Improved walking and biking, with interesting mini-gardens and pocket parks, are one of the keys to a wonderful town. The planned pocket park on Alexander Road near Washington Road sounds like a great addition to the town (The News, December 14).
Since seeing that article, I have been thinking of two other spots that might benefit from similar plans.
The first spot is Meadow Road. I regularly see people clamber over that guardrail. Let’s cut an opening, stripe a mid-block crosswalk, and put in a bench or two to break the monotony of that long and narrow lane, perhaps with a wood chip path into the woods for the adventurous. Many have welcomed similar benches springing up here and there on routes around town: they create a delightful and welcoming feel.
The second spot runs the half-mile from the well furnished sidewalk in front of Avalon Watch across the exposed, barren, uninviting stretch to town hall. Let good Mother Nature have her way, with perhaps a little guidance. Stop cutting the grass, saving us from noise and fumes. Let the miracle of the fecund eastern forest loose, with, as is done elsewhere, one annual clipping back. A natural hedge will shield users from the road, and wildflowers, butterflies, saplings, birds, chipmunks, and rabbits will move in on the other side. Install a pocket park or two. Extend to the sidewalk some of the interesting gardening work being done at the old farmhouse. Use community-volunteer, Boy Scout-type labor. Before long, at no cost to the town, the residents will have a beautiful and interesting path to traverse on their way to the library, the schools and the shops we so much want to succeed in the newly renovated Windsor Plaza.
I think, after the application of a little imagination, the strollers of Princeton, Spring Lake, Lambertville, and other prime spots might be casting a jealous eye on our town!
Henry B. Murphy
Hereford Drive, Princeton Junction
