September 25, 2024

Urging Drivers to Be Attentive When Approaching Terhune-Jefferson Intersection

To the Editor:

I am grateful to live in as bicycle-friendly a town as Princeton, and I enjoy biking to day care and work with my 1-year-old son in his trailer a few times a week. As a cyclist I strive to be visible and to follow the rules of the road, as I expect cars to do, and I generally feel safe.

However, within the past few weeks we’ve had several close calls at the intersection of Terhune Road and Jefferson Road, when drivers heading west on Terhune have run or almost run their stop sign as I came downhill with the right-of-way on Jefferson. There are no sight-line issues at this corner, and it’s difficult to understand how these drivers haven’t seen us coming down the hill with our bright colors, lights, and trailer flag.

The stop sign on Terhune is already a large version with a “cross traffic does not stop” sign beneath, but this is clearly insufficient. Perhaps a stop sign with blinking red lights is in order here, as a complement to the other safety and traffic calming measures coming soon as part of the Terhune Road Improvements Project. In the meantime, I urge drivers to be attentive when approaching this intersection, and be sure to look uphill!

Sarah Rous
Hamilton Avenue