To the Editor: Plainsboro Traffic##M:[more]##
On the subject of traffic at the corner of Dey and Plainsboro roads, (WW-P News, April 29,) I’d like to address the issue of “The Hedge,” although once the town “improves” the corner it will be a moot point.
When a driver stops at the sign at the end of Dey Road, their primary concern is the traffic coming from their left because that is the traffic they have to deal with first. The hedge does not play a factor in blocking that view. If they are turning right, the hedge is also a non-issue. The hedge would block the view of traffic going AWAY from the intersection. There is a large building to the left (originally a hotel dating back over 200 years) with some beautiful old maple trees near their driveway, helping make Plainsboro a pretty place to live in.
Once drivers have rolled forward enough to see if it is clear up Plainsboro Road, they can check out the view toward the right, the hedge side. They will notice that they can now see down Plainsboro Road, past the hedge, and can even see the house one down from the corner that almost touches the street. (Can you imagine how wonderful it will be when the town shoehorns a sidewalk in there?)
The hedge is intimidating, but, upon thoughtful observation, drivers will realize that it does not really block their view. If the intersection were a four-way stop, it would not even be an issue. Likewise, if the speed limit was strictly 25 MPH, the sight line issue would be improved, but these are problems that the town refuses to remedy.
One thing the hedge does do is keep cars from cutting the corner and driving on the lawn. There are curbs on the other three corners, but there is no curb on that one. There are tire tracks in the dirt right next to the hedge, well over the painted line that marks the right side of the roadway. Cars must scrape the hedge to do that. Can you imagine where the cars would be if the hedge was not there?
A few times the hedge has kept errant cars from skidding into the house. This apparently is nothing new. Long, long ago a previous owner installed a very hefty tall iron pipe there and the hedge has grown to hide it. I can imagine the iron pipe was his way to keep cars out of his yard way back when.
Good planning needs a careful and thoughtful analysis of a situation and not just the implementation of the first thing that comes into the planner’s mind. Planners should solicit information from sources close to and familiar with the situation. They cannot plan well without the input of others. And lastly planners have to think “outside the box” and not reject ideas that seem unworkable at first glance. Poor planning is a problem, not hedges.
Peter Pfister
Plainsboro
Mold Update:
I would like to address a recent media report on Princeton Landing. A quote by Marj Behrens of Executive Property Management was entirely inaccurate. Ms. Behrens stated that there were very few complaints and that the complaints were typical of any construction project. That is entirely not the case with the Princeton Landing project.
There are health and safety issues within Parcel 1 that put the homeowners and tenants at risk. Those issues include debris left throughout the grounds, including rusty nails and screws, equipment, and shards of glass. There have been complaints of flooding issues in units that left mold growing along the baseboards, as well as pooling water and large holes and pits on the grounds of the complex that cause dangerous conditions. In addition, there are exposed electrical wires protruding from the ground, and walkway and entrance lighting that remain broken for over six months.
Since the very beginning of the construction project, residents have submitted numerous work orders regarding issues such as these. Many times those work orders, and subsequent follow-up calls and E-mails, remain unanswered by management. I personally walked through the entire development and spoke to many neighbors; not one of the people I spoke with expressed anything but dissatisfaction and frustration toward the way this project was managed from the start. Some also stated that many issues were not addressed in a timely matter, and that there was no response from the township when they called to notify them of the issues.
In the end, we are left to try to deal with incompetent and extremely poor management of our community and homes. The construction project has been, and continues to be, a major disruption in our lives. For years we have endured the stress and inconvenience, and we remain left with no support from the township in assisting us in righting the wrongs.
Pamela Hagin
Sayre Drive
Plainsboro
Immigration Views:
Legal & Illegal
In her challenge of Lloyd Gracey’s (West Windsor) figures of the cost of illegal immigration to taxpayers in various states and his intention to claim this amount on his tax return as a charitable contribution, Maria Juega of the Latin American Legal Defense & Education Fund states those numbers are based on research made by a non-government-sponsored organization. Apparently, the facts that this organization is “well-financed,” “Washington-based,” and “advocates restriction on immigration” are sufficient enough for Ms. Juega to dismiss results of its research as irrelevant.
To my sincere disappointment, Ms. Juega does not bother to counter Mr. Gracey with a reliable, government-sponsored data on the subject, which makes her own assessment of the numbers highly irrelevant, at the very least. Despite being forced to recognize the illegal immigration as a national problem and admit “fiscal distortions” it causes to local and state authorities, Ms. Juega seems to find the answer to those “imbalances” in fees being imposed on illegal immigrants when they are granted temporary visas. In my opinion, this is a sure way to legitimize and encourage the illegal immigration, which is, clearly, the goal of good Ms. Juega and organization she represents.
Having been a legal immigrant myself, I am deeply grateful to this country and its immigration policies for allowing my family to become American citizens. As are many others, I am also concerned with the blatant attempts to break immigration laws and impose unfair financial burden on the working Americans.
As long as the federal government isn’t willing to recognize the seriousness of the problem, I would rather join Mr. Gracey in his charitable activities.
Michael Kagan
Plainsboro
Bikers Say Thanks
We would like to thank everyone who donated their used bikes for the Pedals for Progress Bike Drive at the West Windsor Community Farmers’ Market on Saturday, June 18.
We collected 130 adult and childrens’ bikes, along with $1,”253 in donations to help fund shipment to their destination in Uganda. This year alone Pedals for Progress, a New Jersey-based non-profit, has shipped close to 4,”000 bikes to developing nations. The bicycles provide people with transportation to schools, jobs, and health care.
We would like to acknowledge high school students Matt Elliot, Sabina Carlson, and Lily Chicco, Bike/Pedestrian task force member Art Pope, Samita Bhatia, and Pedals for Progress board member John Strachan. Thanks as well to the people who joined us to finish loading the bikes in the afternoon.
We are also grateful to West Windsor Community Farmers Market board members Mireille Delman and Beth Feehan and the members of their organization for their enthusiasm and cooperation in providing us with such an ideal space to sponsor this event.
For anyone who wanted to donate a bicycle, but was not able to that day, please visit the Pedals for Progress website at www.p4p.org to locate upcoming collection sites and dates, or we’ll be happy to accept it next year when we will organize a collection again in West Windsor Township.
Ken Carlson, co-chair
Susan Conlon, member
Mayor’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force
