To the Editor:

With interest and relief I read in Town Topics (Feb. 27, “‘No Dearth of Ideas’” on DOT’s Route 1 Concept”) the page one story on debates over a Route 1 concept that would alleviate bottlenecks and delays between Princeton, West Windsor, Plainsboro, and the new University Medical Center — that glassy hybrid of motel and airport that looks more accessible than it is. May I add this detail to the discussion: This summer I was scheduled for daily radiation in the oncological wing of the Medical Center in a rush-hour slot — 4:40. The treatment was excellent. I was not so sick that I was obliged to haul a huge car with me and then fume passively while it was trapped in traffic, so part of the recovery plan was to bike to and fro from the Borough (a 17-minute exercise) down Harrison to the crosswalk across Route 1, and then, during the red light, a sharp and fast dart up north to the hospital turn-off. In a car this trip could take up to 45 congested minutes at that time of day; the mobility and sense of urgency provided by a bicycle was (I am sure) itself a healing factor.

Could we please look at the physical state of lower Harrison Street (after the bridge) from this perspective? Hairpin turns and bad visibility, yes — but not only is there no shoulder, there are all sorts of treacherous trash, potholes, weeds, lumps of blacktop and broken glass, as if any human being accidentally outside a car was positively punished. Approaching the hospital complex was also hazardous, although there one must assume that landscaping was still in progress. In addition to the elaborate indoors health club being constructed on hospital grounds, however, how about a safe bike (and walking) path across that little bridge and to the hospital? I was fortunate to have a biking escort for most of these hospital visits, which greatly improved the safety, but not every client can count on that.

In July, new bicycle routes in Copenhagen to and from urban hospitals got quite a bit of press. Women gave birth and biked home with their newborns. European and Asian cities routinely make allowance for people who want to propel themselves to where they need to go, not only by pressing on a gas pedal. To provide a decent, healthy non-motor path from Princeton to the new hospital would be a fine community service and worthy end-point for our tax dollars.

Caryl Emerson

Dempsey Avenue