By Anne Levin

At a meeting on Tuesday, November 12, Princeton Council was given a first look at a study being designed to improve safety along a 2.5-mile stretch of the Harrison Street corridor. Representatives from the consulting firm Michael Baker Inc. made a presentation in which the enhancement of pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorist safety is the priority.

Municipal staff members and Pete Kramer of the consulting firm stressed that the presentation is still in conceptual form. The study, which covers Harrison Street from its southern border to Route 206, considered five years of data related to traffic and crashes.

“It’s really about safety more than moving traffic,” said Kramer, who showed a graphic compiled from national data on traffic speeds. While a pedestrian hit by a vehicle traveling at 40 miles per hour has an 80 percent chance of being killed, that figure is down to 10 percent if the vehicle is going half the speed.

“The kinetic energy behind a moving vehicle, especially the ones we have today [is different],” he said. “Big trucks and SUVs weigh a lot more than cars we drove when we were younger. And they are much more advanced. Bodies haven’t changed. Cars have become better. It’s much safer to be in a car and a lot less safe to be outside of a car.”

In five years, there were a total 249 crashes on the Harrison Street corridor, which counted for 7 percent of all crashes in Princeton during that period. The accidents mostly took place on intersections of Nassau Street, Valley Road, Route 206, Hartley Avenue, and Lake Avenue, Kramer said.

The study suggests enhancing the crossing of the D&R Canal, slowing traffic as it enters Princeton from the south.

Kramer’s recommendation for turning intersections at Valley Road, Terhune Road, and Bunn Drive into roundabouts were positively received by Council members. They would be similar to existing roundabouts at Faculty Road and Alexander Street.

The study also recommends a “road diet” at the Princeton Shopping Center, which would turn four lanes of traffic into two, and repurposing the pavement for

pedestrian and bicycle improvements. Also recommended is a new traffic signal at the intersection of Ewing Street and Route 206, corridor-wide intersection and traffic-calming treatments, and a proposed bicycle network expansion on lower-volume roadways.

Changes are needed to help the town adapt to increased volume of traffic and people. “The clay we’re working with has changed under our feet,” Kramer said, adding that Princeton doesn’t look the same as it did five years ago.

A more detailed study will be made available to the public in the future. Municipal Engineer/Deputy Administrator Deanna Stockton said the town has submitted an application to the State of New Jersey for a grant to make improvements to Harrison Street between Nassau Street and Franklin Avenue; and that staff has already been working with the town’s Public Works Department on the “road diet.” An additional grant will be submitted for the next stage of the plan.

During the public comment section of the meeting, three people expressed concerns about plans to remove the information kiosks from Nassau Street, saying the plan violates freedom of expression and Council should reconsider the decision.

The next meeting of Princeton Council is on Monday, November 25 at 7 p.m.