Parking restrictions approved near Mt. Lebanon High School
With the ongoing renovations at Mt. Lebanon High School, some students who drive to school have turned to parking on public side streets as the district’s lots quickly fill up.
To combat the concerns from many residents, Mt. Lebanon commissioners unanimously voted to establish parking restrictions – between the hours of 7 to 9 a.m. – for a three-month trial basis on the triangular-shaped configuration on Main Entrance, Circle and Lebanon Hills drives that border Washington Road.
The original proposal, which extended further down Main Entrance Drive and onto Outlook Drive, was reduced after commissioners Dave Brumfield and Stephen McLean recommended an amendment to reduce the area, prioritizing safety as the most important factor.
“I’m swayed by the people that might drive four to five times each year, not only for those who don’t buy a parking pass, but those who didn’t think they would drive other than an emergency,” Brumfield said. “My worries are with the safety concerns, especially during enter and exit times. Hopefully this will address the safety concern to clear the entrance of additional parking even though some residents might still be inconvenienced.”
The district offers students a year-long parking pass for $75.
It has also extended parking availability in the lot owned by Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran Church after an agreement with the district to assist with maintenance.
“We have done many things to discourage student parking around the streets that were discussed at the traffic board meeting,” Mt. Lebanon School District spokeswoman Cissy Bowman said. “We’ve sent out multiple letters and have even had our campus manager up there to sometimes monitor the area. The principal has tried multiple times and ways to convey to parents and students to not park on those streets.”
In addition to safety issues, many residents on those particular streets are frustrated with their frequent inability to access their driveways, along with not receiving municipal amenities for trash pickup, leaf removal and snow plowing due to the number of parked cars.
The trial run is expected to begin when students return from Christmas break and will extend into early April.
“Ultimately, it comes down what you are trying to address,” Mike Haberman, a representative with Gateway Engineers, told the commission. “We presented a series of options at the traffic board meeting, including permanent restrictions, permit parking and trying to eliminate the parking fee issued by the school. Based on the information we have, it is just more of a convenient way for students. The question is what issue you want to address.”
Commissioner Steve Silverman asked to possibly delay a vote until the next meeting on Dec. 13 to further discuss the issues with the school board; however, was told that it was perceived as strictly a municipal decision.
The temporary restrictions are expected to help with the overall safety issue by limiting traffic flow and expanding site lines but could directly affect more residents with the pushing of parking further down into the neighborhood.
“There will always be students that won’t have a permit,” Brumfield said. “At least if we do this, we still allow for those emergency issues while making it safer for all of our residents.”