A car struck a University employee late Wednesday afternoon at the crosswalk near Ivy Lane on Washington Road.
Matthew Montondo, office coordinator for the molecular biology department, was riding his bicycle through the crosswalk when a black 2006 Honda Civic driven ...(back to the article)
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I am a former student and once-avid cyclist who is occasionally an "aggressive" pedestrian in NYCity M-F but also does his best to drive between my North Princeton home and the WWindsor train station every day without hitting anything/anybody. . Washington Rd is a disaster and I'm not surprised there are more accidents given the traffic demands of the thoroughfare and the volume of pedestrians. Adding more lights and traffic controls won't work as they only encourage drivers to speed up to "catch" the next light. There's too much travel demand between US1 and Washington , Alexander/University is congested at Forbes-Wawa, and Harrison has too many lights. . Best solution I've heard was to essentially bury or trench the road from Faculty to Williams St. While it would cost the University $X00 millions, it would also create dozens of new acres of prime land proximate to the main campus. The new bridge may help, but won't make a difference near Ivy-Prospect.
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I've got an idea... wait for cars to stop, THEN cross... Amazing, huh? Bike riders should not just ride across. At the very least, they should stop, wait for cars to stop, then bike across. They are supposed to dismount and walk their bike across, as it is a crossWALK. However, I don't necessarily agree with this, having spent four years on campus with a bike. There's no reason why people cannot safely cross a road without "state-of-the-art" crossing systems, bright signs, flashing lights, teleporters, safety blankets, pedestrian airbags, crossing guards, or whatever else you are all demanding get installed because you don't have the brains to safely cross a street. Take responsibility for your own safety. I grew up in farmland and I never crossed a street with a traffic light until I got to Princeton, and, golly, I managed to never get hit! You see, you wait for a car to stop, either at a red light or a crosswalk, and THEN you walk in front of it. I never needed a little light-up walking man to tell me that. A little common sense goes a long way. No amount of safety devices are going to stop a drunk student from stumbling out into traffic at 2am. I've seen it myself; I don't think I ever did it myself, though there's no guarantees. Also, no amount of blinking lights and signs will stop a terrible driver from hitting someone, but you can avoid being a stupid/hit/dead pedestrian real easy. Follow my simple steps. 1. Stop at the crosswalk, especially if riding a bike. 2. Push the crossing button, if there is one, like the one on Washington Road. 3. Take a step into the crosswalk. The law requires that drivers yield for pedestrians IN crosswalks. While driving, I stop for all pedestrians IN crosswalks, but I will not stop for someone who's standing three feet from the curb because they're too scared to cross the road. In fact, I will laugh at you and watch in my mirror to see how long it actually takes you to finally cross the road. 4. Look at the vehicles and make eye contact with drivers before going! You both need to know each other's intent! 5. Wait for traffic to stop and cross. Give the driver a friendly wave to say "Thank you" and give them positive reinforcement for their good behavior. That's important to Princeton drivers. 6. Be ready with cat-like reflexes in case there's a distracted or drunk driver coming your way. If you have any questions, consult your neighbor's six year-old, as they probably just learned in first-grade class how to cross a street.
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I transitioned from student to township resident easily so I think that I know both sides of the coin. I drive or ride my bike up and down Washington a few times a day and I almost never see students look both ways before crossing at that crosswalk and I don't believe that I have ever seen a cyclist crossing the street there slow down even a little. Current students and faculty need to give themselves a little bit more time to get from place to place and not assume that the cars see them. It is a dangerous intersection and should be treated as such. I think we need to remind students and faculty of something that should have been learned in first grade: look both ways before you cross the street and get off your bicycle when crossing in a crosswalk.
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AC, that pathway is not a sidewalk, it is a cross campus path. That crosswalk connects two halves of a cross-campus path that are not restricted to cyclists. There is no means by which bicycles can "merge onto the street and act like a car" to cross from one side of a bike-friendly path to another. That's the University's fault. Further, Washington Road has no shoulder. The University 10 year plan acknowledges that Washington Road is not a viable a bike route. Skilled cyclists should take the road, and should also feel compelled to ride quickly up the hill to not hold up traffic. Unskilled cyclists riding to class would be crazy to do so. Again, this is the fault of the University, and they have committed to improving the situation in the 10 year plan. There would be far more problems if people took your advice. The solution lies with the administration, not the cyclists.
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@GS: Why do you assume that only undergraduates are guilty of not crossing roads "with courtesy?" In this case it was a Mol Bio department worker who was hit. This is not an undergraduate issue, graduate issue or staff issue. It's a campus issue.
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this is so sad! i'm praying for your safe recovery, matt.
