By Megan Ma
 town crier file photo Students at Los Altos High School will be subject to further parking restrictions in the surrounding neighborhoods. |
Continuing complaints from neighbors of Los Altos High School, who find their streets clogged with students’ parked cars during school hours, prompted the Los Altos City Council to impose further parking restrictions.
The city council voted May 23 to implement restricted parking on Frederick Court in Los Altos in the wake of a petition residents submitted last month to bar high school students from parking in front of their homes.
Rosemary Wadden, a 25-year resident of Frederick Court, circulated the petition with the hope, she said, of returning the neighborhood to the “tranquil, aesthetically pleasing place it’s always been.” Speeding, blaring music and revving engines may be perceived as normal teenager behavior, Wadden said, but the noise has become “unacceptable” in the last few years.
Los Altos High School senior Sheila Emami, who regularly parks her car on Frederick Court, urged councilmembers to vote against restricted parking.
“I don’t throw garbage in their yards, drink, smoke or pose a threat like they say. I just want to go to school,” Emami said.
When Councilman Curtis Cole asked if Emami had brought the issue before the Associated Student Body or LAHS Principal Wynne Satterwhite, she said, to the amusement of councilmembers, “I have, and they told me to come to the city council.”
But the moment of levity undercuts a strained dialogue the council has had with the school district over the parking issue. Several councilmembers said it was necessary to put more pressure on the high school to address the problem.
“It doesn’t appear to be a priority for them,” said Councilman David Casas. “It is well beyond (the council’s) ability to ensure they are successful. An ongoing dialogue with the city to work with the high school board is needed.”
Councilwoman Val Carpenter, who recently met with Satterwhite, proposed the council form an official subcommittee to discuss “creative options” with the school district and the associated student body. The council-appointed subcommittee will report back at the June 13 council meeting.
Frederick Court resident Cindy Davis argued that restricting parking on the street would alienate students from their community.
“This is a public street that is maintained by the city, not a private drive in a gated community. Increased enrollment means more kids are driving themselves to school. … They are not criminals,” Davis said.
Parking issues are not going away anytime soon, said assistant public works director Jim Gustafson. “As parkers get displaced, they find somewhere else to go. There are more petitions coming in as we speak,” he said.
Parking on Frederick Court will be restricted from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. All vehicles will be banned from parking on the street once signs are posted in the next month, Gustafson said.
So far, the council has already approved restricted parking on two nearby streets - Valencia and Alicia - during school hours.
In other action, the council:
• Unanimously approved a recommendation from associate civil engineer Larry Lind to authorize funding requests for the Stevens Creek Trail, the Adobe Creek bridge replacement and for the Miramonte Avenue bikeway improvements.
• Unanimously voted to request $300,000 in grant funding from the Valley Transportation Agency to cover design plans on Stevens Creek Trail, an urban trail that several city councilmembers and bike and pedestrian advocates say will benefit Los Altos residents. Of that amount, $100,000 will be used to conduct a feasibility study to examine which routes would best facilitate the extension of the trail from Cupertino and Mountain
View. The city will hire a consultant to conduct the study by August, said City Manager Phil Rose.
