The West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance is delighted that Washington Road is being repaved between Route 1 in West Windsor and Faculty Road in Princeton and that the shoulders will meet width guidelines for bicycle lanes. On behalf of our 400-plus members and countless more supporters, the WWBPA’s trustees have urged Mercer County to take the final step and designate the shoulder as a bike lane with appropriate signage. The WWBPA is prepared to partner with Mercer County by paying for bicycle-related signage.
The bike lane also could be extended across Route 1 on Washington Road, with signage to alert motorists at the intersection with Route 1 to the presence of cyclists (who are already there). The shoulder along Washington Road is sufficiently wide until it ends on the eastbound side at the bridge over Little Bear Brook (and before the railroad bridge), and a “bike lane ends” sign paired with a “Share the Road” sign could be added there.
Washington Road is a key connector between Princeton and West Windsor, used by many bicyclists commuting to the Princeton Junction train station or to their jobs in Princeton, as well as by recreational cyclists. It has been designated as one of the highest priorities for a bike lane by the Mercer County Bike/Ped Task Force, and bike lanes would provide safe and accessible accommodations for existing and future bicycle traffic, as per New Jersey’s Complete Streets policy.
Silvia Ascarelli
Second Vice President,
West Windsor Bicycle
and Pedestrian Alliance (wwbpa.org)
