The Township Council has tabled a resolution proposed by the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance that calls for the concept plan for Route 571’s “Main Street” to fit state guidelines.
The WWBPA presented the proposed resolution to the council at its meeting on November 8, but the council decided to table it after discussion at the November 15 meeting, citing concern that passing the resolution could jeopardize funding for the county’s Route 571 project.
Jerry Foster, the WWBPA president, said the key issue is speed on Route 571, specifically near the intersection with Sherbrooke Drive. “It creates a situation where drivers don’t want to stop for pedestrians at that crosswalk,” he said.
Foster asked the council to ensure that the township’s engineers and professionals ask the county to review the plans for Route 571 to ensure they are in line with the guidelines set by the state Department of Transportation.
Prior to the meeting, Foster posted details of the WWBPA’s concerns in an online Google discussion group. Speed “affects more than just safety; it also affects the size of the signs that the new owner wants for the ex-Acme shopping center,” he wrote.
The county’s plans for Route 571, which were reviewed last December, show three lanes — one in each direction and a center turning lane — and sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides of the roadway from Wallace and Cranbury roads east to its intersection with Clarksville Road, where 154 car accidents occurred between 2005 and 2007 alone. The plan also proposes crosswalks and other pedestrian-friendly improvements.
Plans also depicted two lanes in each direction at the three major intersections on Route 571: Cranbury and Wallace roads, Alexander Road, and Clarksville Road — which would taper down to one lane after each intersection.
Currently, the speed limit is 40, and some residents have called for it to be lowered to 25 or 30.
The resolution proposed by the WWBPA calls for a concept design for the roadway that is based on the DOT’s “Smart Transportation Guidebook.”
However, Business Administrator Robert Hary said that the project has been ongoing for decades.
“The project is slow-moving, but we have the funding in place to go forward,” he said. “The last thing we want to do now is muddy the waters.”
Mayor Hsueh said the process was jumpstarted when he approached the county in 2001, which led to an agreement in 2003.
The details of the project are currently under review by state and federal agencies for funding. “If we pass this resolution, it’s going to send mixed messages to the state and federal government,” Hsueh said. “The timing is such that we don’t want to hurt our chances of getting the money.”
Council members agreed, saying they would table the resolution until the funding goes through.
Foster, however, called the council’s move disappointing. “This issue that we’re trying to bring forward is not about the money,” he said. “It’s: will this design get us a Main Street?”
He said that the concept plan does not look like it creates a true Main Street. “Why wait until we get the money to see if we’re going in the right direction?” he added.
