To the Editor:

On Friday, May 26, I tried to take my wife to catch the train. There were barricades blocking the entrance to the Dinky station. I tried to enter the station parking lot but half of it was also barricaded, and the open half was packed with cars and trucks, many blocking in others. I suspect some were train customers and others Wawa customers. In the afternoon I went to pick up my wife — again the barricades and no space for the usual customers. What a mess.

The scene looked like there was an emergency safety event and the area had been cordoned off. Was it a sink hole, a bomb threat, an outbreak of Ebola? No, I discovered it was to reserve space for University alumni buses. At the times I visited, the cordoned-off area was empty, there were no buses.

We arrived early for the train and had time to make the connection, so it was just an inconvenience for us. But I can imagine for someone missing the train to an appointment, it would be more important. Also, there are access concerns for people with disabilities and some safety concerns with cars double parking, loading, and unloading on Alexander Street.

How did this poor planning happen? Can the University just obstruct access to public transportation and Wawa? Did the town approve the plan? Given the station is in a location where most people have to drive to it, did the planners not consider the mess it would make for the public who use the station and Wawa? Was the fiendish plan created by saboteurs from Penn, to undermine Princeton?

I just hope this scenario is not repeated.

Mark Pritchard
Constitution Hill