The Princeton Council has agreed to pay $28,964.27 to PSE&G to cover the costs of installing seven street lights at the new roundabout at Rosedale Road and General Johnson Drive.
PSE&G will own and maintain the street lights, which is “consistent with the current ownership and maintenance of street lights by PSE&G throughout the majority of Princeton,” according to a resolution adopted by the Princeton Council at its Oct. 10 meeting.
“The roundabout and the associated crosswalks require adequate street lighting to enhance the intersection safety for pedestrians, motorists and bicyclists,” Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton wrote in a memorandum to the Princeton Council.
The Rosedale Road and General Johnson Drive intersection provides access to the Johnson Park School and to the Greenway Meadows Park, Stockton said. It also provides a missing linkage in the bicycle and pedestrian routes to the center of town.
The roundabout grew out of a study of Rosedale Road, which is a county road. It was launched by Mercer County earlier this year in response to safety concerns voiced by Princeton residents to protect pedestrians and bicyclists, including children who cross Rosedale Road on their way to the Johnson Park School.
The roundabout is in addition to safety measures already in place – pedestrian-activated crossing lights and signage that indicates a school zone, officials said. Also, there are overhead flashing lights that announce a reduced speed limit when children are present.
Princeton officials had requested a traffic signal at the intersection, but it did not meet the minimum standards for the installation of a traffic signal, officials said.
Residents began stepping up their push for safety measures on Rosedale Road, following the death of an elderly man in August 2021. He had activated the pedestrian crossing light and was crossing Rosedale Road when he was struck and killed by a car whose driver allegedly did not slow down, according to reports.
