Walking around the school grounds, we can see dozens of parking spaces available for visitors to use, around the front and right of the building, plus overflow in the Boeckman Creek lot and outside the Performing Arts Center. However, anyone who goes to this school knows there are over 1,200 students here, and even though only juniors and seniors are allowed to park on campus, it still means 600 students potentially competing for far too few spaces.
Even if there were enough total spaces in the lot, many of them are off-limits, reserved for visitors and staff, as well as those outside the family enrichment center. What’s more, students can’t park for free, having to pay $50 annually to get that privilege, which isn’t guaranteed. In addition to the rules about driving responsibly, students also have to be representatives of their community and maintain 90% attendance.
Seniors are given first priority in getting spaces, so it is unlikely that a junior will get access to a space. For most students, who have their own cars and can’t find a space, the other options are using the nearby apartments’ spaces, which are not supposed to be open to the public, or just parking in an empty spot that’s meant for staff or visitors.
However, students who have parking passes and use these spots because they couldn’t find the designated ones will be fined $15 for a first offense and $30 later, potentially losing parking privileges if done often enough.
Junior Brady Grant seems to think it’s a “good policy, creating a lot of open spaces.” However, he realizes that’s not how human nature works, as people regularly “abuse it,” using the spaces without permission. Grant also says that without this policy, parking would be even more of “a hassle” with competition for spots.
Grant has a pass, saying it wasn’t difficult to get it, “you just have to know when to apply.” Another issue in parking passes is whether or not sophomores should be able to get them, as many are now able to drive. Grant disagrees with this, saying that “it’s already crowded enough, and it would be way too much if the sophomores were here.”
You may wonder why the school can’t just add new spaces. After all, there is that wooded area south of the campus. The reason is simple: The school doesn’t own the land and it would be difficult to acquire it, indeed, satellite photos show that the property has not changed since the school was established.
With the amount of space available, the parking pass system is a workable solution to the problem of student parking, as it makes sure that it’s easier for students who need spots to get them, and the main problem is that students don’t use them properly. However, students do find it too expensive, Grant thought the price could be lowered to $20. This does help however, making sure that less students will apply so that those who want the spaces will get them.
