Educational Walk of Cranbury-Wallace Rds and Rt. 571

On October 9th, at 5:30, about 30 residents met at the Clock Tower at the PNC Bank on the corner of Wallace Road and Rt. 571 to observe the conditions for pedestrians and cyclists at this intersection. Joining the group, were four members of Township Council and the County Engineer, George Fallat. The group observed the commuting habits of residents as they walked to and from the train station. The group also interviewed a number of residents about their



experiences commuting everyday by foot or bike. It was clear that conditions for pedestrians and cyclists at this intersection are dangerous: there is only 1 crosswalk at this intersection and it is in very poor condition: it lacks curb cuts, has a sidewalk on only one side, and has a non-functioning pedestrian-activated signal. There are no crosswalks across Wallace or Cranbury Roads, lighting is very poor, and motorists have little regard for pedestrians. We watched in horror in two separate incidents where pedestrians were nearly struck by cars. Observations were recorded, and a series of recommendations are being drafted and will be presented to Township Council in the coming weeks.

West Windsor Walks: Route 571 at Cranbury/Wallace Roads Tuesday Oct. 9 at 5:30 p.m.

The West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance Sponsors Walk to Raise Awareness of Pedestrian and Bicycle Access and Safety at the intersection of Princeton-Hightstown Road (Route 571) and Cranbury-Wallace Roads in West Windsor Township on Tuesday, October 9 at 5:30 p.m.

The West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance (WWBPA) has organized a series of walks in West Windsor Township to get input from residents who live in and travel through the township on desired and needed bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

The intention of organizing this walk is to examine the difficulties that pedestrians and bicyclists encounter navigating through the intersection of Princeton-Hightstown Road and Cranbury-Wallace Roads in downtown Princeton Junction.

"This intersection is a short distance away from one of the busiest train stations in the country," says WWBPA President Ken Carlson. "It is used by many pedestrians and cyclists on their way to and from the station despite that it is one of the more dangerous and difficult intersections for pedestrians and cyclists in the township to navigate, lacking sufficient crosswalks, curb cuts, and lighting."

The jurisdiction of the intersection is shared between the township, the county and the state. "This intersection will be undergoing some re-configuration during the construction of the new Rite Aid complex on the southeast corner," adds Carlson. "These improvements may provide an opportunity for officials to come together to pursue implementing additional bicycle and pedestrian improvements."

Local residents, township, county and state officials are invited to participate in this walk and to help brainstorm about potential improvements and come up with a set of recommendations.

Interested participants are invited to meet at 5:30 p.m. at the clock tower at the PNC Bank on the southwest corner of the intersection. The rain date for the walk is Tuesday October 16th.

Bicycle Education and Awareness - Round 2

The West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance (WWBPA) held a very successful Hispanic Outreach Program at the Hightstown Memorial Branch of Mercer County Library on Tuesday, October 2, the eve of International Walk to School Day. The Program is aimed at providing bicycle education and awareness to the local Hispanic population. Victor Fernandez, who teaches an ESL class at the library, hosted the session and ensured a large turnout by posting flyers and inviting his entire class. Nearly 40 people attended.

(above: attentive students with a variety of 'study' aids)

Research indicates that male Hispanics are overrepresented in bicycle crashes and Hispanic bicyclists 21-29 years old are overrepresented in bicycle related fatalities. As a result, the focus of the presentation was on the importance of abiding by NJ Traffic Laws, understanding the ‘Rules of the Road’ and the importance of wearing helmets. Each person signed an affirmation stating (in English and Spanish): “As a bicyclist, I agree to obey all traffic laws and wear a helmet.”

Members Chris Scherer and Lenora Kandiner conducted the interactive session in English and Spanish. The class had a lot of great questions which helped to ensure a good understanding of the content and the key messages: bicyclists are “granted all the rights and subject to all of the duties of the motor vehicle driver” and wear a helmet (NJ law requires children 17 and under to wear helmets).

