Dressing in full cycling regalia was the only way Ron Lessard could make his case for more bicycle-friendly roadways throughout Princeton Borough and Township. The contrast between his apparel Tuesday morning at Township Hall and that of the more conventionally dressed planning officials was enough to give him an audience.
And an audience he had. Mr. Lessard, who bike commutes to Trenton from Princeton, and who chairs the Township's Sidewalk & Bikeway Advisory Committee, delivered findings from a survey conducted in Princeton's four public elementary schools, its middle school and high school, that indicate a willingness on the parts of parents and students to consider a reduction in driving should Borough and Township roads become more friendly to bike riders.
Mr. Lessard, intermittently taking sips from a water bottle designed to attach to a bike frame, lauded the survey as the "real thing" after receiving "incredible cooperation" from the schools and survey participants.
Mr. Lessard and SBAC member Janet Heroux made their presentation before the circulation subcommittee of the Regional Planning Board of Princeton in a campaign to include new wording in the Princeton Community Master Plan suggesting infrastructural changes to roadways that would make them more bicycle friendly. The study, which began with a pilot survey at the Littlebrook Elementary School in 2003, indicated that the primary obstacles facing prospective cyclists interested in riding to school included speeding motorists, dangerous street crossings without crossing guards, too high a volume of motor vehicle traffic, and distance.
However, some of the usual parental worries about students walking or riding to school were not on display. The study indicated only minor concerns with prospective violence, poor road/sidewalk maintenance, and a heavy payload carried by students.
Ms. Heroux said that calculated infrastructural improvements were in line for a denser University community, where, she said, there tends to be a higher walking rate. Mr. Lessard backed that sentiment, saying that roads don't necessarily have to serve motorists first, with pedestrians and cyclists treated as "afterthoughts."
Township engineer Robert Kiser said that the Township has been moving toward filling "missing links" in the Township's pedestrian circuit, pointing to specific areas including Snowden Lane and Cherry Hill Road. In addition, he indicated that his office had been working with the Planning Department in preparing for eventual recommendations to the Planning Board for Master Plan amendments.
Cycling advocate Michael Suber supported the beginning of a community-wide dialogue on the issue, saying that desired changes by the SBAC would be achieved not only through physical changes, but cultural changes as well. "It's the culture, the policy, and the infrastructure that precludes folks from riding,"
Mr. Kiser indicated that the SBAC plan could be updated, and that subsequent information could be presented to the Planning Board at a future session.
To view the complete survey results, visit www.patmedia.net/ftg/sbac.htm.