Input, input, and more input is the mantra of the Bike Master Planners as they gather information from all varieties of bicycle riders, non-riders, homeowners, merchants, and other community members in the ongoing creation of a Bike Master Plan to serve all stakeholders and advance Princeton’s Complete Streets Policy.

At stake, they claim, is nothing less than the quality of life in the community С its environment and its health, as well as a solution for traffic congestion and parking problems.

Hundreds of citizens have responded so far to an online survey, a wiki mapping tool and comment forms, and about 80 concerned residents gathered last Thursday in the Community Room at 400 Witherspoon Street to find out what’s going on and to make sure their voices were heard by engineers, local officials, and other members of the planning group.

Those voices included advocates for more education about laws and cycling, more enforcement of the laws, making safer connections on routes into and out of Princeton, making better connections to regional trails, focusing on the school children, focusing on the challenges for bike-to-workers, better maintenance of roads (to remove brush, leaves, sunken drains, potholes, and other dangerous conditions), combating aggressive drivers, providing more cycling racks (preferably covered), creating more “sharrows” (shared lane arrows), encouraging more riding on the sidewalk, and even С how about accommodations for the equestrian population?

The most heated exchange of the evening arose among homeowners and bicyclists concerning a plan that had been presented and widely debated before being tabled about ten months ago; the proposal was to eliminate on-street parking and create a bike lane on Hamilton Avenue between Harrison Streets and Snowden Lane.

At Thursday’s first of three public outreach meetings on the Bicycle Master Plan, study consultant Peter Kremer of Parsons Brinckerhoff Engineering explained the study process, then moderated a lively question-and answer session. During the last 45 minutes of the two-hour meeting, individuals moved to different stations to talk with Mr. Kremer and other engineers and municipal officials and to add comments and information to the available interactive maps.

Funded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the Bike Master Plan process is now in the information gathering phase, with development and refinement of recommendations scheduled for early next year and the final plan due in June 2016. “Data gathering drives the analysis,” Mr. Kremer said, with the goal being “to find whether certain streets are appropriate for bicycle improvements.”

The public has many opportunities to weigh in on the numerous issues involved in the creation of this Master Plan. In addition to the Princeton Bike Survey at PrincetonBikeSurvey.com with 22 questions related to particular concerns about Princeton biking, there will be two more public meetings early next year to elicit further input and an interactive online wikimap that allows anyone to draw and comment on problem spots, desired bike routes, bike parking, and other issues. At last check, visitors had designated about 45 trouble spots on the wikimap, as well as numerous desired routes, problem corridors, and places where bike parking is needed.

The goal of the study, according to the Bicycle Master Plan document, is “to develop and adopt a bicycle network plan that connects destinations within Princeton and links to adjacent communities and regional trails. The plan will designate the appropriate bicycle treatment for each segment of the network, and identify potential ordinance changes that are required to accommodate such a treatment.

“The Bicycle Master Plan will help Princeton advance its Complete Streets policy by making Princeton’s streets more accommodating for users of all ages, modes, and abilities; and create a more comfortable and safe environment, encouraging increased bicycling in Princeton.”

Two years ago, the League of American Bicyclists designated Princeton, along with West Windsor, Lambertville, Ocean City, Montclair, and Hoboken, as one of six bike-friendly towns in New Jersey. There are 350 bike-friendly communities in the United States.

After the Bicycle Master Plan is completed in June it will go to the Princeton Planning Board for adoption as part of the Circulation element of the Princeton Community Master Plan.

“By redefining our streets as places for all users, we can slow down cars, make walking and biking safer, and provide connections to regional transit,” Mayor Liz Lempert stated. “Community engagement is paramount in creating a viable Bicycle Master plan. I urge all interested residents to participate in this study.”

An additional boost to the Princeton Bicycle Master Plan came last month, when the town received a $196,000 grant from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to install bike sharing stations in town to promote alternatives to driving. Assistant municipal engineer Deanna Stockton said at least three docking stations would be created at locations to be determined. Princeton University already has in place a bike-share program with ten rental bikes available at the Princeton Train Station. The town and campus bike share programs will be coordinated, so that bikes can be rented and returned to any location on campus or in town.