Over 100 bikes Collected at the Pedals for Progress Bike Drive

On behalf of the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance we would like to thank everyone for donating to the Pedals for Progress Bike Drive at the West Windsor Community Farmers’ Market at the Princeton Junction Train Station yesterday morning. We collected 105 bicycles (and one portable sewing machine too) along with $1,082 to fund shipment to their destination in Guatemala.

Every year, affluent Americans buy 22 million new bicycles and discard millions of old ones, abandoning many more unused in basements, sheds, and garages; most end-up in our already overburdened landfills. Meanwhile, less fortunate people overseas need cheap, non-polluting transportation to access health care, jobs, markets, and schools.




Pedals for Progress, a New Jersey-based nonprofit, works to foster environmentally sound transportation policies that encourage widespread use of bicycles worldwide along with raising the North American public’s awareness of and providing a channel for responding to the transportation needs of the poor in developing countries. To date PfP has received, processed and donated close to 99,000 bicycles, 500 used sewing machines and $8 million in new spare parts to partner charities in 28 countries.

We would like to also thank our volunteers for donating their time and for their hard work in collecting, preparing and loading the bikes for shipment, including students Mira Bhatia, Sabina Carlson, Mary Conlon, Libby Engel, Gretchen Kieling, Haena Lee, Liz Perez, Roman Soiko, and Nick Wuensch; and adults: Samita Bhatia, Meg and Guiliano Chicco, Steve Decter, Dan Gerstenhaber, Daryl McMillan, Alison Miller, Chris Scherer, and PfP founder Dave Schweidenback. Dave was really great, demonstrating that his comittment for his organization is from bottom to top, by driving and packing the truck, and spending time sharing his stories about his travels to Africa and Central America and we all got a better idea of how the bikes make their way to a "second life" around the world.













































We are also grateful to the West Windsor Community Farmers’ Market board members Mireille Delman and Beth Feehan for supporting Pedals for Progress’ mission by hosting the drive at the market again this year and for their cooperation in providing us with such an ideal space to sponsor this event for the community.

If anyone wanted to donate a bicycle but was not able to that day, please visit the Pedals for Progress Web site to locate upcoming collections sites and dates around the state, or we will be happy to accept it next year when we organize a collection again. To find out how you can help the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance and our advocacy and efforts for better bike and pedestrian access, mobility and safety in West Windsor and our neighboring communities, and to find out how you can get involved, please go to our Web site.


Thanks again,

Ken Carlson, President, West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance
Susan Conlon, 2nd Vice-President, West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance

Trails in West Windsor

Walking the Rogers Preserve Trails Saturday June 3.

Pedals for Progress Bike Drive Saturday June 17

Anyone with an adult or child's bicycle in repairable condition is urged to donate his or her bike to Pedals for Progress for this worthy cause. Bikes can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Saturday June 17, RAIN OR SHINE, at the West Windsor Community Farmers' Market, on Vaughn Drive off Alexander Road in the parking lot of the Princeton Junction Train Station.

Pedals for Progress collects over 11,000 bicycles annually and has shipped more than 95,000 bicycles to developing countries in Latin American, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. Partner agencies in these countries train community members to recondition the bikes and distribute them at low cost to poor working adults. The bikes provide reliable transportation for the recipients, who use them for commuting to school and work, taking produce to market, or accessing heath care and other services. Pedals for Progress cannot accept “bikes for parts” or disassembled bikes. It costs $28 to collect, process, ship, rebuild and distribute each bicycle. A donation toward shipping costs is necessary (suggested minimum $10 per bike). All cash and material donations are fully tax deductible and a receipt will be available at the collection site. PfP also accepts working portable sewing machines.

The drive is sponsored by the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance. Members and volunteers will help donors unload their bicycles and prepare them for shipping. Last year at the drive in this location 130 bicycles were collected and were shipped to a "second life" in Uganda.

To volunteer to help with the collection or find out more about donating a bike, please contact Susan Conlon by telephone at (609) 936-1916 or by email at susieoco@aol.com; or Ken Carlson by telephone at (609) 275-6355 or email at kecarlson@comcast.net.

Ken's Bike Commute

West Windsor Bicycle & Pedestrian Alliance

As promised, here's my bike commute: I live off of Rabbit Hill Road and commute to Bristol-Myers Squibb just outside of Pennington. It's a 15 mile commute and generally takes me 1 hour (driving takes me 1/2 hour). I bike commute 1-2 times a week and hopefully will start biking 4-5 days soon. Here's my route:Rabbit Hill Road- Left on Cranbury Road- Right on Princeton Hightstown Road -Cross Route 1 at Washington Road Circle- Washington Road into Princeton- Left on Hodge Rd- Right on Lafeyette Rd- Left on Cleveland- Right on the Great Road- Left on Pretty Brook- Left on Province Line Road- Right on Cleveland Road- Left on Carter Road- Right on Bayberry Road- Left on Pennington-Rocky Hill Road- Right into the Bristol Myers Squibb campus.

The best part: Biking on Bayberry Road which has a bridge out and is closed to cars. The worst part: Crossing Route 1 at the Washington Road Circle (the safest way to cross Route 1 in West Windsor sadly).

We clearly need that dedicated bike/ped bridge over Route 1. Please add your name to the petition to the NJDOT for this bridge. http://www.petitiononline.com/rt1brdg/petition.html

Cheers everyone. Ken

Congratulations on the New Blog!

I'm Ken Carlson, president of the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance. Thanks Susan for setting up this blog. I think it will be a great way for residents in our community (and those in neighboring communities) to share ideas, concerns, and experiences, and to communicate about bicycle and pedestrian issues. One excellent use for this blog is to post bike commute routes and to share bike commuting experiences. I will post my bike commute shortly. Cheers!

How to post your comments

This blog invites you to add comments or post new topics on improving bike and pedestrian access, mobility and safety, and to share your stories and suggestions on biking and walking around West Windsor and our neighboring communities. It's easy: go to "Blog This!" at the top of the page, register, and post!

June Meeting

The WWBPA will meet June 8th, 7:30PM at the West Windsor Municipal Center.