West Windsor council voted unanimously to introduce an ordinance that would allow low-speed cars to travel under the speed limit on a portion of Alexander Road and Canal Pointe Boulevard, which have speed limits of 35 miles per hour.
The move is in response to a request from Princeton University that staff be able to use electric cars to travel on township roadways to make their way from Princeton to other portions of the campus in West Windsor, including the new building the university will be leasing at 701 in Carnegie Center. The 112,000-square foot, four story office building is situated between Canal Pointe Boulevard and Route 1, adjacent to Princeton Overlook.
The university needs permission from West Windsor officials because the new cars can only travel between 20 and 25 miles per hour, but will need to access roads like Alexander Road and Canal Pointe Boulevard, which have speed limits of 35 miles per hour.
Princeton officials have said that there would not be a large volume of these low-speed cars on the roadways, and that if they found there significant back-ups at certain parts of the day, they would work with township police to find better solutions. In addition, the university will avoid having its staff drive the cars during rush hour, and will mostly permit them between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., since staff members generally work from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The electric car has been just one of many sustainable ideas presented with regard to the building at 701 Carnegie Center in recent months.
