Highland students have been through a lot: bat infestation, smoke bomb bathroom scare, and squirrels, to name a few. But the chaos of new school construction just might be able to top the faults of Highland’s past.
When construction begins in March, the school plans to close the north and east parking lots to make way for the new building. The result of this will be disorder, frustration, and limited parking for students and staff.
But the school’s unclear expectations for parking during this period is concerning. No plan has been announced to deal with the fluster of parking chaos that is sure to happen during construction.
But the amount of parking spots isn’t the only issue with use of the south lot during the construction period. With the current parking layout – two exits and two entrances – it takes at least 10 minutes to get out of the parking lot when the bell rings at 3:15. But the south lot? One. A single exit and a single entrance that is going to double the waiting time to get out of the parking lot at the end of the day.
So there is really only one solution: cancel school for the next few years until the new building is up and running and we don’t have to fight our way into the parking lot. We can just pick right back up where we were and get back to it.
But really, there are many ways that Highland could handle this parking demand. Here are a ideas that could help ease the parking concern:
Limit who is allowed to park in the school parking lot: At this point in the year, the school parking lot is chock-full with sophomores who just got their driver’s license.
The parking lot is already packed with seniors and juniors, but sophomores push its capacity over the edge. As a junior, I have paid for a parking pass to rightfully park in the school parking lot.
Sophomores, however, are not able to purchase a parking pass but still park in the lot without any repercussions from the school. If the school enforces the use of parking passes, only students who pay for them will be able to use the space.
Staggered release times: The rush of students at the end of the day is largely the cause of the backed up lines to exit the parking lot (that and the people who turn left in a right turn only). But what if there was a way for students to be released at different times to prevent a scramble to leave?
Staggered release times might be just the solution for this. If students are released in 5-10 minute intervals, it could help to prevent the dreaded parking lot congestion at the end of the day by allowing students to leave in smaller groups.
For example, during September, students on the third floor could be released at 3:05; the second floor would then follow at 3:10, with the remaining leaving at 3:15. Each month, the times could be rotated between floors.
Incentivize carpooling: Students driving to school all alone and then taking up a spot in the parking lot will be inefficient with limited spots. But if the school had some way for students to benefit from picking up their friends or driving with their siblings, it would be a major space saver for everyone.
But no matter how frustrating this construction period is, we all must remember that we are in this together. Honking at the person in front of you or cutting off someone just trying to get home will help no one. We are all wanting to leave, and aggression will just add to the stress of school construction. And any accident will just result in longer waiting times, so just stay calm and wait your turn.
