by Sue Roy
Roadways throughout West Windsor have been in the news lately and were discussed at the July 8 council meeting. Of special concern is North Post Road and its intersection with Clarksville, near the Municipal Building. Last week a 3 1/2-year-old boy ran into North Post and was critically injured by a car driven by a Robbinsville woman.
“The accident was in no way the fault of the driver, who was not speeding or doing anything wrong,” said Police Chief Joe Pica. “The little boy ran into the street and his parents were right behind him, but just couldn’t grab him in time.”
At the council meeting, Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said that “the boy sustained critical injuries, but I recently spoke to his mother, and he is doing much better, although he is still in serious condition. The family had just moved to West Windsor and haven’t even unpacked yet, so the police department will be keeping an eye on their house.”
Council President George Borek thanked “everyone who protects our community — the EMS and Twin W, the fire departments, and the police. Emergency personnel responded quickly and efficiently and did what needed to be done to save the young boy. Without their quick responses, that boy would not be here today and I commend them.”
The North Post/Clarksville Road intersection was the site of another serious accident last year, when Arnold Chen was walking his dog on the sidewalk and was hit by a car. Chen sustained serious injuries. As a result of this accident, residents began clamoring for changes to the intersection, specifically re-striping of the roadway and changing the lane designations.
“Neither of the two serious accidents that occurred at that intersection would have been prevented by the proposed changes,” said Pica. “However, since August 4, 2012, the day Dr. Chen was hit, until last week’s accident, there have been three accidents at this intersection. They were minor accidents and no injuries were sustained. One was a sideswipe, another involved one car rear-ending another, and the third was an improper left turn. These three accidents could have potentially been prevented by the proposed changes to the roadway.”
Alison Miller of the Bike and Pedestrian Alliance said that because of last year’s accident people living near the intersection have been keeping track of accidents and near-accidents. “It is a dangerous intersection, because there are no dedicated left-turn lanes, so people jockey to get past each other on Clarksville heading toward High School South. Even though most people realize that the accident involving Dr. Chen was not caused by this problem, there have been many other accidents and near-accidents that could have been prevented by reconfiguring the roadway.”
Miller noted that the township came up with a proposal to re-stripe the roadways, create a dedicated left-turn lane in all four directions, and modify the traffic light. “Neighbors, bike riders and pedestrians, and township personnel were all happy with the plan. Then the county got involved and decided to add three lanes on North Post Road — a dedicated left turn lane, a center lane, and a dedicated right turn lane. Cyclists and residents took great exception to this idea because it would remove the bike-compatible shoulder on either side of the road, and cause the driveways to abut the road itself with no buffer in between. This was a real safety issue. Kathy Brennan, who lives in the affected neighborhood and is a trustee of the Bike and Pedestrian Alliance, took the lead in convincing the county not to change the plans. The original plans are now back in place, and everyone is happy.”
The striping resolution, which was pulled from the agenda at a previous meeting, will be considered by council at an upcoming meeting.
Said Pica: “We expect this project to be undertaken this summer, and to be finished quickly. This will be a major safety improvement for this intersection.”
Several council members and residents also discussed a neighborhood proposal to correct another potentially dangerous situation: the lack of sidewalks on Cranbury Road. A group of local residents, including Sarah Thomson, are seeking to make the roadway safer for pedestrians and cyclists, especially in light of the increase in traffic on this road in recent years. A “march” was held along a stretch of Cranbury Road on June 28, and the mayor, several council members, police department representatives, and other interested citizens attended.
Hsueh explained that because Cranbury Road is a county road, the township is limited in what it can do to rectify the situation. “The county says they don’t have enough money to address the problem, so we applied for a grant to the state to help fix the problem. Unfortunately, we were turned down. But we are going to apply again and look into other ways to get funding to address this problem.”
Said council member Linda Geevers, who went on the walk: “It is very dangerous and there are a lot of young children. There is a lot of speeding on that roadway, and I am hoping that we can have a greater police presence to address this, and maybe more signage. But this roadway has to change. People also want to be able to walk to the stores on Route 571.”
Another council member, Kristina Samonte, went on the walk and concluded “this section of the roadway is very unsafe. We need to work with the county to come up with a solution. We are trying to make connections in the community, to make it more pedestrian-friendly. We should work with the residents to add sidewalks and bike lanes to connect to the train station as well.”
Rick Visovsky, who is running for mayor in November, was also present at the event. “There are no sidewalks, no shoulders, and traffic is heavy. Many cars travel in excess of the posted speed limit. Add in darkness, rain, and other inclement weather, and it is a very dangerous situation. This is no longer a country road, but a heavily traveled commuter through-way.
“At the walk, the mayor said that it is a county road and so the township cannot fix it. But 33 feet out from the right-of-way is no longer county property and could become a township project. I strongly recommend that the mayor and council stop work on the renovation of the municipal building and complete a desperately needed project for the residents of this area.”
