Two representatives from Princeton’s Joint Pedestrian/Bicyclist Advisory Committee (PBAC) will feature in the upcoming New Jersey Bike & Walk Summit in New Brunswick on Saturday, February 8. Steve Kruse, the Chair of PBAC, and Laurie Harmon, a longtime member, will represent Princeton at a panel titled ‘Achieving Bicycle Friendly Community Status.’ They will be passing on lessons learned from Princeton’s successful application in 2013 for recognition as a ‘Bronze Bike Friendly Community’ from the League of American Bicyclists.

Ms. Harmon spearheaded the effort, following an initiative from Mayor Liz Lempert, who is a liaison to PBAC. “I have to thank Laurie, Deanna Stockton from the municipal engineering team, and the other members of the committee for all their hard work in preparing the application,” said Mr. Kruse, “We hope to be able to pass on best practices to other communities in New Jersey about how to increase opportunities for cyclists and pedestrians.”

The Summit is organized by the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition (NJBWC) and will bring together advocates from around the state. It will take place at the Voorhees Transportation Center of Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Members of the public can register to attend through the NJBWC website.

PBAC is planning to build on last year’s successes in 2014. The committee is planning a number of new group cycle rides. These will follow the success of October’s “Ride of The Falling Leaves,” which drew over 40 local cyclists for a family-friendly ride to Mountain Lakes House with Mayor Lempert and incoming School Board Superintendent, Steve Cochrane.

Mr. Kruse said “Our team works on planning issues, such as how to make our streets safer for walkers and cyclists, and events, like the group cycle rides, which help to build the cycling community in Princeton. We’re not satisfied with just ‘Bronze’. We want to push on to make Princeton the best small town for cycling and walking in the state”.

Other members of PBAC are David Cohen, Karen Jezierney, Carolyn Sealfon, Anita Jeerage and Samuel Bunting. For more information, visit pjpbac@gmail.com or pjpbac.blogspot.com.