(above: explaining how bicyclist behavior and wearing a helmet can prevent accidents)

(below: Lenora helps with proper helmet fit)

The WWBPA donated the following items to people who attended the session:

- 50 reflective ankle bands
- 40 copies of our bilingual bike/ped map of West Windsor, which contains information about NJ Traffic Laws and bike/ped safety
- 35 bicycle helmets
- five front and rear bicycle light sets
- reflective tape for use on bicycles and helmets
- numerous copies of bilingual brochures and flyers from the US Department of Transportation about bicycle and pedestrian safety
- several copies of Bicycle Safer Journey, an interactive CD that offers a virtual journey designed to increase awareness of bicycle safety

We ran out of a few supplies, but were able to get names of people who did not get each item. Victor will distribute the remaining supplies after we drop them off at the library.

(above: those reflective ankle, er, wrist bands really do work)

Linda Cholewiak, branch manager at the library, generously donated $50 on behalf of the Hightstown Library Association. The WWBPA will use the donation to offset the cost of the various supplies given to program participants.

(above: 35 more people with the knowledge and equipment to ride safely)
Posted by: Chris Scherer

New Online Version of WWBPA Bike/Ped Map

The West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance (WWBPA) is pleased to announce an online version of its recently released print format English/Spanish bicycle and pedestrian map. The map identifies safe bicycle/pedestrian routes and provides educational and safety information including New Jersey laws.

WWBPA Vice-President Chris Scherer and WWBPA member Dr. Wansoo Im set up the maps on Mappler, an interactive mapping application designed to encourage Public Participation GIS (PPGIS), software that allows the public to annotate the maps. Mappler is hosted by Vertices, LLC, which generously offered to host the online maps.

The WWBPA is a not for profit, 501(c)3 member supported organization promoting bicycling and walking in West Windsor Township and neighboring communities, emphasizing access, education, mobility, and safety. "Being able to create and share a map of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in our community is a huge milestone in fulfilling our mission and vision,” says Chris Scherer. “We're very grateful to Dr. Im for providing a tool that allows the community to actively participate in the evolution of the map."

There are two versions of the map, “Bicycle Roadways” and “Pedestrian Sidewalks and Trails” linked to the WWBPA Web site.

The Web-based program allows the public to participate in further development of the map. WWBPA members and others in the community can register as users to provide map updates. Registered users will have the opportunity to find locations on the map, plot the points and share comments, pictures and even videos about the locations. For example, users will have the ability to do the following:
* Highlight areas of concern (intersections requiring improvements to crosswalks, lighting or signs; gaps in sidewalks; dangerous road conditions; etc.)
* Identify bike/pedestrian improvements to local infrastructure (bike lanes, sidewalks and trails)
* Note points of interest such as historical sites, natural features, restaurants, etc.

“Connecting people and connecting communities using interactive mapping technology has become my mission; evolving technology has enhanced this mission by enabling us to communicate and share our experience and knowledge much more efficiently and effectively, and at an affordable cost,” adds Dr. Im. “The support of dedicated organizations and community participation is essential for this mission to succeed. It has been a pleasure working with the WWBPA and its members to develop access to the maps. I look forward to continuing to work together to achieve our organizations’ goals.”

To encourage public participation to update the maps and identify areas in need of improvement, the WWBPA invites the public to attend a demonstration of the online bicycle and pedestrian maps on Thursday, October 11 at 6:30 p.m. (preceding its regularly scheduled monthly meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m.) at the West Windsor Municipal Center in room A.

The hard-copy bilingual bicycle/pedestrian map is available at the West Windsor Community Farmers' Market, Saturdays 9:00 am to 1:00 pm on October 6 and October 20. It is free to members and available to the public with a $5 donation. Copies of the map are also available by contacting the organization at wwbikeped@gmail.com or by telephone at (609) 954-6584.