!["Waiting for passengers to Trenton is Trenton-Princeton Traction car 21 near Witherspoon Street in Princeton in 1939. The line had been cut back to this point from the former Witherspoon Street trackage by this date. [Photo from Stephen D. Maguire]" (click to expand)](https://walkableprinceton.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/epson029.jpg)
“Waiting for passengers to Trenton is Trenton-Princeton Traction car 21 near Witherspoon Street in Princeton in 1939. The line had been cut back to this point from the former Witherspoon Street trackage by this date. [Photo from Stephen D. Maguire]”* (click to expand)
Existing affordable housing operated by Princeton Community Housing on Bunn Drive in Princeton. (click to expand.)
Princeton should create 660 new units of housing* for people of low and moderate incomes. That’s a conclusion of a new report that revises estimates of affordable housing requirements for each New Jersey municipality. Local municipalities including West Windsor and Hopewell Twp have been set even higher numbers- 1,000 new units are envisaged for both these townships.
The #655 ‘HealthLine’ bus, seen here in Princeton, is facing the ax in NJ Transit cutbacks (click to expand).
This week, NJ Transit announced fare hikes and service cutbacks. Among all the bus lines in New Jersey, the only year-round daily service that is getting the chop is our #655 service between Princeton and Plainsboro. The #655 line was launched in 2012, with support from six funding partners including Princeton Healthcare System and Princeton University. It was intended to provide a transit link to the new hospital, and also provided a link between Princeton and residential areas of Plainsboro. But the bus line has reportedly struggled for ridership, and now faces termination. How is it possible that the #655 hasn’t worked out, given Princeton’s stated dedication to transit? Continue reading
Princeton’s Whole Earth Center celebrates its 45th birthday last Saturday, April 18. (click to expand)
Last Saturday, ‘Whole Earth Center’ on Nassau Street celebrated its 45th anniversary with a party and a sale (see photo above). The Whole Earth Center has been in the Princeton community since 1970, when its arrival was marked by a short article in ‘Town Topics’, alerting its readers to a “non-profit community project which will sell natural and organic foods and books about ecology…” Continue reading
Sidewalks on either side of Poe Road, as currently exist beyond Random Road, will now be extended to Route 27 following a Princeton Council decision. (click to expand).
At their regular meeting on Monday night, Princeton Council discussed an ongoing question about sidewalks on Poe Road between Random Road and Route 27. Neighbors along this section of Poe Road have fought the plan to install sidewalks here, even though this improvement is part of Princeton’s municipal sidewalk masterplan. Despite the opposition, Council agreed in principle to move ahead with sidewalks last November, with only one member- Bernie Miller- voting against. But opposition has continued. Whereas municipal engineers had made plans for sidewalks on either side of the street, opponents in the neighborhood argued for just one sidewalk, on the western side of Poe Road. Council discussed this question in a work session, but ultimately decided to continue with the plan to build both sidewalks on either side of the street. Continue reading
Walkability in Princeton, as scored by walkscore.com. Darker green areas are more walkable. Unshaded areas are car-dependent. (click to expand.)
Princeton is known as a walkable town, but the ease with which residents can walk to amenities varies greatly between different neighborhoods. A new map of walkability from walkscore.com allows us to easily see which neighborhoods are most walkable. The walkscore.com algorithm takes into account the stores and attractions that are within walking distance, and gives each location a ‘walkscore’ of 0-100. 100 is the best, representing a “walker’s paradise”. Viewed on a map (see above), walkable areas are green, with yellow shading representing moderately walkable neighborhoods, and unshaded areas more car-dependent. (click here for a zoom-able map). Continue reading
Mt Lucas Road in north Princeton is set for improvements. (click to expand)
Princeton engineers will stripe a new bike lane at Mt Lucas Road as part of upcoming engineering works to upgrade water mains and repave the road. The new bike lane is one of a number of ‘Complete Streets’-type improvements intended to make the repaved road more consistent with municipal policy to favor people walking or on bikes. The improvements are remarkable in a suburban New Jersey context, but still fall some way short of first-rate facilities on a key corridor connecting Princeton with townships to the north. Continue reading
A recent municipal sidewalk addition project at Ewing Street, which was part-funded by neighboring property owners. Future sidewalks will be fully funded by the town. (click to expand)
Princeton Council has approved a change to how the town builds sidewalks. Up till now, half of the cost of constructing sidewalks has been charged to the owner of the abutting property. In future, the town will fund 100% of the cost of new sidewalks. Repairs to sidewalks, which were previously charged to the neighboring property owner, will also be funded by the town. Continue reading
National Walking Day this year is April 1, 2015 – no joke! (click to expand)
We are hosting a recreational walk on the morning of Wednesday April 1 in honor of ‘National Walking Day‘! The annual celebration of walking is designated by the American Heart Association, and is now in its ninth year. To get involved, we will walk from Hinds Plaza in downtown Princeton, through the Princeton University Campus to the new Dinky Station. The total walk time will be about 30 mins. Continue reading
Affordable housing at Princeton Community Village, off Bunn Drive. (click to expand)
Shirley Bishop, an expert in affordable housing, advised Princeton Council last week that the town was not in imminent danger of a “builder’s remedy” law suit. She was speaking in light of a NJ Supreme Court ruling that gave the Superior Court control of affordable housing quotas. But the town must update the ‘Housing Element’ of the community Masterplan by November, and it may be necessary to increase the number of planned affordable dwellings. Continue reading
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