As Princeton continues to grow, residents are increasingly asking important questions about traffic safety, accessibility, public space, and the future of transportation in our community. How can we make it safer for children to walk to school? Which intersections need urgent redesign? How should the town balance parking with safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists? And what would it take to make it easier for people to leave the car at home for short trips?
To help voters better understand where local and federal candidates stand on these issues, Walk Bike Princeton invited candidates to respond to a questionnaire focused on pedestrian safety, bicycle infrastructure, Vision Zero, accessibility, transit, and community engagement. Out of 28 candidates contacted, seven responded including all four municipal council candidates.
Many candidates shared personal experiences navigating unsafe intersections, concerns about speeding and visibility, and ideas for improving conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. Others discussed the political and financial challenges of implementing safety improvements, particularly when projects require balancing competing priorities such as parking, congestion, and public support.
What Candidates Emphasized
Accessibility & Safety: Nearly all candidates supported improving sidewalks, crossings, bike infrastructure, and safer school access. There was broad recognition that reducing car dependence for short trips requires safer and more attractive alternatives, inlcuding improving countywide mobility connections. Many cited the need for practical interventions such as traffic calming, safer crossings, lighting, enforcement, bike infrastructure, and incremental safety improvements.
Transparency: Candidates broadly supported community engagement and public input in transportation planning, though they differed in how aggressively they would pursue controversial street redesigns.
At the same time, candidates offered differing views on how quickly changes should happen, how aggressively the town should redesign streets, and how to balance safety improvements with concerns about parking, traffic flow, and business access.
We hope these responses provide residents with a clear and accessible comparison of candidates’ perspectives on issues that affect everyone who walks, bikes, rolls, rides transit, or drives in Princeton and Mercer County. Responses are published as submitted, with only minor edits for formatting.
| Candidate | Safe Routes to School | Safety vs. Opposition | Walk/Bike Tradeoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Cohen, Municipal Council (full response) | Supports safer routes and reducing barriers to walking and biking | Supports prioritizing safety improvements with strong public engagement | Supports balancing parking needs with expanded multimodal infrastructure |
| John A. Cimino, County Commissioner (full response) | Emphasized the importance of safe streets and accessibility countywide | Supports collaborative and practical safety improvements | Supports investments that expand transportation options while maintaining mobility and access |
| Jon Durbin, Municipal Council (full response) | Highlighted Princeton’s walkability strengths while noting remaining gaps | Supports data-driven safety improvements with community outreach | Supports reducing dependence on cars through better infrastructure |
| Leanna Jahnke, Municipal Council (full response) | Comfortable with children walking/biking in some areas; noted infrastructure gaps | Emphasized community engagement while maintaining safety goals | Supports stronger bike/ped infrastructure alongside balanced parking policies |
| Antonio Merolli, Municipal Council (full response) | Expressed concerns about traffic enforcement and unsafe driving behavior | Focused on enforcement, accountability, and incremental improvements | Prioritizes maintaining access while improving safety pragmatically |
| Marina Rubina, Municipal Council (full response) | Strongly supports children walking/biking; drew on personal family experience | Supports practical safety improvements informed by residents | Supports expanding walking and biking infrastructure while managing parking tradeoffs |
| Sam Wang, CD-13 (full response) | Supports walkable school access and reducing car dependence | Supports prioritizing safety improvements even when politically difficult | Supports expanding alternatives to driving and improving multimodal infrastructure |
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