Carpool parking installed

TOGETHERNESS—To reduce traffic and promote carpooling, the city and Calabasas High School have designated 110 of the campus’ spaces for carpoolers. Half of one parking lot is for carpools with at least two persons, and 50 of the best parking spaces are for cars carrying three or more more riders. As a solution to heavy early morning and afternoon traffic on the streets and to promote carpooling in Calabasas, the city and Calabasas High School have designated a carpool parking area on campus.

The carpool parking signs have been installed already, said Tom Gdala, Calabasas Associate Transportation Planner.

“This project was initiated after many months of (city) task force meetings targeting traffic issues,” Gdala said. “The cooperation with the school is a welcomed positive response in an attempt to reduce overall traffic while creating optimum parking space incentives for carpoolers.”

About 50 of the closest parking spaces to the school are now designated as carpool parking for vehicles carrying three or more people, according to Gdala.

The front half of the lower parking lot is restricted to carpools of two or more people and the visitor parking area has moved to the last row nearest Mulholland Highway in the faculty parking lot.

“Principal Dave Jackson, the new Calabasas High School Principal, is honoring the agreement which the city had made with Jay Guidetti, the previous principal, to implement carpool parking areas on campus,” Gdala said.

The high school has a total of 417 parking spaces, according to Jackson, adding 110 of those spaces are now for carpools only.

“This is something we’re trying to do not only for the school, but for the community,” Jackson said.

“If you want to park on campus, since there are less spots, it’s better that you carpool because you get some of the best spots on the campus with the carpool spots,” Jackson said. —Michael Picarella