To The Editor:
‘Buried’ News Item
Bothers a Voter
I was surprised to see the article concerning Mayor Hsueh’s registering as a Democrat buried further back in the West Windsor-Plainsboro News (dated August 28th). As someone who voted for Mayor Hsueh, I am extremely disappointed that only a little over three months after the election and into his new term, the mayor has decided that he is a Democrat.
While nothing precludes someone from doing this while holding office, it certainly is frustrating to the people who cast their vote for the mayor because of his independent status. If I had any notion that the mayor would register as a Democrat mere months after being re-elected, it may have impacted my decision to vote for Mayor Hsueh, as I am sure it could have affected the votes cast by my family and circle of friends here in the township, most of whom are registered Republicans. Frankly, I find the whole thing to be a little deceitful.
The mayor ran a campaign as an independent and reaped the benefit of Republican voters like us supporting him, and then like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, registered as a Democrat months into a new term. I am certain the mayor must have had some inkling that he intended to make this declaration at the time he was campaigning for another term. It would have been nice to have him come out during the election so voters could make an educated decision as to whether, despite his political affiliation, they still supported him and his cause. I’m not saying the outcome would have been drastically different, but at least there would have been no hidden surprises or buyer’s remorse on the part of voters like me.
James P. Stahl
Victoria Place
Alexander S-Curve: After Four Years, No Progress
It has been almost four years since Rebecca Annitto lost her life in an accident on the Alexander Road S-curve. She was about to turn 15 when the tragic accident occurred on September 14, 2005.
Within one week of the accident in 2005, I made appeals to Princeton University to have its Engineering School contribute its clinical staff, civil engineering students, and departmental design expertise to mitigate the hazard. I asked West Windsor resident and Lawrence businessman Jim Britton to offer men and machines to straighten the Alexander Road S-curve and trim the canopy.
I reached out to the Mercer County Engineer of the Year who eagerly voiced an interest in helping but then suddenly, without explanation, ceased interest. Two years ago, I met on site with a NJ DOT Community Relations representative who commented on how unsafe (smooth) the road surface was. Add water, moisture, drips from the overhanging trees to the oil drops from accelerating and decelerating motor vehicles? It is and was a prescription for disaster. It WAS an accident waiting to happen.
The university spent time, student resources, and money in Trenton, at the time, focusing on playgrounds for underprivileged children. I sought the quid pro quo of restricting the pending expansion of an Engineering building as true leverage. I followed up with Princeton University Vice President Bob Durkee so much he turned me over to his new Community Relations director, soon after she was hired from the Princeton Chamber of Commerce.
Given the universe of students, employees, faculty, visitors, vendors, and residents, those with responsibilities to ensure public safety (such as Princeton University’s Bob Durkee, Kristin Appelget and West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, and the townships traffic safety division officers) have spent more time detailing why things cannot be done. Yes, there are prospective environmental impacts affecting the adjacent D&R Canal but it didn’t take four years for the State DOT to widen Route 1/Millstone River bridge for access to the new Plainsboro Hospital. I even notified former (then current) Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand to seek her assistance.
I have also maintained that the immediate installation of Jersey barriers as a cost-effective interim solution could have been effected the day after the accident. The university argued (opined) there were concerns about the proximity to the D&R Canal –– but that doesn’t explain why the university clandestinely operated an active construction site on the banks of the canal between Harrison Street and Washington Road and adjacent to Washington Road and the Dinky tracks. I guess somebody “forgot” that land was assessed as “farmland” for tax-saving purposes.
Because of my efforts, the West Windsor Township assessor sent Princeton University a tax bill last year for almost $900,000 ($700,000 to West Windsor and $200,000 to Mercer County). The county struggles to repair and maintain the Elm Allee gateway into /out of the campus. Princeton University responded by planting soybeans along Route 1 to see a tax reduction in West Windsor despite the approvals for 1 million square feet of office space between Fisher Place and Harrison Street.
And so, on the cusp of Rebecca’s passing a distant four years ago, our community “leadership” generates excuses instead of action. Princeton University continues its unbridled construction and expansion, reduction in staff, expansion in student population, while ignoring basic public safety. I find these inactions to be an abomination and share the actions in Rebecca’s memory. Where is the accountability?
Peter R. Weale
144 Fisher Place, West Windsor
Roundabout Reality
In your August 28 edition, West Windsor resident Richard Moody complained that “Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh and the New Jersey Department of Transportation will take no concrete action to remedy the interminable delays that are now occurring on the Alexander Road approaches during rush hours.”
There is good reason. The New Jersey DOT defines a roundabout as a traffic-calming measure, meaning it intentionally creates congestion to slow down cars and trucks for safety reasons. At a public meeting the DOT demonstrated a computer model of anticipated traffic at the roundabout. It was a harbinger of things to come, warning of exactly the same backups and delays as we now witness during every rush hour.
Proposals (including mine) that would have alleviated much of the congestion, were tabled by the mayor and his Alexander Road Bridge subcommittee, in favor of the Not In My Back Yard interests who built their case based on conjecture and paranoia. Selling the roundabout to the public as the least expensive bridge replacement concept caused me to quip at the time that the mayor was promoting a $4 million solution to maintain the current problem.
Mr. Hsueh is to be congratulated for seeking public funding as one of his highest priorities, but it really doesn’t appear to matter how the grant dollars may be earmarked. He seems willing to champion almost any scheme as long as it is funded by sources other than township dollars.
A relatively modest investment by the township for realigning roadways would have set the new DOT-funded bridge in a superior location, where it would have dispersed traffic more efficiently, without the need for a roundabout, traffic lights, or confusion. Unfortunately, it was difficult to distinguish the subcommittee members from the NIMBY’s, so it was a victory for politics over pragmatism as well as parsimony over planning.
Recommendations for future measures to alleviate the traffic around the train station and the future town center have also fallen on deaf township ears. The mayor is concerned that we will lose state redevelopment funding while we promote a satellite parking area for commuters on Route 1, yet this is an economical plan that has more merit for our residents, commuters, developers, and surrounding communities than any other proposal for the future of West Windsor.
By the way, if you are wondering why the state is so deep in debt, you should know that the Alexander Road bridge and roundabout is now the $24 million solution to maintain our traffic problems.
Al D’Alessio
Princeton Junction
Keep Cyclists, Walkers In Mind on New Bridges
The West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance is delighted that Plainsboro is working with Amtrak to replace the Schalks Crossing Road bridge by 2012 and to add bike lanes and sidewalks on the bridge. This will be a major improvement for those who bike, jog and walk and will encourage others to walk or bike to Plainsboro Town Center.
But this is not the only area bridge that needs to be made friendlier for cyclists and pedestrians. We encourage Amtrak to plan the same improvements for the bridge over the rail line on Clarksville Road in West Windsor, particularly with the construction of the Jewish Community Center, the development of West Windsor Gardens (a 350-unit complex off Clarksville Road), and improvements to Meadow Road. All will make the bridge even busier than it is today.
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) in a 2007 study warned of the dangerous conditions on the Clarksville Road bridge. And the 2008 West Windsor master plan report noted, “a pedestrian bridge should be installed on [the] Clarksville Road Bridge over the railroad.”
Despite being barely wide enough for cars and including the dangerous S-curve that encompasses the bridge, pedestrians and cyclists brave crossing the bridge to many motorists’ surprise and horror. The bridge is on one of the busiest roads in the township, that links the Princeton Junction train station to Quaker Bridge Mall, and includes two schools. There is a very significant motivation to walk or bike along this road, but the bridge is the major obstacle.
Silvia Ascarelli
WW Bicycle & Pedestrian Alliance
