Poor parking system breaks down students

The Talon, Editorial Board

Parking is the reason students are leaving the house at 5 a.m. everyday.

This is due to the issues with Sandra Day O’Connor’s parking system.

ART BY LILY NEWCOMB

The design of the parking lot, the traffic flow, and the pedestrians cause absolute chaos when trying to get in and out of the school.

Around 900 students drive to school each day, in addition to 175 staff members. Unfortunately, the majority of this population is far more interested in conserving time than thinking about the safety of others.

This puts pedestrians (who are more or less unaware of where they are walking most of the time) at a huge risk, as well as other drivers.

The speeding is just one problem along with a string of complications that student drivers have to endure based on the traffic flow.

Parents have already gone through the spiel, “drive straight and eyes on the road.” But the parking lot requires 360 degree vision, as cars are driving recklessly in every direction.

Hackamore is worse, especially after students return from winter break. This is due to sophomores getting their licenses and their first vehicles during this time, otherwise known as the “Sophomore Effect”.

When these excited, generally inexperienced drivers return, their excitement with this new-found freedom is devastated by the Hackamore death trap.

All of these new drivers are corralled into combating with the rest of the students unlucky enough to not get a parking spot.

It also doesn’t help that this year “student loading zones” and other chunks of the curb now say “no parking.”

Parking passes are more than just a sticker on your windshield. For student drivers struggling with Hackamore, they’re like getting Wonka’s golden tickets.

Those who do not have a parking spot are at risk of parking tickets or being unable to even drive to school because there isn’t space.

Simply put, the parking lot and Hackamore are broken systems in need of fixing.

We suggest three things.

First, create and enforce punishments for reckless driving. Have monitors write down the license plate numbers of cars that are driving irresponsibly; they will be given three chances, and on the third strike these drivers will lose their parking spot.

Secondly, the school could make a wise investment in new parking spots, we seriously need it, and they could always raise the prices of parking spots to help cover it.

Thirdly, perhaps most importantly, we highly recommend crosswalks. Students are walking in front of speeding cars without even looking at all. This could ruin multiple lives if not put in check, and we cannot leave this serious situation up to the judgement of students.