Northwood announced additional racks for bike and e-vehicle parking on Wednesday, located in the first row of the parking lot, closest to the baseball field.

Administrators added the bike racks in response to higher demands for bike and e-vehicle parking, a problem that they have been working on for over a year.

“Last year, we had to add bike racks that we put on the blacktop,” principal Leslie Roach said. “Now, we still need more, which is why we went into the parking lot.”

The lack of adequate bike parking options has made it difficult for students who come to school later than others to find places to leave their bikes. Bikes have been left attached to the fences outside the baseball field and in a variety of other places, causing bikes to end up tangled together. 

“A lot of times, I end up piling my bike in an area at the back of the school,” junior V Luu said. “I have to wait twenty minutes after school ends to get my bike out because everyone parks around each other’s bikes.”

Students with parking permits will likely not be greatly impacted as the parking lot is rarely filled to capacity, though some students have concerns that as juniors start to get their driver’s licenses, there might be more competition for parking spots in second semester. 

“We have more e-biker permits than parking permits,” Roach said. “It feels like the amount of bikers just never stops growing, so we want to be prepared.”

Traffic signs have been posted to direct traffic away from the bike racks and plastic water filled pylons separate the bike racks from car traffic lanes. Though located in the parking lot, the bike racks are not likely to interfere with cars entering and exiting the parking lot, according to Roach, and should not further add to pick-up and drop-off congestion. 

Make sure to follow the traffic signs to stay safe in the parking lot.