Local taxi representatives losing business to Uber sought assistance from the township and residents from Cranbury Road pressed for updates on the sidewalk project at the November 9 Council meeting.
Members of the West Windsor taxi association requested a meeting with the township and Council President Bryan Maher agreed to schedule a work session. Council member Peter Mendonez has also been advocating for a meeting, where Uber would also be invited, since the West Windsor Police Department began issuing motor vehicle summonses to Uber drivers for improper insurance in September.
“The only reason I’m here tonight is to say thank you, and that we’re struggling out there,” said Danny Palumbo, the owner of AAA taxi. “What it really comes down to is regulated or deregulated,” referring to the taxi-license system and “transportation network companies” such as Uber and Lyft.
Palumbo noted that while Uber drivers are licensed in New York City, that is not the case in New Jersey.
West Windsor has issued 43 taxi licenses, which must be renewed each year. In addition, licensed cabbies are required to operate with commercial insurance, and drivers are fingerprinted and undergo multiple background checks. Taxi representatives argued they have complied with costly municipal and state regulations while Uber drivers undercutting them have not.
“We pay to be here. We’re licensed to be here,” said Wooldy Lapointe of Princeton Elite Car Service.
Hamilton resident Salnave Dossous said he has operated a taxi in West Windsor for more than 20 years, adding drivers currently pay more than $6,000 a year in commercial insurance and often work 16-hour days.
More action from the township, such as notice signs and police enforcement, especially during the morning and evening peak hours, was requested.
At the September 28 Council meeting, Chief Joe Pica explained his department has been working in conjunction with the state motor vehicle department, which is concerned with ride sharing drivers operating private vehicles that are not listed as commercial vehicles with the car insurer.
“So the issue is if one of these Uber drivers get in an accident with serious injuries or death, who is going to pay out? That is yet to be determined,” Pica said at the time.
#b#Cranbury Road sidewalk update.#/b# Cranbury Road residents hoping for construction next spring may have to remain patient. The first phase of the sidewalk project covers the stretch of Cranbury Road from Route 571 to Perry Drive, beginning with the smaller length from Route 571 to Sunnydale Way.
However, acquiring easements even for that initial stretch might include additional costs. In response to inquiries from Cranbury Road neighbors Sarah Thomson, Samirah Akhlaq-Rezvi, and Amy Picco, business administrator Marlena Schmid said the engineering department is in the process of meeting with five property owners impacted by the project. One of the owners has requested the township to replace affected landscaping.
Given the uncertainty of what the cost could be, Schmid said “it becomes a cost-benefit analysis. Do you pay more to improve someone’s property than you would on the sidewalk?”
Silvia Ascarelli, who lives off Cranbury Road, asked when the engineering report will be made public. According to Schmid the report will be completed by November 20 at the latest, the conclusion of the contract timeframe.
“I’m just hoping it’s not going to be months and months like the last report,” Ascarelli said.
Maher and Virginia Manzari, who lives off Cranbury Road, laid the blame on Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh. Hsueh was not present at the meeting.
“He has been avoiding this project for 20 years and it is offensive,” Manzari said.
“You need to elect another mayor if you want things to move faster,” Maher said. “That’s the damn truth.”
Thinking of how to expedite the project, Maher asked whether the private property in question fell within the five-feet right of way, which could give the township authority over property owners to “scrape the street” and build a sidewalk.
“Is the township in a position of strength, and is it going to enforce that?” said Maher.
In response, Schmid said: “Maybe that’s how you would approach it, but that will not buy a lot of good will.”
When reached for comment after the meeting, Hsueh said the overall project includes the involvement of Mercer County and the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission, as well as the state Department of Environmental Protection.
“With state and regional agencies involved, that is one of the reasons we want to finish the portion close to Route 571 as soon as possible. The rest requires a lot of paperwork to go through,” Hsueh says. “You also have individual homeowners who would not give permission to chop down trees. That is another thing we have to work out. The county did not want to prioritize this project because of the complications involved. This one we decided we are going to move ahead on our own, and the county concurred since they didn’t have to pay for it.”
Earlier in the meeting, resident Bill Wyman spoke before Council on the yard waste ordinance, which led to an argumentative exchange between Wyman and Maher.
#b#No more parking on Old Bear Brook Road.#/b# Council introduced an ordinance amendment that would forbid parking along the entire length, and both sides, of Old Bear Brook Road. The ordinance change follows October’s Planning Board approval of Toll Brothers’ mixed-use development (The News, October 23) of the Maneely site. There will be a public hearing at the Monday, November 23, Council meeting.
#b#Liquor license transfer.#/b# The retail consumption liquor license previously held by Pure Restaurant in the Windsor Green Shopping Center will be transferred to Princeton Dining LLC. The license remains at Palmer Inn, and Pure will be replaced by the Indian restaurant Anjappar Chetinad.
In other news, Council approved a $10,956 professional engineering contract with ACT Engineers and a $5,500 contract with BANC3 Inc. as part of the road improvement program; another professional engineering contract with Van Cleef Engineering Associates for sewer rehabilitation for $3,750; and $4,457 for body armor.
