To the Editor:

I would like to take the opportunity to respond to Louis Slee’s letter of May 3 [“No Parking Study Should Be Undertaken Without Reference to Transportation Planning for Town”] regarding the town’s parking study. He is correct that there is too much traffic congestion on main streets. Ralph Widner has data that will show that most people who drive in Princeton do so to get from one town to another town, neither of which is named “Princeton.” I don’t believe there are any groups in town who advocate for the construction of a bypass any longer.

What is needed is adequate parking. Tineke Thio of the local Bicycle Advisory Committee has documented that there are 4,200 parking spaces (Quakerbridge Mall has 10,000) and 1,179 are in the three garages. The question is if 4,200 and 1,179 represent adequacy. To determine that, we need to know how many spaces are used by employees. Then we can determine if the remaining quantity is adequate.

I would like to see employers provide satellite parking facilities like the University does and expand either the Free B or the schools jitney buses to service the employees who work downtown. This will free up parking spaces for shoppers. If it turns out that these spaces are not used as frequently as before, then there would be more space for bike lanes. If we can accommodate shoppers by providing more off-street parking and bicyclists (by creating a lower level of bicycling stress) then everyone wins.

Dan Rappoport

Princeton Bicyclist Advisory Committee