Route 1 Bike/Pedestian Bridge In The Penn's Neck Area of West Windsor, NJ

RE: The Need for a Bike/Pedestrian Bridge Over Route 1

It is well recognized that Route 1 poses a significant barrier to non-automotive east/west travel in the Penns Neck Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Study Area and, indeed, for many miles in either direction north or south of West Windsor. From the perspective of a bicyclist or pedestrian, there are no safe crossings of Route 1 in or near the Study Area. At-grade crossings are unsafe for bicyclists and pedestrians and existing roadway overpasses have highway access ramps and high vehicle speeds that make them uncomfortable and unsafe. The lack of safe and attractive crossings discourages non-automotive travel, reinforcing automobile dependence and worsening traffic congestion throughout the Penns Neck Study Area and generally throughout West Windsor, Plainsboro and Princeton.

Future planned employment and residential growth will only make this situation worse for both pedestrians and bicyclists. As traffic increases, fewer and fewer people will be willing to consider alternative transportation to the train station, work, school, shopping, and for recreation due to safety issues. This will have a particularly hard impact on school-age children, who will be even more dependent on adults to get around.

For these reasons, it is of utmost importance that bicycle/pedestrian access be a top priority in the final EIS. In addition to on-the-street improvements such as crosswalks and bike lanes, we feel that a bicycle/pedestrian-only bridge across Route 1 is essential to meet the areas mobility needs. We view this bridge as one component in a regional bicycle/pedestrian system ultimately linking area employment centers, shopping, the Princeton Junction train station, area educational institutions, and recreational parks such as the D&R Canal Towpath.

The road improvements that will follow the Final EIS and the selection of the preferred alternative provide an historic opportunity to significantly improve bicycle and pedestrian mobility in the Penns Neck area for decades to come and will serve as a model for future large-scale road projects. The inclusion of a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over Route 1 as part of these road improvements would provide an important means for enhancing non-automotive transportation options, would reduce local automobile trips in the study area, and would have a significant impact on the quality of life in the Penns Neck area and its surrounding communities. For these reasons, we the undersigned fully support the construction of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Route 1 as part of the Penns Neck area road improvements.