On March 10, 2023, The Daily Princetonian reported that several students had been fined for riding scooters on public sidewalks in downtown Princeton. These fines were reportedly issued following the recent approval of Ordinance 2022-41, which, according to Councilmember David Cohen, bans the use of bicycles, skateboards, scooters, and other wheeled devices in much of the downtown area of Princeton.
The enforcement of this ordinance is an appalling development for a number of reasons. For one, as the article in the ‘Prince’ notes, several students expressed that they had “no idea” about this ordinance. After taking a stroll on Nassau Street and nearby areas where the use of “personal mobility devices” are prohibited, I can confirm that signage demonstrating where it is and is not legal to operate a mobility device is not easily visible at the spots I visit most often. This information, furthermore, was not distributed on a wide scale among Princeton students, as a search of my personal inbox (as well as those of some of my friends) demonstrates; nor, as my local mentee can attest, does it appear that non-University residents are widely aware of this ordinance.
Secondly, the ordinance is very unclear about what sorts of devices are prohibited for use on such sidewalks. It provides no definitions for the devices it does mention, which include bikes, roller skates, and skateboards. Other devices, such as scooters, are not explicitly mentioned; yet scooter-users still reported getting fined. This brings up deeper questions about how those with disabilities or injuries may be affected by this new ordinance, given that there are no explicit exceptions for such devices, and the scope of the ordinance apparently reaches beyond that which is stated straightforwardly in its text.
However, my concerns go beyond these observations. This ordinance seems to have been imposed because, as Mayor Mark Freda mentions in the article published in The ‘Prince,’ the city has gotten “a lot of complaints from people about nearly getting run over by people on scooters and electric bikes,” though Councilmember Cohen admits that no crashes have occurred.
As much as speeding scooters could hurt someone at some point—and I find them as annoying as everyone else—this measure overlooks the real problem with transportation in downtown Princeton, that which has actually hurt people while compromising the downtown character: motor vehicles.
In general, motor vehicles drive (no pun intended) traffic congestion, air pollution, and noise in cities across the U.S. They also pose a serious, deadly danger to pedestrians and cyclists. In the last few years, there have been multiple media reports of injuries and even death in downtown Princeton and University-adjacent streets as a consequence of car-pedestrian or car-bicycle collisions. In fact, the crosswalk algorithm at Nassau Street and Washington Road was changed specifically because of pedestrian injuries and the aforementioned 2017 death caused by motor vehicles driving through the intersection.
However, I wanted to go further and find out just how pervasive these accidents were. According to data shared by the Princeton Police Department, there have been 55 incidents of car-pedestrian collisions in the borough of Princeton from January 2019 to March 2023, with the vast majority resulting in injury, and 3 cases of death. Over that same time period, there have been 43 incidents of car-bike and car-scooter collisions, with the vast majority reporting injuries. Most of these incidents were in the University or downtown areas. Nassau Street and intersections between or on University property, which are of particular interest to the Princeton University community, seem to have high concentrations of such accidents.
Meanwhile, students very frequently have to cross Washington Avenue to get to classes; to get to local restaurants or to the pharmacy, one has to cross Nassau Street; to get to or from Forbes College, the 2D Co-op, or the Graduate College one usually has to cross Alexander Street or University Place. Massive amounts of space are set aside in the campus area for roads and parking spaces despite the fact that the Princeton community’s overwhelmingly predominant modes of transit are walking, biking, or scootering.
City design of this type has empirically demonstrated worse outcomes for safety, happiness, and the local economy. To give a few examples, a 2015 report finds that lanes that are 3.60 meters wide or more see 7.8 times greater crash fatality rates than lanes 2.80 to 3.25 meters wide. A literature review in 2016 found that walkable cities and towns see better physical health outcomes, while another in 2021 found better mental health outcomes. Studies consistently show that walkability significantly improves local business income and local tax revenues. Meanwhile, putting trees close to streets has shown associations with reduced stress, increased perception of safety, and decreased vehicle speeds and accidents.
Walkable downtowns are prevalent throughout much of Europe, contributing to a sense of community and a charming, enjoyable environment in cities such as Paris, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Venice, Prague, and more. These cities promote high-quality mass transit alternatives that many find better than driving and that reduce traffic and greenhouse gas emissions. They also utilize subconscious strategies to slow down remaining drivers, such as thinner lanes, trees and shops closer to the road, raised intersections, and brick crosswalks. Overall, this approach promotes local economies by attracting tourists and encouraging them to stay for longer than they might in a dispersed, wide-highway neighborhood.
It is absurd that the local government chooses to criminalize bike and scooter use, ignoring the mode of transit that demonstrates measurable harms for people and that worsens the local experience. Instead, we must close off streets in the central parts of the downtown to motor vehicles, ceding space for local restaurants and businesses to set up seating and booths, and to reinvigorate the local atmosphere. Washington Avenue, Alexander Street, and University Place should be transformed into areas primarily for pedestrians and cyclists, so that students can safely and quickly get from place to place. For routes that may still be necessary for deliveries, employees, and students who happen to not have realistic alternatives, we could leave a few limited-access lanes nearby that are narrow and green enough to subconsciously encourage drivers to slow down and stay alert for pedestrians and cyclists.
At the same time, remaining road space downtown should be replaced with bike lanes separate from the crosswalks, still addressing the concerns some have expressed about speeding bikes and scooters. We should discourage car use by decreasing the number of parking spaces, prioritizing the above mentioned groups rather than unlimited car usage. Finally, the University and local government should continue expanding mass transit services to reduce the need for cars on the road.
When people are asked about what they like about Princeton, do you think they will answer that they love the traffic in the streets of the downtown and university areas; or will they cite the cozy local shops and the beautiful architecture of the campus’s north side? When students walk to their lectures east of Washington Road, do you think they will most appreciate the relatively small number of drivers slowing down the majority’s daily commute while posing a risk to their safety; or will they most appreciate the SPIA fountain and the colorful magnolia trees on their route?
To me, the answer is painfully obvious.
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