Fresh pavement and marked bike lanes along Paly Road on campus are changing how students travel to and from school, with many saying the upgrades make the route safer.
Students who were used to the bumpy pavement on the path behind the Viking Stadium bleachers saw the construction fences come down in late August and noticed the new smooth asphalt and painted lane markings.
The Palo Alto Unified School District installed the lanes and bollards in August as part of a joint pilot project with the City of Palo Alto, according to the district. District officials said the goal is to make the route safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
According to Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson, the upgrades were made possible because the district was already redoing the parking lot, football field and science building roofs.
“There was a good opportunity,” Berkson said. “We redid this lane because we did this parking lot project. We thought this place behind the bleachers needed a little touch-up, so we just did that lane. With that came paint and new bollards — it was a district thing.”
Junior Kira Tzeng said the addition might be helping improve safety.
“I think it might be helping improve safety because it’s clearer that there are bikers using the lane that drivers need to watch for when turning or pulling out,” Tzeng said.
In an email to The Paly Voice, one of the district administrative assistants Wendy Kuhny stated that the bike lane project is still in its pilot phase and that the City of Palo Alto will collect community feedback before deciding whether the bollards and other changes will remain. In the email, Kuhny also wrote that the lanes are part of an ongoing project with the City of Palo Alto.
Berkson said traffic flow on and near Paly Road still remains a challenge, even with the new design.
“We made a few adjustments to help traffic flow, but there’s no perfect solution here,” Berkson said. “We extended a curb so people can’t go in the opposite direction and make a left-hand turn they’re not supposed to.”
According to the PAUSD email, the district and the City of Palo Alto will review the project over the next several months, using community feedback to decide whether the changes become permanent.
