The Toll Gate student parking lot is beyond flawed. It is a two lot, two lane mess. The lanes in the lot are so narrow because there is a lane dedicated to dropping off students, making it difficult for drivers to safely pull in and out of spaces. Additionally, bus schedules make entering and exiting the lot challenging and time consuming, causing some students to illegally exit through a “One Way” because it saves up to 20 minutes. Many students have commitments after school and they would love to see a better solution to the congestion in the lot. This parking lot is no place for new student drivers.
The Toll Gate student parking lot has one lane intended for student drop off. Parents and guardians drive to the right and wait their turn to let their kid(s) out of the car to go to school. The other lane is used to get to the bottom parking lot. The left lane moves much faster because cars are not lingering to let someone out. This leaves cars intending to park in the upper lane in a confusing and congested situation. Let’s say you want to park in a space on the left side towards the middle of the upper parking lot. If you go in the left lane, there is not a lot of room to pull correctly into the space. Sure, an experienced driver may be able to work with what they have and maneuver correctly, fixing themselves if necessary, but this is a high school student parking lot. Many of these student drivers aren’t confident enough to make moves like this. The right lane guarantees space, but moves incredibly slow due to cars backed up, and also requires drivers to be very aware while cutting through the left lane, as many cars zoom through there.
The two lots have very narrow lanes. If a car in one lane is even slightly out of line, the other lane cannot proceed. The narrow space also is difficult to adjust within. If a new driver messes up their parking job and parks slanted or over the line, he or she may not feel confident enough to back up out of the space and fix themselves if the cars in the lane are so close.
A very major point in people’s complaints about the parking lot is the one way and those who ignore it. Students do this because it takes too long to get out of the parking lot. If they do not leave right away, they will be stuck behind buses for 10 to 20 minutes. I personally have not gone through the one way, but I am going off the claims of multiple students who wish to remain anonymous. Some students claim that they have jobs and appointments that they will be late to if stuck behind the buses. I do not condone this behavior, as it is dangerous and could very easily result in an accident, but I can say I do understand where these students are coming from.
Mr. Mercier, a teacher who parks in the student lot, said, “With the construction, things are jammed. So when you’re driving in, driving out, y’know it really slows things down. I know that can’t really be helped, but the biggest issue I notice is that the parking lots are one way. You’re supposed to go in one way and out another, but a lot of times people ignore those. So you have parents coming in, and people who are trying to leave, at the same time, and it ends up being kind of dangerous.”
Student Christopher Herrera said, “It’s horrible. People don’t know how to drive. I almost got hit last year by this woman backing out. It was very upsetting.”
When asked about the one way, Chris had this to say. “I don’t listen to it, actually. I actually go the opposite direction of the one way, because I’m not waiting in that huge line with the parents. You know, I’m not doing all that.” When asked if he considers it dangerous Chris added, “Well, it’s a parking lot, so no one should be speeding. So honestly, I see no problem with it, as long as everyone’s going, you know, a correct speed, it should be fine. Like, I don’t go over five miles per hour until I’m out on the road. Check left and right. It’s all good.”
So, what can we do about this? Some students believe that senior or assigned parking spaces could help them stay separate from the parents. Others think the parents should pick up and drop off students somewhere else. Some think the one way doesn’t have to be a one way. Others think the buses and cars should take different routes. There are many possible solutions. The important thing to do is to come together and think of a way to solve this issue in a way that satisfies all parties.
