The traffic safety and parking problems around Los Altos High School are the culmination of a lot of factors: narrow streets, a lack of sidewalks, increased enrollment and a reduction of available parking at the school.
What can be done? So far, the solutions that have benefited some have impeded others. Street designs on Jardin Drive at the back of the school proved busy, complicated and confusing. The recent installation of four-hour “no parking” signs moved student parking from one series of streets to another.
The biggest problem is the student drop-offs. The daily morning scene of frantic drivers and traffic congestion – and the mix of cyclists, autos and kids on foot – leads to students being “doored” or dropped off in the middle of the street. One resident described the scene as “insane.”
Mayor Pete Dailey at last week’s council meeting said one of his sons, who was biking to school, was hit recently by the opening door of an automobile that had pulled into the bike lane.
Complaints about parked student vehicles blocking driveways and mailboxes are valid. But more concerning are public safety issues that arise from a 2,100 student, 30-acre campus in the middle of a residential neighborhood designed for 1950s country living.
The ultimate solutions go beyond no-parking signs and street stripes. They’re about changing the culture.
Dailey thinks the recent city addition of third-party traffic enforcement will be a big help. One resident firgured it might take less than a week for a noticeable difference in traffic activity.
That could be. Permit parking – for residents and students – could help.
Resident permits would allow them to park in no-parking areas so their day-to-day living is not interrupted by moving cars to avoid tickets. Students also could benefit from vehicle permits, with qualifying students living more than a mile away from campus. Traffic cops at drop-off times also could help.
It’s not a particular revelation to note the crux of the problem is reliance on the automobile. Past bike-to-school campaigns have been effective, but obviously, not enough. As it stands right now, conditions are simply unacceptable. They need to change before more people get hurt.
