Miramonte traffic creates problems for students as well as commuters
Miramonte High School’s traffic and parking issues have been a problem since my mom was a kid. The morning traffic heading to and leaving Miramonte can make a simple trip to the freeway take up to an hour.
Residents have to leave home significantly earlier in the morning to make it to work or school on time.
Not only that, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:30 p.m., Orinda Intermediate School (OIS) ends school at the same time as Miramonte, adding hundreds of more cars to the backup on Moraga Way.
But wait, there’s more.
Traffic is also a problem on Wednesdays and Fridays because all students have a sixth period, meaning the entire school leaves at the same time, 3 p.m.
On Mondays, traffic is much lighter because many students don’t have a seventh period and aren’t competing with cars leaving OIS.
And there’s safety, with road congestion a major issue in Orinda. In case of a fire emergency, evacuation would be problematic at best, but what if that emergency hits just as school lets out? Ambulances and other emergency vehicles also are impacted by the Miramonte congestion, and the chances of rear-enders and fender-benders always go up with cars are backed up for miles.
Lucy Pierdant, a 2025 Miramonte graduate and resident in Sleepy Hollow, said she has to leave her house an hour before school starts at 8:25 to make it on time.
“I’m definitely excited that I’ve graduated and get to leave this issue behind me,” she said.
Pierdant wishes Orinda and Miramonte would work together for future solutions. “I think Miramonte needs to fix how there’s only one way to exit the school and (Orinda needs to fix) how there’s only one road for the whole town,’ she said.
She hopes that her seventh grade sister won’t go through what she did.
Traffic is also tense in the mornings because Miramonte has limited parking spots and students race to get them.
Many resort to parking in no-parking zones, on curbs with red lines or in staff parking if they are unable to find a spot. As a result, students get ticketed, or the school staff puts a large, bright orange warning sticker on the car.
Pierdant wrote a speech for her English class about the parking problem, “There’s a lack of space for all the students, and there’s a lot of time that’s wasted by students just sitting in their cars.”
Proximity is another issue, where students race to find not just any spot, but one closest to Miramonte’s exit.
Parking on the street leading to the school can save about 20 minutes waiting at the light, which is a big issue for students with after-school commitments.
Hana Shukairy, a Miramonte junior, chooses to arrive early to park on the street so she can make it on time to meetings after school.
“If I get out of school at 3:30 p.m. and I have a remote meeting at 4:30 p.m., parking in the school lot isn’t an option,” she said.
