By Donald Gilpin

After reviewing the mostly positive public responses to last month’s Beta Bike Lane experiment, including 432 completed surveys, Princeton Council will consider an engineering study proposal from WSP, formerly Parsons Brinckerhoff Engineering and Design Firm.

Councilman Tim Quinn and Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton presented the results of the survey to the Council Monday night, and more than 20 members of the public weighed in with comments about their experiences during the period when the bike lanes along Wiggins Street and Hamilton Avenue were in use and their opinions about making the bike lanes permanent.

Though the responses were mostly positive, with many bikers feeling safer in bike lanes and pedestrians feeling safer with bicyclists off the sidewalks, the question of what to do about the need for parking remained unresolved. Thirty-six parking spaces were removed to make room for the bike lanes during the ten-day period.

Councilman Lance Liverman emphasized the value of the bike lanes but expressed concern about the loss of parking. “Can we provide somewhere else where they can park?” he asked. “I agree we do need a bike lane, but I want to be respectful of people who would be losing parking.”

Though admitting that the sample size was small and the duration of the experiment was brief, Stockton reported that the number of bicyclists on the Wiggins-Hamilton half-mile stretch more than doubled.

According to the survey, before the experiment 44 percent of cyclists rode on the sidewalk, and 56 percent on the street, but with the bike lanes only 11 percent rode on the sidewalk and 89 percent in the bike lanes. Before the lanes were installed, 23 percent of bike riders said they felt safe, 61 percent unsafe, but with the bike lanes 69 percent said they felt safe as opposed to only 12 percent unsafe.

All in all, 49.5 percent said they loved the the bike lanes, 15 percent liked the lanes, and 23 percent of respondents said they did not like them.

Quinn noted that, in addition to winning the approval of bikers, the bike lanes were popular with many pedestrians, who thought it was a safer street with the lanes.

Stockton suggested the need for an engineering study, possibly for the whole corridor from Bayard Lane to Harrison or Snowden. “We need to look at it in a systematic fashion,” she said, “explore the long-term consequences.” She also recommended a complete street analysis with consideration of intersections and crosswalks. “How does this function for all?” she asked. “Is this overall plan the best use of the right of way — for the business community and for residents, too?”

She also noted the need to compensate for the loss of parking. Stockton said she’d like to keep the bike lane momentum going and plans to bring a proposal for an engineering study from WSP to Council in August.

Quinn stated that in the survey results and in outreach work while the lanes were in place, he and his co-workers “heard both positive and negative responses from residents. We’re looking at innovative ways of solving the parking problem. There are solutions available.”