The parking lots at East and West are notorious among students for being a disaster. This year the parking lot is more crowded than ever with students, teachers, buses, and drop-offs all trying to maneuver in it at the same time. While there are systems in place to help people get in and out of the parking lot efficiently, drivers dropping off students aren’t using them correctly. Drivers dropping off and picking up students are increasingly causing issues.

For example, at West, the parking lot is composed of three main sections and two different lanes. There is one lane that is intended to be for buses only and another lane meant for drivers dropping off and picking up students. The section of the parking lot closest to the building is used as teacher parking this year. The other two parts of the parking lot are used for student parking. 

The biggest issue with the parking lot is that drivers do not follow the intended traffic patterns. Drivers are trying to get in and out of the parking lot. Many times this results in the drivers doing whatever they can to get out of the parking lot quickly, especially using the wrong lanes and cutting off other drivers. 

Often times, when drivers pick up students, they use the bus lane or pull into the front parking lot to avoid waiting in line. The issue with this is that it creates confusion among all drivers in the parking lot. Drivers using the bus lane delay the buses, and prevent them from efficiently getting students to and from school. When drivers use the teacher parking lot to pick students up or drop them off, it creates confusion among student divers also trying to leave the parking lot. Using the teacher lot causes drivers to become unable to follow the traffic flow of the parking lot, forcing them to cut off other drivers to leave campus. 

Navigating the parking lot is hard when drivers are all trying to leave through one exit. This problem has been lessened by having school security guards helping to direct everyone out of the parking lot and a police officer directing traffic on the road. But the issue is still ubiquitous. Drivers push their way out of the parking lot and there isn’t always an even flow of vehicles coming from each area of the parking lot. 

Drivers dropping off and picking up students has been an increasing issue for the parking lot at both campuses. This issue frustrates teachers, students, and parents who are all trying to navigate the parking lot. And, while the parking lot has gotten a little better, there is still a long way to go to improve the way that drivers are doing drop-offs.