San Benito High School District and the City of Hollister recently collaborated to implement reverse-angle parking on Monterey Street from Nash Road to B Street.
This project supports the district’s efforts to increase the safety on and around campus, while also supporting the need for additional parking spaces for parents, community members, staff, and faculty.
“We thank our neighbors and community residents for their understanding as we try to promote a safer environment on and around campus,” said SBHS District Dr. Superintendent Shawn Tennenbaum.
“We appreciate the city for the concept of the reverse-angle parking, for putting it in and adding school zone and speed limit signs on the streets around our campus and supporting traffic mitigation measures such as adding speed tables on Monterey and West streets immediately adjacent to the school,” he said.
Tennenbaum said that the district and city officials will continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of all traffic mitigation and safety measures, communicating regularly with staff, parents and the community.
“With the traffic mitigation, the Nash Road closure, the new River Parkway and signage, it’s not perfect, but we’ve made strides to be a safer school community and we greatly appreciate the efforts of the city and the county,” Tennenbaum said.
The school, with residents’ input, recently commissioned and completed a study of the traffic at the corner of West and B Streets, which currently only has stop signs on West. The goal is to encourage the city to make that intersection, which gets busy particularly when the school day ends and cars are leaving campus, a four-way stop.
By creating the reverse-angle parking near campus, the city is helping to reduce double parking that occurs on the street in front of the school, as well as relieving parking congestion in the surrounding neighborhood. The concept of reverse-angle parking is new to Hollister, but it is not new across the country, as it is a staple in many communities.
The additional parking spaces created in front of campus are designed to reduce the pressure on other parking lots for staff, while providing visitors, parents and other community members parking that is accessible to the main campus. The City of Hollister and the District worked with local residents to reinstate parallel parking on the east side of Monterey Street in front of the school, while maintaining reverse-angle parking on the west side of Monterey Street. The District is committed to monitoring and evaluating this shift in practice over the next month.
The City of Hollister recently placed multiple “School Zone” and 25 mph signs along Nash, West and Monterey streets to help create a safer corridor around the campus. These measures, coupled with the new speed tables on Monterey and West streets, speed radars, and the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekday closure of Nash Road beginning on Monday, Oct. 15, all foster a safer environment around campus.
