To the Editor:
The serious injury of a pedestrian, struck by a car while crossing Nassau Street in a marked crossing on December 12 [Police Blotter, December 17], is a painful reminder of how dangerous our roads can be. Our hearts go out to the injured person and to all affected by this devastating crash, but sympathy alone is not enough. Moments like these also demand reflection and action to prevent the next tragedy.
Incidents like this are not unavoidable accidents; they are warnings and predictable outcomes of street design. When crashes occur repeatedly in the same location, that is a failure of road design, not of individual behavior.
Data makes this clear. Walk Bike Princeton’s published crash map highlights the clusters of pedestrian and bicycle crashes along Nassau Street, particularly at the four-way intersections. Arterial roads, such as Nassau Street (Route 27), account for more than half of New Jersey’s traffic deaths and serious injuries, although they comprise only 7 percent of the state’s roadways. Nationally, pedestrian fatalities have been rising for more than a decade. These trends are a sad reflection of street design that prioritizes vehicle movement over human safety, and infrastructure that has failed to adapt to changing traffic patterns and the popularity of huge SUVs.
Princeton is not immune to national and regional trends, as our crash map shows. We know that our local intersections and crossings are particularly hazardous for both pedestrians and drivers. But we also know how to build safer intersections and crossings. Unsafe roads are not a failure of individuals; they are a design problem that can and should be fixed. There are proven design solutions, such as curb bump-outs, pedestrian-scale lighting, and raised crossings, that the Federal Highway Administration identifies as among the most effective tools for preventing crashes.
Several road safety improvements for Nassau Street were approved by the town Council in 2023 and are now being implemented. These upgrades are designed to shorten the crossing distances, improve nighttime visibility, and slow vehicles, all key factors in reducing serious crashes.
At several mid-block crossings, including the location of the recent incident, the existing street lighting predates the crosswalks, making it very difficult for drivers to spot pedestrians. With good design, mid-block crossings can be among the safest ways to cross a street. But without adequate lighting, clear markings, and traffic-calming features, they risk serious injury and death.
While we cannot undo past tragedies, we can learn and choose to act decisively. We urge the Council to follow through now by investing in proven safety improvements and treating this moment not as another inevitable accident, but as a call to action.
There will be a Walk Bike Princeton Happy Hour on Wednesday, January 7, from 5-7 p.m. at The Ivy on Nassau Street. All are welcome to learn more about how they can get involved.