Bike lanes will be added to El Camino Real, replacing several parking spaces near Palo Alto High School and making it difficult for students without parking permits to park near campus.

Currently, the parking spaces on El Camino in front of Paly are closed, restricting students’ access to parking in front of the school.

The Palo Alto City Council passed Caltrans bike lanes project on June 18, with a 5-1 vote. The City Council rejected a similar proposal from Caltrans on April 1, but the proposal was passed after some revisions. The revised proposal includes wider bike lanes, narrower vehicle lanes, and restrictions on right turns on red lights along El Camino Real at 17 locations, including on Churchill Avenue. Caltrans projects the bike lanes will be implemented by next fall.

While these changes were proposed to improve safety for cyclists, it could be a nightmare for drivers, with a reduction in available parking spaces, as well as narrower lanes on an already busy street

Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson says that Paly may need to come up with a way to accommodate students without a parking permit.

“You can’t park in the community over there (near Paly), because you [need] to have permits,” Berkson said. “So that is an issue we might have to address moving forward.”

Berkson mentioned that one idea is to give priority for parking permits to students who live a certain distance away from school.

Senior Lucy Griffin, a Paly student who drives to school every day, discussed both perspectives of the new project.

“I think it will be really great for bikers and it will reduce the emissions from cars, and it will make cars drive a little slower on El Camino, so I think it’ll be good for safety,” Griffin said. “But there’s also the negative aspect to it where it will make it harder for people to park their car.”