I live in a neighborhood off Cranbury Road, and I support the residents who want to see sidewalks added on Cranbury Road between Millstone Road and Princeton-Hightstown Road/Route 571. One question I hear is whether there is enough room. The official width of Cranbury Road is 33 feet (and sometimes a bit more), according to the property maps, yet only 22 feet are being used. That leaves 5 1/2 feet of public land on either side of the white line that can be used for something, and that something should be a sidewalk of some sort.
One example of what can be done is Mercer Street in Princeton, which has a five-foot macadam sidewalk/sidepath elevated from the road and separated by a small strip of green sloping down to the road, in some parts with no curb.
As you can see from the proliferation of signs along Cranbury Road, the desire for sidewalks has widespread support among Cranbury Road residents. There is also a website: www.cr-safety.org.
No doubt, Cranbury Road is a challenging location, particularly along the small portion with steep embankments. But people are walking along this road as they head to and from the train station or school bus, local shops, their neighbors, and more. This is a safety issue, both for them and for motorists, and it needs to be addressed.
The township administration is working on a list of possibilities that is to be made public before private engineers are asked to assess the likely cost. I hope this list will be made public soon and that residents’ feedback will be incorporated. In the meantime, thank you for driving 25 and helping make Cranbury Road safer.
Silvia Ascarelli
Melville Road, West Windsor
Trolley Trail Needs Your Support
Thank you for your feedback and support for the Trolley Line Trail extension and Knight Trail development. As you know a major obstacle of this project is that PSE&G’s current policy does not allow further trail development in its corridors. I have recently learned from Carl Knoch, manager of trail development with Rails to Trails Conservancy, that he has been trying to persuade PSE&G to change its policy. I would really appreciate it if you could write an E-mail asking PSE&G to allow further trail development. Please E-mail Carl Knoch at carl@railstotrails.org.
Alex Inkiow
Student Advisor at West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance High School North, Class of 2016
Editor’s note: Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh has already written a letter, printed below, in support of the proposed trail.
I am writing in support of safe biking and walking in West Windsor Township, and would like the students of West Windsor to have the opportunity to bike to school using as few roads as possible.
Please consider a change in the policy that is currently in place, which is preventing further trail development along PSE& G right-of-ways. In so doing, the West Windsor, NJ Trolley Line Trail can be extended to the Plainsboro regional school campus.
Shing-Fu Hsueh
Mayor, West Windsor Township
