To the Editor:

I have been a regular commuter on the Dinky and a parking permit holder for a number of years, both for environmental and convenience reasons. Before the suspension of the Dinky, my one-way commute to upper Manhattan on a “good” day (when NJ Transit trains were not delayed) took two hours door-to-door. The replacement bus service has added another half hour to that commute, as the buses to the Junction leave earlier than the train did to allow for traffic on Alexander Road; there is a wait for the bus after my usual train back from the city (not the case when the Dinky was in service), and that bus then sits in rush hour traffic going back to the Dinky station. Luckily for me, I have grown children, and this extra commute time does not carry an additional childcare cost, though I’m sure it does for some of my fellow commuters.

Having recently renewed my permit, I have just learned that Dinky service will not be restored before work on Alexander Road begins. I can’t imagine what traffic will look like once that happens. And given that I live on the north side of Princeton and have to cross Washington Road to get to the Dinky station anyway, I won’t see any point in parking there just to be driven back to Washington to get to Princeton Junction. I’m sure many of my fellow commuters will feel the same way, and we’ll be contributing to the traffic trying to cross Route 1, which will exacerbate an already terrible situation.

Elizabeth Hamblet

Wittmer Court