The new streetlamps on Witherspoon Street, which were installed as part of the years-long “Witherspoon Street Improvements Project” have now been switched on. Compared to the older streetlights on Witherspoon Street, these new streetlamps are lower, intended to provide better lighting for people using the paths on either side of the road.

Improvements to lighting along the Witherspoon corridor have been envisioned since the creation of the ‘Walkway Safety Task Force‘ in 2019. That task force recognized that dark sidewalks make walking around Princeton unpleasant or even dangerous. The lighting at crosswalks and intersections was recognized as a particular problem. As noted by ongoing reporting by Carolyn Jones at ‘Tap Into Princeton’, crosswalks are often some of the most dangerous places for pedestrians to be, because of the risk of being run over by drivers who regularly claim not to have seen the pedestrian.

The new streetlamps on Witherspoon Street remained dark for many months even after the rest of the engineering project was completed. That’s because the town is dependent on the local utility (PSE&G) to activate streetlights. PSE&G finally got round to switching on some of the streetlamps around the time of the lighting of the Christmas tree in Palmer Square. The rest of the streetlamps have been activated more recently. They line Witherspoon Street on both sides all the way up to Valley Road.

PSE&G have a number of fixed styles of streetlights, which municipalities can choose from. In this case, it seems that the so-called ‘Trenton’ style of streetlamp was selected. According to the PSE&G website, “This classic fixture combines simplicity and ultimate efficiency, lending itself to virtually any architectural design. With its refractive globe and stately cast aluminum scalloped and fluted housing, it’s poised to be this century’s workhorse.” (Note: former Princeton planner Michael LaPlace clarifies what light fixtures were used in the comments below. It is actually the ‘GranVille’ light fixture, also available from PSE&G.)

Without detracting from the stately casting of the ‘Trenton’ style of streetlamp, it is potentially an issue that it shines light in every direction. That means that the night sky is illuminated just as much as nearby paths. In recent months, astronomers have complained that there is too much light at night in Princeton. Using a different design, which blocks light from going up, would mean that paths could be lit up without causing light pollution.

Some of the new streetlamps are also placed close to the road, instead of right next to the sidewalks, which means that some of the value of the new light fittings is lost. These issues could be considered for future projects. It is nevertheless hopeful that the town is putting more thought into light fixtures on municipal engineering projects. At least two serious crashes involving pedestrians crossing Princeton roads occurred in December 2025, and although some drivers have sought to blame the victims, better lighting could surely be part of Princeton’s “Vision Zero” strategy, which aims to use every measure available to eliminate deaths on local roads.