I’m sure we’re all aware of the chaos that is parking this year at West. Drop off and pick up traffic is directed through a series of one-ways leading out of the lots, and the senior parking lot is gone. Many people have voiced their frustrations with the parking situation thus far. Finding parking, leaving the school, and obtaining parking passes, have all been things students have struggled with. A few people were asked about their opinions on the matter.
Many seniors have felt as though they are not receiving the information they need in order to successfully and easily park at school. One senior feels as though they have not been given priority as students have in previous years. One person said,“It was first come, first serve, with no regard to seniors.” Another senior said that there was, “…barely any communication about parking passes.” Many people have brought this point up, saying that there wasn’t a lot of information relayed about how to get them. “Apparently, the only place with the link to the Google Form was on the Instagram to my knowledge,” the same senior said, “I was at camp when they gave out parking passes before school started so I didn’t know anything about it.”
This raises an interesting point: What if you don’t have access to Instagram, or the internet as a whole? How would a student without this access go about getting a parking pass? Students can go down to the office/student center to inquire about parking passes. Our school has a lot of great people who can answer your questions!
Multiple people have stated that they are angry and frustrated with the fact that the senior parking lot was taken away due to construction. “It turns parking into a kind of competition, and it makes parking really stressful.” All driving students parking in two lots adds unnecessary stress to the already busy lives of seniors.
Seniors aren’t the only ones with concerns about parking. One junior voiced their frustration about the foot traffic piece. “Having the parents’ route through the parking lot for pickup is literally dangerous,” they said. They also said that by “directing traffic to a high foot traffic area,” makesmakes, “getting out [of the parking lots] impossible and dangerous for everyone going to their cars.” For example, students walking home have to cross traffic without crosswalks while leaving campus. Students have voiced their frustration about the crosswalks. One junior asked, “It feels really dangerous not having crosswalks. What if someone gets hit?”
For sophomores just getting their license, it can be nerve racking and stressful navigating the lots. “I literally feel like I’m going to crash every time I try to get out of the parking lot. It’s scary.”
Seniors are frustrated about parking, juniors are concerned about safety, and sophomores are stressed about navigation. One student said, “I just really hope it gets solved soon. We’re already busy enough as it is, and we don’t need to worry about parking too.”
Limited parking at West has been a frustration for many driving students. Confusion about parking passes, stress when entering and leaving the parking lot, the dangers of a high traffic school zone, and the loss of the senior lot have all been things that students have had to navigate as they travel to and from school this year. The good news is that with construction continuing and wrapping up, this will not be a problem next year. Until then, students, staff, and parents are advised to be cautious and considerate when driving through the hectic parking lots of the school.
