Pedestrian Improvements on Clarksville Road

There has been a lot of recent activity by the WWBPA to draw attention to the dangerous conditions that exist on Clarksville Road for pedestrians who attempt to cross this road between the Avalon Watch Apartment complex and the Village Shoppes shopping center. This dangerous situation has been crying out for years for pedestrian improvements and the WWBPA took an aggressive approach in the last few months to get local officials to realize the potential for a pedestrian fatality on this road. We led a walk on the evening of November 9th during rush hour with trustees and members of the Alliance, local residents, two West Windsor Council members, and two Mercer County Engineers. It was clear to all from this walk how dangerous it was for pedestrians to cross Clarksville Road, particularly residents who have children to be picked up at the day care center and residents who are dropped off from the NJ transit #976 bus from the Princeton Junction train station.

From this walk, a series of recommendations were put forth and endorsed by all who attended. The recommendations were included in a letter to Mayor Hsueh (see http://www.princetonol.com/groups/wwbpa/docs/Avalon_Watch_Letter.pdf) and include a crosswalk with pedestrian-activated lights, a pedestrian refuge island, and the installation of street lights. These recommendations were presented to the West Windsor Township Council on November 13th.

Unbeknownst to us, two hours earlier, two township residents were struck by a car as they were attempting to cross Clarksville Road in the exact location of the proposed crosswalk as they were returning from picking up their granddaughter from the daycare center (See Packet article http://www.princetonol.com/groups/wwbpa/docs/PACKET2006-11-21.pdf). Fortunately there were no fatalities in this tragic accident, but clearly the accident underscores the need for the very improvements we had been advocating. The WWBPA sent letters to the editor regarding the accident and the dire need for the improvements (see http://www.princetonol.com/groups/wwbpa/docs/Avalon_Watch-Letter_to_Editor.pdf).

The WWBPA is currently working with the Township and the County to make these improvements a reality. The first thing to be done is to get street lights installed where pedestrians are crossing. This will be done by the township. The rest of the improvements are in the domain of the County. The County must first get approval from the State for a mid-block crossing. The WWBPA will do all it can to continue to advocate for these needed improvements and to make sure they are completed on a rapid timeline to ensure the safety of pedestrians in this part of the township.

Ken