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Princeton Council is happening now, with discussion coming up of the redesign of Witherspoon St. If implemented, it would repurpose substantial amounts of street space for enlarged sidewalks and outdoor dining...
Currently discussing everybody's favorite pet hate, gas-powered leafblowers. Representatives of 'Quiet Princeton' are urging Council to ban them. Council seems receptive to the idea.
Municipal engineer Deanna Stockton is discussing the Witherspoon St Project now...
Existing conditions: most of the street is given over for motor vehicle movements or parking:
Major engineering project underway now, replacing sanitary sewers etc. How best to optimize the street for the present day??
Public feedback suggested that more space should be given over for other uses other than cars...
Options for changes in traffic circulation considered by the engineers...
During the COVIDtimes, the streetscape changed to a temporary one-way configuration to allow more outdoor dining:
Another view of the temporary changes on Witherspoon St during the COVIDtimes:
Traffic consultant Heather Balgowan is speaking now. She says traffic study focused on prior data from 2018 and 2019 to analyze the four alternatives identified by the engineers.
Further considerations for the traffic study:
Summary of level-of-service analysis after implementing each of the four options:
If the street was changed to one-way northbound, the consultants would suggest the following 'mitigations':
If the street was changed to one-way *southbound*, the consultants would recommend the following 'mitigations' to ensure satisfactory circulation around downtown:
Of the options considered, the traffic consultants are recommending a change to one-way north-bound traffic on Witherspoon St. This is actually the same as the current configuration during the COVIDtimes.
'One-way hybrid' configuration to be recommended by the engineers:
Aerial view of 'one-way hybrid' concept:
North of Hulfish St up to Green St would remain two-way:
Flexible design and careful choice of materials would allow the street to be reconfigured for different designs
The concept is that Witherspoon St could be a 'flex street' that could be closed for weekends or events:
Improved wayfinding would help people find destinations and parking in downtown Princeton:
Next steps: any changes require the sign-off of the Historic Preservation Commission and New Jersey Department of Transportation. however NJDOT have apparently endorsed the concept of a one-way system on Witherspoon St.
Pretty detailed questioning of the traffic consultant now from Council President David Cohen. He clearly has strong opinions about all this. He doesn't seem fully opposed to a long-term switch to one-way, though he does have questions...
Much discussion now about intersection of Nassau St and Vandeventer. The light sequence at this intersection was changed so that there is an 'all-pedestrian' phase when pedestrians can cross without being encroached on / run over by turning vehicles...
ever since the new signal sequence began, drivers have complained that they have to wait too long at the intersection. Council wants to make sure that drivers don't have to wait too long.
Public comment is beginning. Brian Levinson speaks first. He started a petition, which now has almost 1,000 signatures, urging Council to adopt a more pedestrian-friendly design on Witherspoon St.
Frank Armenente, landlord at the Alchemist and Barrister speaks next. Says he has been a property owner on Witherspoon St for 48 years. He is a big advocate of a 'flexible street' with a one-way traffic flow that can be fully closed at various times.
Andrew Siegel, proprietor at Hamilton Jewelers is speaking now. He has led the campaign to keep Witherspoon St two-way with maximum parking for cars.
Siegel is disputing the language of the proposed ordinance, and arguing that businesses should not have to consider the ordinance during the holiday season. He wants it pushed to the new year.
Mayor Lempert points out that the town's staff have been consulting the merchants for months about the ordinance, and although the timing is not ideal, she prefers to move ahead so the project can progress. Merchants can comment further by email if they can't attend on the 21st.
Yael Niv, of the Princeton Progressive Action Group is pointing out that the traffic study dwells exclusively on the costs of increasing pedestrian areas in terms of traffic level-of-service. She says that the benefits of pedestrian spaces are huge and not accounted for...
"people flock to pedestrian spaces" she says. She is now calling out specific businesses for opposing the pedestrian-friendly design. I love it!
Michael Moriello is speaking. He is the owner of a restaurant on Witherspoon St. He says when he moved to Princeton 23 years ago, he liked the parts of town that reminded him of Italy, where he came from, people walking around shopping and eating. He likes the proposed changes.
Carlos Rodriguez is speaking, a well-known local planner. Says he has worked on road closures in his long career, including in one city where a multi-block area was closed for historic reasons. He says when he visited recently, there were thousands of people spending time there.
Rodriguez says he thinks the proposed change is a step in the right discussion but he would actually like it to go further. He also criticizes the traffic study, because it "focused entirely on motor vehicles, with no consideration of pedestrians." This guy is great.
George Stein is speaking now. Says he has lived in Princeton since 1996 and is a member of the Zoning Board and the Princeton Progressive Action Group. He says he would greatly prefer an exclusively pedestrian zone, instead of the proposed one-way concept.
Onto emails now. Jessica Wilson, a graduate student is a big supporter of the proposed one-way concept. She says that increased pedestrian space makes students more inclined to spend time and dollars on Witherspoon St.
I missed who the next email was from but it was strongly pro-pedestrian. Next email from Gretchen and Ron Overhauser says that as visitors to Princeton, they would love to see more street space given over to street dining. They say drivers can park in garages just fine.
Michael Fass email says he always liked to spend time on Witherspoon St with his daughters. He thinks more space for pedestrian life and people-watching will make it an inviting people-friendly face for Princeton.
Randy Rightberg(?) says he is strongly in favor of pedestrian plazas. He used to live in Boulder which has a very nice pedestrian mall. Alisha Bowler says she strongly supports a permanent one-way operation. She believes in the power of positive change and beauty and car-free.
She is also upset with certain downtown businesses for so vociferously opposing increased pedestrian space, especially because they were given time to vouch those complaints behind closed doors without any members of the public there to provide an alternative perspective.
Nat Bottigheimer email next says that he loves to spend time in downtown Princeton, including using his e-bike to go get his hair cut. "Jousting with cars on intersections around Witherspoon St is just not pleasant". Wants to "invest in streets for human interaction".
Carolyn Jones email next, she supports a pedestrianized Witherspoon St.
Dorothea von Moltke, proprietor at Labyrinth Books, sends an email disputing the traffic study. Says that it is impossible to do a traffic study under current conditions, and merchants know better that a one-way setup cannot work. Wants more consideration.
Next email, missed who sent it, suggests doing seasonal full pedestrianization of Witherspoon St, or to close it to traffic at certain times of day.
That public comment was just an almost overwhelming outpouring of support for increased pedestrian uses of Witherspoon St. Council has a clear mandate to introduce this ordinance.
Michelle Lambros, known as possibly the most business-friendly member of Council is speaking now. She thinks the proposed redesign can benefit both businesses and the community.
Eve Niedergang, Council member, is speaking now. She appreciates the discussion. Says she has spoken to merchants in Somerville NJ, where they did a full pedestrianization of Division Street. She was left with the impression that pedestrianization is a bonus for businesses.
Niedergang mentions that 90% of pedestrian malls created over the past four decades have failed. However, those places where pedestrian malls have succeeded are often in towns like Princeton. However, she notes that the town is not advocating full pedestrianization at this time.
I have to respect the research that Eve Niedergang has done there. That's a good appraisal.
Council member Mia Sacks praises Council member Michelle Lambros, the Mayor and everybody who has worked to advance the Witherspoon St concept.
