The city’s parking reconfiguration project on Bonita Avenue got underway this week. The diagonal striping will create 17 new parking spaces, which will be split between Permit A (PUSD employee) and time-limited (2 hour) for general use.
What’s new:
- The Havens Elementary side of the street will change from parallel parking to diagonal parking and the former school drop-off zone will go away
- Two new ADA parking spaces will be added to the mix
- This block of Bonita behind Havens will convert to one-way traffic, going toward Oakland Avenue
The work is expected to take 3-4 weeks, the city says. Demolition where the new ADA ramp will go began on Monday. Next week workers will be grading the ADA spaces and pouring new ramps, then the final step will be striping and signage.
Previous phases of this project have included the addition of a new drop-off zone on Highland Avenue across the street from Havens Elementary in January and the addition of new time-limited parking spaces on Bonita and Magnolia in April.
The plan was approved by City Council last summer after a series of discussions spanning several Council meetings and a community survey that received over 500 responses.
As a resident of the Civic Center neighborhood for more than 41 years, I have watched many proposals come and go. Along with numerous neighbors and residents, I have spent decades advocating for the preservation of the small-town character, walkability, and safety of central Piedmont. While we have not always agreed on every issue, I believe our collective efforts have helped maintain what makes this area special.
Unfortunately, I believe the Bonita Avenue parking reconfiguration is a mistake.
What troubles me most is not the addition of parking spaces themselves, but the apparent lack of consideration given to the broader public safety implications. The 300 block of Bonita is not an isolated residential street. It serves as a critical corridor for Havens Elementary School, Piedmont schools, City Hall, the Fire Department, the Community Pool, recreation facilities, and surrounding neighborhoods. It is also an important access and evacuation route during emergencies.
The City’s focus has been on creating 17 additional parking spaces. Yet many residents who live and travel this corridor daily continue to ask a simple question: At what cost?
For decades, I have witnessed school drop-offs and pick-ups, community events, construction activity, emergency vehicle traffic, and the daily challenges of moving safely through this area. Experience has taught me that what appears workable on an engineering drawing does not always perform well under real-world conditions.
I remain unconvinced that increasing parking density on this already constrained block improves safety, traffic flow, or emergency access. In fact, I fear it may do the opposite.
I sincerely hope I am wrong! If the project functions exactly as intended, I will be the first to acknowledge it. However, if congestion increases, visibility is reduced, or emergency access becomes more difficult, I hope the City will be willing to revisit the configuration and make necessary adjustments.
Good planning is not measured solely by the number of parking spaces created. It is measured by how well it protects the safety, character, and resilience of the community it serves.
After 41 years living in the center of Piedmont, I remain convinced that preserving safe and efficient access through our civic center should take precedence over creating additional parking spaces.
Michael A. Gardner
Piedmont Center of Town Resident Since 1985
I live on Bonita Avenue, and I am already unable to get in and out of my own driveway. The cones and construction traffic are just a preview of what this block will look like once diagonal parking is permanent.
This block of Bonita is too narrow for this. Once the changes are in place, I won’t be able to back into my driveway. And without a stoplight at the corner of Bonita and Oakland Avenue, traffic will back up and block our street entirely, leaving residents stuck and unable to get out. Not during school drop-off or pick-up times, not during busy hours, and not in an emergency. And if I do have an emergency at home, the police or fire department won’t be able to reach me either. With 17 new parking spaces added for PUSD staff, those same staff will also be unable to evacuate safely when the street is blocked.
I pray the city listens before someone gets hurt. Residents have already brought this to city council. We are asking again: please talk to the people who live here and reverse these changes before it’s too late.
If you’re a neighbor, please speak up.
Feels as if parking in the center of town is now designed to benefit pool visitors. City and school staffs are parking half a mile+ from work places. Our home is almost half mile from schools. Before the pool project started, visitors and delivery people could park in front of our houses. No more. Plus signs and street painted warnings have turned our neighborhood into a commercial zone. “Diagonal parking is temporary” city claimed last year. Like neighbors would fall for that?