A new student parking lot that includes a new drop off area opened Dec. 1 near Thyberg Field. The parking lot provides another way to get in and out of the school alongside more student parking, which was necessary due to the Performing Arts Center construction cutting the old student parking lot in half.
Despite the implementation of the new parking lot changes, the traffic situation is yet to see much improvement. A majority of students would rather be dropped off at the staff parking lot on Fernwood Ave. because it is next to the school. Not only that, students are also used to getting dropped off at the staff parking lot and don’t want to adjust to the new drop off area.
“We hope that it will actually alleviate some of that drop off pressure on Fernwood and Cameron. I think parents just don’t know about the back parking lot as much and once they start using it as drop off and pick up, it will alleviate some of that in the morning,” said Principal Charles Park.
While the new parking lot might not be the preference for drop off, it is more efficient to have multiple areas for drop off instead of one. Students need to get to class on time or else consequences will occur, such as lunch detention or Saturday school. Traffic is one of the major issues that the new student parking lot should decrease, which in turn, should reduce tardies.
“I think it’s actually a better idea because there will be less traffic…If there’s only one, I would see cars driving and it’s so packed for everyone to go pick up their kids and leave,” said sophomore David Gonzales.
The parking lot is also not being used for student parking either, since only a couple of cars are seen parked there. However, the hope is that as more students get their permits in February, more students will park there. Even though the new parking lot isn’t being used the way it is intended to yet, it still has some uses that you wouldn’t expect it to have.
“I think we’ll get the most use of it when we have baseball and softball games, right now when you have soccer games the bus uses it to drop off students, which is really good, so I think we’re seeing use of it already that we were not even thinking would be benefits,” Park said. “There’s all these uses that are happening after school and during sports that is unseen which, I appreciate the parking being there,” Park continued.
Through time, more students will use the new parking lot to get dropped off because it is a new system that in the hopes, everyone can adjust to it. It might even be the new normal in the future.
