During January, a dark time of year at best, the subject of possibly inadequate street lighting in West Windsor came up at council meetings. Residents have been reporting that some lights are either not working at all or else are unduly dim at certain heavily traveled locations. This potential safety hazard clearly needed addressing.
As a first step I volunteered to do a census of the existing street light system, and at the suggestion of Council, spearhead a modest task force to consider possible remedies. This letter will serve as a progress report, with a more complete report to follow later.
I have been touring the town (in good daylight weather) and noting the locations of existing lights. One objective is to determine which neighborhoods are well lit and which ones might be improved, assuming improvements are even possible at this time. A second objective is to make some sense out of the several different types of lights that we have and where each type tends to be located.
Another important objective was to have a list made of lights that are not working and notify the respective power company (PSE&G in most of West Windsor and JCP&L in the southeastern part) so that any defective lights could be promptly replaced. Excellent progress has been made here. I sent an E-mail to Police Chief Joe Pica on February 11 asking if a night officer on patrol could possibly note which lights were out. Within a week I received a detailed response listing 38 lights that were out and their respective pole numbers. This was very good work on their part, and I have been assured that this program will continue.
The Police Department notified the power companies about the above lights, and I have verified that the defective ones that I had seen myself have been replaced. Chief Pica also wrote that any resident seeing a defective light can report it online at their website, www.westwindsorpolice.com. The department will then ensure that the appropriate power company is promptly notified.
Because of the obvious interest that the Bike and Pedestrian Alliance would have in this program, I attended one of their meetings and alerted them of this ongoing effort. Councilman Peter Mendonez has also helped out by contacting PSE&G and having them send a complete list of their own lights. As time permits, I will fold this into my own list so that we will have as complete a reckoning as possible.
Since this is also municipal budget time, I asked for and have just received printouts of all the detailed 2014 street light invoices for both power companies. I am in the process of analyzing these and will report back on what I find.
John A. Church
