If there is one thing that everyone in West Windsor governing circles agree on, it apparently would be the need for safer and better transportation systems. Roadways, bike lanes, and a proposed pedestrian and cycling trail following the trolley line between West Windsor and Plainsboro were all major topics of discussion at a harmonious West Windsor Town Council meeting on July 22.
The biggest turnout came from the citizens’ group, “Cranbury Road Sidewalk and Safety Project,” including co-chairs Sarah Thomson and Samirah Akhlaq-Rezvi (see sidebar, page 11), who held signs and spoke at the podium, politely asking the council and administration for sidewalks and other safety measures along Cranbury Road.
A visibly pregnant Iris Sakowitz was one of the speakers. “We have three young children, with a fourth obviously on the way. We live on Cranbury Road, and my husband walks to the train station and I walk my kids to the Montessori school (also on Cranbury Road). We have had many close calls, and a school bus driver even stopped me once and told me it is too dangerous to walk on this road and that we should have a bus stop,” she said.
New resident Agatha Siegel, who has lived on Cranbury Road for about a year, has four children, ages 1 to 8. “We are very happy with our house but are very surprised to see how many drivers do not obey the traffic laws,” she said. “From a driver’s standpoint, I also understand that it is very nerve-wracking, even driving 25 miles per hour, to avoid pedestrians and cyclists on this narrow winding road with no sidewalks.”
Donald and Ilene Watrous, who have lived on Cranbury Road since the mid-1980s, thanked the mayor and council for their support. “We raised this issue years ago with Mayor Carson and were told nothing could be done, because we can’t have sidewalks if even one person doesn’t want them. Our son almost got killed when he was 11 years old while riding his bike on Cranbury Road. We need sidewalks for safety and for a sense of community. Please make this a priority — this is the most dangerous road in West Windsor. If we can’t have sidewalks, then make it a one-way street.”
Hassan Syed, from Montessori New Horizons, noted that in the past several years, there have been two serious accidents involving parents being hit when leaving Montessori. “We have asked for rumble strips to slow down drivers but were always told there is nothing [the Township] can do. The traffic here is very dangerous, because people are trying to get to the train station.”
Said another resident, Virginia Manzari: “I live one street off of Cranbury Road, and for many years was oblivious to the danger, until my daughter went to middle school. When she took the late bus home, she was dropped off in the middle of Cranbury Road and was very scared to cross the street to come home. I complained, but the next week the driver did the same thing. I watched students with backpacks and instruments trying to scramble up the embankment while cars were speeding by. Think about how many kids’ safety is being affected.this needs to become a priority.”
Jerry Foster and Alison Miller both spoke on behalf of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance, stating that the group supported the idea of sidewalks, bike lanes, and other safety measures being implemented along Cranbury Road.
Said Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh: “I personally have ridden my bicycle along Cranbury Road and am aware of the danger. If the neighborhood residents are willing to give some property to allow sidewalks to be built, that will help. We have to work with the county on the sidewalks, because Cranbury Road is a county road, which has always been one of the problems.”
“The electronic signs are coming,” he added. “I have directed the police to pay more attention to the traffic there; and we are seeking sources of funding. We sought a grant from the state and were denied; we have prepared another grant application and will try again to get money from the county, as well as possibly from local businesses. I am also going to propose that it be added to the 2014 budget.”
Business administrator Marlena Schmidt reported that her office is preparing a grant application through the state’s safe streets program: “Please send me e-mails regarding your concerns so that I can attach them to the application.”
All five council members expressed their support for making sidewalks on Cranbury Road a top priority. Said Kamal Khanna, “I agree with Bryan [Maher] when he says there is already money in our capital budget to get the work done. While we should still seek outside funding if possible, we have the money and can make changes to the capital budget for this project. If we all work together, we can get this project done expeditiously.”
“This is a safety issue,” said Linda Geevers, “I took the walk with you, and it is very dangerous. Waiting for grant money may take too long. We need to have initial engineering studies done soon so we can take specific steps to get something done soon.”
Trolley Line. High School North sophomore Alexander Inkiow also addressed council, explaining his proposal to extend the Trolley Line Trail all the way to High School North so that students who attend the high school, Community Middle School, and Millstone River School have a way to safely bike to school. “There are two facets to my plan: the northern extension, which would be three-fourths of a mile, and extending the Knight Trail, which would be one half of a mile. I estimate this project would cost $266,500.”
Council President George Borek expressed enthusiasm for Inkiow’s proposal and invited him to make a full presentation at the next council meeting on Tuesday, August 6. “Then we can reach out to our colleagues in Plainsboro to see if we can make this happen,” Borek said.
Residents present also spoke in favor of the Trolley Line Extension, which has also been proposed by West Windsor resident Pete Weale (The News, May 28, 2010). Much of the proposed extension is located in Plainsboro.
Schmidt also noted that the county and township were hoping to have the re-striping of North Post and Clarksville roads take place next week. During any road closure, which will only occur off-peak, traffic would be detoured through the Benford development.
As suggested by Geevers and Kristina Samonte earlier this year, council aheld a working meeting to discuss upcoming issues which will be voted on at future council meetings (WW-P News, April 12). The idea behind this procedural move was to allow council more discussion time prior to votes.
The first issue was the proposed Little Bear Brook Flood Hazard Assessment and Redevelopment Area Regional Storm water Management Analysis Project. Township Engineer Francis Guzik explained the project’s goals. “Many of the properties in the Little Bear Brook area have had serious flooding issues. However, while flooding is the problem, we do not know all of the causes, so the consultant will look at all available data, the causes of past flooding, as part of a flood hazard study, including risk assessments and mitigation strategies, both short and long-term. The other goal is to take advantage of some of the redevelopment provisions to do a storm water management plan for the future.”
Council then deliberated over the North Post Road Bike Lanes Report, again presented by Guzik.
“The issue is that the concept of North Post Road in the Master Plan is much different than how it actually exists today. So there are three options: to expand North Post Road so that it is 50 feet wide, with medians in the middle; expand it to be 36 feet wide, with shoulders and/or bike lanes; or to add a bike lane with no change in the road width at all. North Post Road is approximately 32 feet wide currently.”
Council, Guzik and Community Development Director Pat Ward discussed the three options in depth. Maher pointed out that the first option was cost-prohibitive and could cause additional maintenance and traffic violation problems; however, it is the option closest to what is envisioned in the Master Plan.
“If we do not consider option 1, we will need to have approval from the Planning Board to deviate from the Master Plan,” Ward said. All five council members ultimately agreed to reject option 1 and consider options 2 and 3 as well as the cost of running a sidewalk as far as possible along the eastbound side of North Post Road. Guzik indicated that he would reach out to the consultant who had been awarded the RFP, who also happened to be the lowest bidder, to see if the firm was willing to amend its proposal to remove option 1 and add in a sidewalk component. If not, a new RFP will be issued.
Finally, council discussed a proposed ordinance regarding building prohibition along watercourses and floodplains.
Guzik explained that the state has passed a new riparian right of way law prohibiting building within 150 feet of a waterway (75 feet on each side), and 300 feet for certain waterways, such as the Duck Pond water basin, without obtaining a permit. Several existing homes fall within the new restriction, but only new construction, including additions or improvements on affected properties, will be affected.
Passage of this ordinance will bring West Windsor into compliance with state law, said Guzik, and will allow residents to seek permits locally. There will be a public hearing on the ordinance before council votes on it.
