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Uploaded: Wednesday, February 6, 2013, 10:05 PM
Updated: Saturday, February 9, 2013, 9:26 AM
Foothill High converts part of seniors' parking lot for carpool use only
Plan sponsored by Alameda County Transportation Commission, Pleasanton city government
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by Glenn Wohltmann
Pleasanton Weekly Staff
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 | Some of the most coveted parking spaces at Foothill High are now up for grabs to students who carpool after a ceremony Wednesday morning marking the conversion of 30 parking lot spaces long reserved for seniors into a carpool parking area.
The action was taken in collaboration with school administrators, members of the student Leadership class, and the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools, an organization funded by the Alameda County Transportation Commission.
Proponents of the plan see carpooling as a means to reduce the Tri-Valley's high level of air pollution, lighten traffic congestion in and around the parking lot and to build community on campus.
As an added incentive to encourage students to carpool, the city of Pleasanton will offer Foothill drivers $25 gas cards and passengers will be entered into weekly drawings for gift cards to local businesses.
Families looking for a carpool buddy are encouraged to utilize pleasantonschoolpool.org in order to help find neighbors to carpool. This effort is one of many, encouraging carpooling at more than 30 schools throughout the county on this pilot Carpool to School Day, officials said.
Ellen Fetherston, a junior at Foothill, a member of the Leadership class and part of the Safe Routes club, endorsed the carpool parking lot plan.
"This carpool area is a wonderful idea because it's going to reduce traffic going into the student parking lots, which has been a problem for a long time," she said. "It's great that we get to help the environment while also helping the students."
Student Ayesha Omarali, who worked on the project, said it "kills my inherent apathy."
So far, Amador Valley High School has not signed on to the effort to reserve spaces in its student parking lot for carpoolers. Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by Mr Soccer, a resident of the Pleasanton Meadows neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2013 at 11:11 am It's great to see that they are THINKING about saving cars on the road and fuel Bla Bla Bla. Who is going to monitor this and are they checking to see that who is driving has their year of experience completed? You know everyone follows that rule!! We have had to be very tuff with our kids about this and we hold true to the law on this. It is very important to get them to develop good driving habits with out the influence from other kids in the car. I would bet that this will not be adhered too or checked as part of this feel good, do good for our air pollution. If everyone cares so much about the air pollution the should make the kids ride the bus. Now that's a car pool worth supporting.
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Posted by Ben Johansen, a resident of the Birdland neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2013 at 12:40 pm Wow, they indoctrinate the kids early nowadays, don't they. What's the "fine" for parking there if you're not carpooling? I agree with the post above...'feel good, do good'...But let's call it what it really is; Social Engineering. What's next, super premium parking for electric vehicles with 'free' plug-in recharging?
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Posted by liberalism is a disease, a resident of the Birdland neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2013 at 2:31 pm
liberalism is a disease is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com The bus is great...drops my son right in front of the school and allows us to avoid the traffic congestion every morning and afternoon on Foothill Rd. He gets home before most people in their Pruises......
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