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Maybe the undergraduate student body would have a better argument if they always crossed the roads with courtesy to drivers. Nine times out of ten, undergrads either run out in front of my quickly moving vehicle (how much do you trust my brakes?) or take their sweet time to move like a herd across the road, tying up traffic. I admit drivers blow through the crosswalks sometimes, but more often I've witnessed (as a pedestrian) students randomly dart out in front of a car and then complain that they were "almost hit."
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I completely agree with the need for more action to protect pedestrians, motorists, bikers, etc. Unfortunately, when local governments spend tax dollars on $16,000 high-tech garbage cans, and when Borough Council meetings focus on a debate over whether to install granite or concrete sidewalks on a quarter-mile stretch of road, the prospects for any changes that will have real benefits look bleak.
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Agreed. On a similar note, I've seen two cars in the last two days blow through the Washington/Prospect and Washington/fountain lights without even slowing.
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Ac: Your point is well taken, but surely that is no excuse for missing signs, broken signals, and failure to make needed repairs to basic public infrastructure. Why not be proactive in such manner to minimize hazards for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists?
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@pissed ped: I'll say it again, but cyclists may not ride on sidewalks in New Jersey. Bikes are considered vehicles and as such, need to stay on the side of the road with traffic. Cyclists are more than welcome to walk their bikes through crosswalks, but crosswalks are for pedestrians only. You want to cross a street with your bike? Merge onto the street and act like a car. Don't like that? 1) Don't ride your bike. 2) Change state law.
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Until bridges or underpasses are built, University administration should petition state and local authorities, and offer to fund upgrades to, uniform state-of-the-art pedestrian crossing signals at pathways onto campus. These should consist of newer-style pedestrian crossing indicators with countdown timers displaying seconds remaining, imbedded crosswalk lights in roadways, and reliable low-maintenance signal activation buttons or the equivalent. Further, programmed delay times should be brief enough to encourage people to wait to use the crosswalk signals. Such elements already exist near campus or elsewhere in town. If they were integrated and uniformly installed and periodically inspected/tested/maintained, we would all benefit.
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Public Safety has been notified previously of malfunctioning crosswalk signals along the campus perimeter but, despite being urged to track and follow-up such reports, problems persist. Currently at Washington Road there remains missing signage and crossing signals that are out of synchronization with traffic lights. As example, at the southernmost crosswalk at Prospect Avenue, pedestrian signals remain red (do-not-walk) without changing to white (walk) even when traffic lights do turn red (stop). This no doubt results in many pedestrians and bicyclists not being able to properly determine how much time remains to safely cross the road--or disregarding the crossing signals altogether. Why doesn't somebody take action and properly reprogram, rewire, or replace the necessary components to ensure that pedestrians and cyclists have functioning crossing lights to minimize needless injuries and fatalities?!
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worwk? Please ... can I get a spell check?
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I was there right after Matthew got hit (heard a "bang" in front of bio building and run to the scene)..... It was a terrible scene... though police and ambulance did show up quick....There was a guy run to Matt immediately and shout at him to keep him awake.... The driver was obviously stunned and tried to help...Everyone else brought out cell phone and called..... I preyed for Matt in the last two days... It's really good to know he's recovering. I hope he gets well soon! As for the crosswalk, IT IS DANGEROUS! On each day, at every minute, there are lots of people walking or riding by... Don't blame Matt for this....it supposed to be a safe small route on campus....It's the whole situation we should blame..It could be very confusing for both car drivers and pedestrians....like this time, each party thought the other would stay.....A bridge or a light will definitely help. School must do something to protect her people!
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It was ruled that the driver was not at all at fault, since he was not speeding nor breaking any rules. As much as I feel bad for the staff member who got hit, it is an unsafe practice to try to speed by cars on the tail of a group of pedestrians.
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Where are you from just do it? Princeton drivers are so calm. You obviously haven't done any driving in the city...
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We should just privatize Washington Avenue. The drivers are jerks and it would make the campus safer and more united.
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While it sucks for the guy, bikers to the best of my knowledge aren't supposed to ride on sidewalks or through crosswalks in NJ. I don't really see any illegal activity here... And why would a car vs. ped accident be more deadly if the ped is drunk? Is the ped running at the car? And if so, you want to fault the driver? That makes little sense to me. A near miss is a hit.
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To be fair, this occurred in the township. As much as I agree with the general sentiment, we can't blame the borough for this one.
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Maybe instead of the police spending their time hiding in bushes to catch people urinating in public (http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2007/10/15/news/18995.shtml), they should hide out near crosswalks and improve the safety of pedestrians (Washington Rd., Alexander Rd., University Pl., Nassau St.). This accident was really an "accident waiting to happen," since there have been so many near-misses at all of these street crossings. And the consequences from these vehicle-pedestrian collisions can be much more DEADLY than drinking beer at the street. Hopefully the PBPD will get their priorities straight.
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