Trend in car use in seven states, including New Jersey, 1980-2013. (click to expand). Via Wonkblog.
‘Peak car‘ is the phrase that describes the remarkable turnaround in car use in America. Although the use of automobiles traditionally grew year after year, recently the trend has flipped, and vehicle-miles-traveled is going down. This trend also includes New Jersey, which saw maximum car use in 2007. Continue reading
A mixed-use ‘village’ off Scotch Road (pictured) is the subject of a current proposal before Hopewell Township’s Planning Board. (click to expand.)
In December, the Planning Board of Hopewell Township put off making a decision about a proposed amendment to the community Masterplan that would permit extensive development of the area on either side of Scotch Road, between I-95 and CR-546. The amendment (read it here) envisages new commercial and residential development, potentially including up to 2,500 homes, organized in the style of a walkable ‘village’. Although many local people are not be impressed at the thought of more development, the Scotch Road proposal offers several significant advantages.
Bikeshare at Princeton rail station, which launched last November. (click to expand.)
Around Thanksgiving last year, a new ‘bikeshare’ program was launched at the new Princeton rail station. The bikeshare is an initiative of Princeton University, and was added as part of its ‘Arts and Transit’ project. Bikeshare programs now exist in dozens of US towns and cities, perhaps most famously with the ‘Citibike‘ blue bike program in New York. These systems differ from traditional bike rental, in that the bikes are usually rented on an hourly basis. These programs allow occasional users to hop on a bike quickly, providing an extra non-car transportation option. We were excited to see the new bikeshare program launch, so we went down in the depths of winter to see how well it works.
Come join us at Yankee Doodle Tap Room next Thursday, January 15 at 7 p.m. (click to expand.)
It’s been a long time since we last got together with Walkable Princeton readers, so next Thursday, we’re going to have another meet-up! We’re going back to Yankee Doodle Tap room in the heart of walkable downtown Princeton to talk about ways to make Princeton more walkable and livable, with a particular focus on some of the interesting proposals that are underway in town right now. Full details are below:
Uber- an online car service, which launched in New Jersey last year. (click to expand, via uber.com)
Since Uber quietly launched in New Jersey last year, an increasing number of local residents are finding that it offers a very interesting alternative to traditional cab companies. Users can reserve a car through a smart device connected to the internet. Payment is handled through the app, the user can track the estimated time until the car arrives, and view detailed feedback about the driver. In many respects, the service is similar to taking a taxi, but Uber service around Princeton can be much cheaper. Uber has been rapidly gaining market share, sometimes at the expense of traditional taxi companies, and sometimes from people who find regular taxis too expensive, unreliable, or unpleasant. Continue reading
Demolition at the old Princeton hospital, January 2015 (click to expand)
On Franklin Avenue, the consequences of one of the biggest land use decisions in Princeton can now be seen. The 8-level building that formerly housed Princeton hospital is in the final stages of demolition. With the other, lower buildings already demolished, the half-wrecked structure looks desolate against the winter sky. It’s a sight which is sure to trigger mixed emotions among the many Princeton people who were born, treated or worked at the old hospital. Over ten years ago, the hospital management made a decision that expansion to meet the needs of current medical practice would be too difficult at the central Princeton site, setting in chain the process that led to relocation to Plainsboro. Continue reading
Smoothed sidewalk in Princeton, December 2014. (click to expand.)
Check out the photo above- a section of sidewalk was lifted by a growing tree root, creating a trip hazard for pedestrians. Thanks to remedial action by the Princeton Public Works department, the situation has been much improved. Specifically, they have sheared off the concrete edge that was raised by the growing tree. You can see this as the light patch in the sidewalk- the edge has been ground down to make a smooth surface. Continue reading
The old Dinky Rail Station in Princeton. In 2015, this building will almost certainly reopen as a restaurant. (click to expand.)
‘Town Topics’ just published a very nice review of the year 2014. But what does the New Year have in store? Here are ten stories which are likely to be bothering our local reporters in 2015. We’ll check back at the end of the year to see which of them actually happened. As a bonus, we are including a ‘likelihood index’, which shows how likely we think each of these guesses is. Continue reading
The opening of the new Dinky station was one of the most notable Princeton events in 2014. (click to expand.)
This time last year, we made a series of predictions for 2014. A lot of things happened in Princeton in 2014. Just not necessarily the things we predicted! Let’s review: Continue reading
Ralph Widner presents the ‘Princeton Profile 2014’ at the Princeton Future Meeting of December 13, 2014. (click to expand, image from Princeton Community TV).
Last Saturday, Princeton Future hosted a community meeting at Princeton Public Library. Ralph Widner presented an analysis of publicly-available data on the demographics of Princeton, including information on socioeconomic background, transportation and housing. You can read a handout that summarizes the analysis by clicking here. The report contains a number of surprising details. Here are six of them:
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