Save the Princeton Dinky was formed to oppose a plan to replace the Dinky with a BRT, and because of overwhelming support for the Dinky the BRT proposal was rejected. Unfortunately, the University’s arts complex plan still threatens the Dinky. It is not just that the proposal to move the Dinky 480 feet to the south will make it harder to reach the Dinky by foot or by car and will cause a drop off in ridership. More significantly, the University’s proposal does not include a future vision for the Dinky other than its eventual demise. The University has recently clarified that it does not want a railroad on its campus. If this desire is deemed valid today, there is no reason why the University cannot invoke the same reason in the future to justify eliminating the service or replacing it with gas-driven shuttles.
Members of Save the Princeton Dinky, along with other community groups, have met repeatedly with the University in an attempt to develop a win-win solution that will preserve the current Dinky terminus and right-of-way in ways that are compatible with the proposed arts campus. Many design solutions exist that permit this. We believe that the University can build a beautiful arts complex that incorporates the current Dinky (or new light rail technology), that reflects a sustainable approach to its own growth, and that gives appropriate value to the needs of the larger community.
Save the Dinky believes there is no inherent conflict between maintaining the Dinky terminus in its current location and the University’s campus expansion plan. Although the University has bought up much of the land that the Dinky traverses, the Dinky and its right-of-way are owned by New Jersey Transit as public assets that serve the public welfare. The University seeks to privatize part of the Dinky right of way for reasons that are fundamentally inconsistent with the long term survival of Princeton's rail link to the Junction and that do not recognize the larger public interests at stake. Accordingly, we call upon the University to reconsider its position that this community resource cannot co-exist with its proposed arts complex.
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