The West Windsor Bike and Pedestrian Alliance made a presentation to the township council at its November 13 meeting regarding the obstacles facing pedestrians crossing the intersection of Route 571 and Wallace and Cranbury Roads.##M:[more]##
Ken Carlson, the president of the alliance, who made the presentation, said the alliance held a walk in October at the intersection to observe the movements of people for two hours as they came off the train and proceeded through the intersection. They interviewed the commuters, witnessed two near-missed where a pedestrian was almost struck by a car, and saw various other serious flaws.
“The bike and pedestrian alliance considers this the most dangerous intersection in the township, bar-none for pedestrians and cyclists,” Carlson said.
From the study, the alliance determined that about 60 to 80 people cross the intersection twice a day during rush hour. Recommendations he suggested included adding additional crosswalks, improving the existing crosswalk on the south side of Route 571, cutting back the brush along the bridge to give drivers better sight of pedestrians, adding bright yellow pedestrian crossing signs, placing curb cuts to make the crossings accessible for wheelchairs, installing other signage, and placing temporary sidewalks on the road until the county improves it, which is still three years away.
He also urged the council to put some pressure on the state Department of Transportation, which along with the township and county, has jurisdiction there. Council said it would allocate funds in this year’s budget for improvements. Meanwhile, it said it would do some work, including, cutting back the brush along the bridg