As a result of the march and the discussion at the council meeting, the mayor and staff held a follow-up meeting with area residents to discuss their options. As Alison Miller explained, “one of the problems is that there is a steep drop-off between the property lines and the roadway. To build a sidewalk above the drop-off would require people to agree to give up some of their private property for a right-of-way. If they opt to build a shoulder, it is the county’s responsibility and they will have to take on the project.”
Said Hsueh: “We are looking at various ways to receive funding to help alleviate the problem, through the state, other governmental sources, and even through the possibility of private funding. This project is one of our priorities.”
And Pica indicated that though there is already a steady police presence and monitoring via radar in the area, he is going to increase police presence and speed monitoring even further, as well as post additional speed limit signs.
A third roadway issue was raised at the council meeting regarding the pedestrian intersection on Clarksville Road at Avalon Watch. Resident Judy Vargas spoke at the meeting. “I just walked over to speak to someone; I didn’t even realize there was a council meeting going on. But since there is, I wanted to bring a situation on Clarksville Road to your attention. On three occasions recently I have witnessed kids almost getting hit when trying to cross Clarksville Road because the light is out. It isn’t working, and even when you push the pedestrian button, there is no blinking light. Kids are out of school, it is summer, and they are out walking, and they may not even know the light isn’t working. But this needs to be fixed right away.”
Said Pica, “Even before the council asked me to look into the situation, I called my officers and asked them to look into it. The county has been notified, and the light will be repaired immediately.”
Finally another roadway issue causing major concern is the imminent closure of Old Trenton Road between Edinburg Road / Windsor Road (county route 641) and Edinburg-Robbinsville Road (526). This project will begin on or about Monday, July 15, and the roadway will remain closed for roughly five months. The anticipated work schedule is Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The purpose of the closure is to reconstruct the bridge in place at this location. The project will result in the installation of a widened bridge with two 11-foot-wide through lanes, a 10-foot-wide center turn slot and two six-foot shoulders. Additionally, there will be a six-foot sidewalk on the north side of the bridge to allow for a sidewalk at some point in the future. The existing traffic signal at the intersection of Edinburg Road/Windsor Road and Old Trenton Road will be upgraded. Also, a new traffic signal will be installed at the Edinburg-Robbinsville Road intersection with Old Trenton Road. A left-turn slot will be provided onto both Edinburg and Edinburg-Robbinsville roads, thus reducing traffic back-ups during peak periods.
Mayor Hsueh held a press conference at the intersection on July 9 to explain the impact of the closure to affected residents. “Because of DEP environmental regulations, the work needs to be done during the time period chosen.”
Said Pica: “Once people figure out alternate routes, the traffic delays should ease somewhat. Of course there will be further delays once the schools are back in session.
“This closure has also impacted emergency services. However, we anticipated this and have an alternate route plan in place that will go into effect on July 15, so no safety issues are expected.”
In other news, council unanimously approved the appointment of Scott Boyarsky as an Alternate 1 on the Board of Recreation Commissioners through December 31; a shared services agreement with the West Windsor-Plainsboro school district for the dedicated cable television channels; the reappointment of William E. Antonides Jr., a partner in the firm of William E. Antonides and Co., as a municipal auditor at a cost of $43,842; the 2013 Township sewer rate; the insertion of the alcohol education, rehabilitation, and enforcement fund in the 2013 municipal budget, in the amount of $4,380; the acceptance of a donation from Susan Roszel, a circa 1871 safe to be displayed at the Schenck Farm Museum; and the renewal of the liquor license for Palmer Inn Restaurant.
Council also approved a contract with Scheideler Excavating Co. Inc. for snow removal services for the period November 1 through October 31, 2014, at a cost of $70,000.
Though he voted to approve the contract, councilman Bryan Maher expressed concern that only one bid had been received. “It concerns me that no other companies bid on this contract. This is the second time in less than a year that we have received only one bid on a contract. I would ask the administration to look into this to see if there is a reason that more companies are not bidding on work in West Windsor.”
Parking Litigation?
The West Windsor Council and the West Windsor Parking Authority will hold a joint executive session on Monday, July 15, at 7:30 p.m. “to discuss contract negotiations and potential litigation,” according to a township statement. The meeting will Room A of the Municipal Building.
The Site Plan Review Advisory Board meeting scheduled for July 8 was canceled. The next meeting for SPRAB will be Monday, July 22, at 7:30 p.m.
The Planning Board meetings scheduled for July 10, 17, and 24 were canceled. The next meeting will be Wednesday, August 21.
WW News Briefs
As part of the state’s “Safe Corridor” program, West Windsor received a grant for $42,770.48 to make improvements to a 1.97-mile stretch of Route 1 that runs through the township.
The West Windsor police and Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance are working together to register bicycles to increase the chance of recovery in case the bike is stolen.
To register, download the form at www.wwbpa.org and return it to the police department or the WWBP. The self-adhesive aluminum tags attach to the bike frame.
The WWBPA will offer bike registration at the Farmer’s Market this Saturday, July 13.
