To the West Windsor Bicycle & Pedestrian Alliance:
My wife, 15 month old son and I moved into Colonade Pointe off of Canal Pointe Boulevard last month. ##M:[more]##We came from lower Westchester County, NY. Reasons for which we selected Colonnade Pointe was that it was very close to my new office in the Carnegie Center and that it was walk-able to shops and restaurants (my wife does not drive). Upon initial inspection last March, we were impressed with the sidewalk infrastructure and were happy that there was at least one designated crosswalk over Canal Point Blvd. from the entrance to our complex. We were very pleased.
What we were not prepared for however, was the overall driving habits and general behavior of the motorists in this region. Our experience is that on average, motorists who travel on Canal Pointe Blvd., Meadow Rd., Alexander Rd. and nearby, operate their vehicles with absolute disregard for traffic laws and limits as well as for the safety of other motorists, cyclists and pedestrians who share the roadways. In fact, the very first day we made our new home here, we were rear-ended by a careless driver (who was issued a summons), were taken to the hospital, and our vehicle was a total loss. This was the only accident I have experienced in over 30 years of driving. The responding (Princeton) Police Officer joked “welcome to Princeton.” We were not laughing.
Only yesterday, as my wife was walking home from the Whole Foods Market and crossing Canal Pointe at Emmons Dr., a motorist coming from the Princeton Country Club was clearly not stopping at the stop sign and my wife (with baby in stroller), was in the middle of the crosswalk. My wife extended her arm and hand in a “halt” signal. The irate driver swerved towards her and baby, stopped to fully curse her out and then sped off. We have had approximately a dozen like experiences where motorists have not only acted rudely to us, but have directly endangered our lives.
Last evening, I googled some key words and found your site and blog. We are relieved to discover that there are concerned citizens in our community who are working to establish safer travel ways for those who live here. First, we want to say thank you. Second, we wish to know how to join you. We will be visiting the Farmer’s Market over the next few Saturday’s and hopefully we will meet. We look forward to that. Thank you again.
The Regan Family: RJ, Sherry and Richard
