School should apply some creative thinking to parking problems

As I began driving to school this year, I knew that I needed to set aside a few extra minutes in the morning in order to park my car. I was unaware, however, of the of the chaos that would soon ensue.

If I am in line on Herriman Avenue during the morning rush to get to school and my car clock flashes 7:40, I begin to worry. Ten minutes is barely enough time to drive through blockades, lose parking spots to parents, park my car, run a big loop around the fence, and sprint to class either in the math or science wing.

For students like me whose first classes of the day are located in the back of the school, having the privilege to park in the back lot would be a great convenience. Not only would we be spared from the treacherous journey of traversing the whole school through rain and freezing temperatures in the middle of January, but our risk of getting tardies would decrease.

I know that the back parking lot is reserved for teachers and staff, but they also have a separate parking lot lining the whole right side of the school. When all these spots are added together, they exceed the total number of teachers. Anyone who observes the back lot during the school day can see spaces left over.

Since teachers do have more priority than students over choice of parking, they shouldn’t be denied their spaces. However, there exists a solution where both teachers and student can park harmoniously.

Each parking slot, starting in the side lot and finishing off in the back, should be spray painted with a number. Teachers can pick their favorite spots, and keep their numbered slot throughout the year. In this way, they will always be guaranteed a space (their very convenient one, that is) and any student that happens to cross into their territory can easily be reported. This in turn will leave a small section of the back lot open, spaces that I believe should be available to students.

When students see what morning classes they were given during schedule pick up day in August, they should have the option of purchasing a different type of parking permit along the regular ones sold that day.

A regular permit for both juniors and seniors costs $25, but a separate one for parking in the back lot should be available for those who will find it more convenient to their schedules to park in the back lot. Since the spots there are limited, the permits should be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis and at a higher cost, say, $35.

Also, to prevent juniors from purchasing all of the permits since they receive their schedules before seniors, the number of permits should either be split in half on schedule pick up day between the upperclassmen, or, because of senior priority, all be given to seniors.

This new system of parking in the back of the school will increase organization tremendously, aiding teachers in their search and seizure of parking spaces, and giving some students the opportunity to park next to their classes.

While the curse of the parking lot parents and the congested drop-offs has long proven itself unsolvable, both students and teachers can have smoother morning commutes with this plan.