Hightstown, NJ

As part of a collaborative effort to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment, Downtown Hightstown and the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance (WWBPA) will be conducting a walkability assessment of Hightstown Borough on Thursday, May 28th. Volunteers are needed to help with the project.

Downtown Hightstown and the WWBPA have received a $1,200 grant for the mapping project from The McGraw-Hill Companies as part of the company’s 6th annual Global Volunteer Day, a global community outreach initiative.

This effort is made possible with the continuous support of VERTICES’ BikeNWalk.com program, and its president, Dr. Wansoo Im, an active member of WWBPA and West Windsor resident. The WWBPA has integrated VERTICES interactive mapping applications into the process of promoting bikeability and walkability improvements in the community.

With McGraw-Hill’s financial support, the groups will evaluate the walkability of nearly every intersection and crossing in Hightstown. The project will result in an online map to assist pedestrians in navigating safe routes. Recommendations will also be made to the local governing body to prioritize needed improvements. The WWBPA developed guidelines for this assessment based on standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and performed a similar assessment in West Windsor (see resultant interactive map http://maps.gismap.us/wwbpa).

Volunteers are needed to help on the day of the assessment and in follow-up evaluation of the data. All participants must register and attend a brief training session (more information on the “Event Schedule” Page). Register at www.usaservice.org (search for zip code 08520; the project is called ‘Safe Routes Assessment of Hightstown’) or directly contact the WWBPA (more information on the “Contact” Page).

For more information, visit the Downtown Hightstown Web site at www.downtownhightstown.org or the WWBPA Web site at www.wwbpa.org. Prospective volunteers may send an e-mail to wwbikeped@gmail.com.

Hightstown, NJ

Residents of Hightstown can look forward to a new initiative that is taking place in their town! With the help of GIS consultants at Vertices, the members of Pioneering Healthier Communities are conducting a city-wide visioning process, and they need your help! In the first phase, we want to look at the walkability to schools and parks from the elementary schools in town. We will be conducting this survey soon, so mark your calendars and be sure to check back with this website for more information, hope to see you there!