Mayor's Message - Brian C. Wahler
MAYOR’S MESSAGE
SPRING IS IN THE AIR…
It’s that time of year when we are ready to shed our winter coats and get out into the warmer weather. And for most of us, it can’t come too soon. We have been very fortunate on the east coast this year not having had really bad weather for any long period of time. Unfortunately, other parts of the country haven’t been so lucky what with crippling snowstorms, devastating hurricanes and deadly tornados. So many lives have been lost, so many communities literally devastated, so many people not knowing how they will ever be able to reverse the horror they have experienced. We are, indeed, very lucky and we hope and pray that in time all those who have suffered such incredible hardship will be able to successfully move forward.
I’m sure as you travel around town you’ve noticed the many areas where roadway construction is underway. Many of the jobs are Middlesex County projects - the completion of Rt. 18 is a state project and then there are streets in Piscataway that are being reconstructed by the Township. With all of this construction going on we have worked diligently to be sure that transportation planners and engineers consistently design, construct and maintain state, county, local or federally funded roadways and bridges to provide safe access for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users of all ages and abilities. In fact, New Jersey is one of the first ten states to make “Complete Streets” an official internal policy which means that consideration to the needs of all users, including bicyclists and pedestrians must be considered when roadways are being designed. The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (NJDOT) concept expands their existing policy by noting that when designing roadways it must include transit users, the mobility impaired, and others, making sure that no users are left out of a project. From the beginning of a project, features such as sidewalks, wheelchair ramps, bike lanes, crosswalks and street signals must now be included in the design of a project.
This new way of thinking about roadway construction and offering residents safe sidewalks and bike paths fits into the larger issue, the nation’s plea for people to get out of their cars and exercise more by walking or biking. Now that gas prices have soared, more people than ever may actually heed that call. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the obesity rate in 2010 in New Jersey for adults was 35.7% and for children, ages 2 – 19 (12.5 million children), the rate was 17%. All across the country these rates are rapidly rising. I would doubt that New Jersey is an exception.
And while exercising isn’t the only way to stem this obesity tide, it is a very important component. One of the major recommendations called for by the First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move Cities and Towns” campaign includes getting children to become more physically active by walking or biking in safe areas in their communities. As part of the Mayors Wellness Campaign, initiated by the New Jersey League of Municipalities, all mayors have been urged to build programs and infrastructure to get their constituents exercising more, eating properly and living healthier and better lives. In February 2012, the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition met at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University to discuss city planning that accommodates not only cars but also pedestrians and bikers. This is an issue whose time has come. Through the collaborative effort of all of us working together the way people think and behave may change as they realize that healthy community design, pedestrian and bicycle-friendly city planning, and the health issues of inactivity and obesity are tied together. Piscataway will continue to be at the forefront of this issue.
