Study On Local Transit System Enters 2nd Phase In Princeton

PRINCETON, NJ — Last year, the governing body approved retaining the services of Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc., to comprehensively study the community transit program.

The study will now enter its second phase, Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros told the community.

The new phase comes as the consultants have now collected ample data. “We've got the new EV busses coming in at some point this year, so we need to be prepared, and we really want to expand our services to our community,” Pirone Lambros said.

Assistant Municipal Engineer Jim Purcell said Nelson/Nygaard had done a needs and demand study based on demographics and the location of the destinations and origins of people.

They will now meet with focus groups of different types of stakeholders.

The focus groups will include the local business community, the health community, residential developments particularly multi-family developments, and other community stakeholders such as Princeton Housing Authority, Princeton Community Village, and the public schools.

Purcell said the consultants will be holding focus groups virtually, starting this week, and hopefully complete them by the end of the month.

After that, there will be pop-up events at the Dinky Station, Palmer Square, the public library and the Princeton Shopping Center.

“The purpose of that is to meet with people, provide them with information on the transit study and the transit services that currently exist in the municipality, and do a survey of finding out how they use the services if they even use the services, and gather all of that data,” Purcell said.

A presentation on the findings will then be made to council and the community during the Feb. 24 meeting.

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