former West Windsor mayor and attorney Thomas Frascella posits that anticipated increases in 2005 to 2007 property taxes would be from $3,”500 to $6,”000 for a house for which the tax bill is already $17,”500 — a “modest” 20 percent increase.
It is unlikely that the homeowner would agree that “it’s not so bad.” It is horrific. Incomes don’t rise in such dramatic fashion and certainly not for those who are retired.
The recent per-student average cost in West Windsor-Plainsboro schools was $11,”154. If 60 percent of the $17,”500 tax bill goes to the schools, my property taxes don’t support the cost of one child, let alone two or more. The homeowner cannot, and never will, support the school district through the property tax system to the level required.
Frascella thinks that increases to $6,”000 over two years is not so bad. But what about the senior, the blue-collar guy, or the single mom who makes a modest income, lives in an older home, keeps food on the table, gas in the car, kids in school? They would feel quite differently.
We need a convention for tax reform to stop this property-tax increase nonsense. We have been squeezed by the system for too long. We want sustainable, balanced funding for schools and services based on the ability to pay. For more information, visit www.citizens4propertytaxreform.org
Walter Helfrecht
Upper Freehold
Thanks from Eden CEO
I would like to take this opportunity to thank an extremely generous community who joined us on September 25 at the Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart for this year’s An Eden Evening on the Town — a Night of Old World Cuisine. As Eden’s new president and CEO, this was my first Eden Evening on the Town and I was delighted to see the overwhelming show of support.
A special thank you goes to the Olsen Foundation and the Puzio Family Charitable Trust as the primary benefactors. These two organizations have been tremendous supporters of Eden over the years. Sue Trombino and Carol Gallant, 2005 co-chairs, along with the rest of the committee — Lucille Bongiovanni, Bonnie Galloway, Jacqueline Hefelfinger, Judy Kane, Jerry Luz, Alice Pakenham, Michael Piccioni and Sharon Saatsoglou — deserve special recognition, as well, for helping to bring this exciting, elegant evening to fruition.
We are deeply grateful to all who have made in-kind and outright donations. So a big thank you to A-1 Limousine for donating limousine service for our Great Escape vacation raffle; Continental Airlines for donating airline tickets for our raffle; Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart for use of its beautiful facilities; Howard Design Group of Princeton for donating the design of all printed materials; Lucille Bongiovanni for sponsoring the wait staff; the Professional Chef’s Guild of Central New Jersey for the delicious cuisine; and Wildflowers of Princeton Junction for the decor.
Also, much appreciation and thanks to all the individuals and businesses who donated works of art, jewelry, services and more to be given out as door prizes for our guests.
Finally, I would like to congratulate Frank and Rosalie Puzio for being selected as this year’s recipients of the Edward R. and Irene D. Farley Community Stewardship Award. The Puzios are pillars of the community who certainly deserves this honor for their many years of charitable giving.
Thomas P. McCool
President & CEO
