Students should control parking lot mayhem

The situation in the parking lot has long been far from ideal: Every day, hundreds of cars rapidly crowd into a relatively tiny space, while many others mill around the surrounding neighborhoods. This would be bad enough if it only applied to the morning commute, but the additional daily rush to lunch spots around the neighboring towns also wreaks havoc.

The problem is simple— supply and demand, with the supply being parking spots and the demand skyrocketing in the spring as sophomores earn their licenses.

Solving the problem requires heavier monitoring of student activity in the parking lot as well as greater student integrity and respect for the rules.

More emphasis on ticketing as well as heavier fines could help the problem by deterring those without parking permits.

“They need to put their foot down on ticketing,” junior Arjun Madhok said. “Literally, cars with no [parking] permits should not be allowed [into the parking lot].”

When it comes to ticketing, there also needs to be a greater distinction between the culprits (sophomores parking in the parking lot) and the victims (upperclassmen with parking permits, or substitute teachers without).

“They should just ticket more heavily to little sophomores,” senior Doug Tomlinson said. “There should be more ticketing on people who [don’t] have permits, not on people who have sketch looking spots.”

Sophomores, on the other hand, have to deal with similar issues and must park far from their classrooms or risk being ticketed after sneaking a spot in the lot.

“It’s a pain to have to park all the way on Jardin,” sophomore Olivia Hon said. “It’s just really inconvenient to have to go all the way back.”

But sophomores should just wait their turns rather than try hiding and running the risk of being caught and punished.

Furthermore, while the complaints are many, the administration willingly lends an ear to anyone who bothers to report issues in the parking lot, which more students should take advantage of. Assistant Principal Cristy Dawson calls the police and invites them to ticket usually after being asked by upperclassmen. She feels that though the concerns are ongoing, there have been fewer issues than in previous years.

“It’s a student issue,” Dawson said. “If, under normal circumstances, kids would do the right thing, there wouldn’t be a problem.”

Dawson says she is “not going to lose a teacher so we can gain eight more spots.” However, mi n o r construction, like repainting the lines, is not out of the question. The current lines were painted a few years ago, and the company who was tasked with the job misunderstood the request, painting “wider spaces,” which meant the parking lot “lost a few spots.”

Repainting the lines might come in the future, and a trashcan can be moved here or there, but on the whole, the parking lot is a fixed utility and won’t be expanded. Clearly, then, fixing the problem ultimately relies on the students themselves.

Parking is already restricted enough, as evidenced by the fact that spots are specifically assigned to staff members and upperclassmen who have paid for parking permits, and it is both unfair and chaotic when sophomores attempt stealing what isn’t theirs. More students should consider carpooling, walking, biking (it’s better for the environment anyway) or getting dropped off.

For now, sophomores should wait their turn and be more strictly and frequently punished for parking in the lot, while juniors and seniors should do more to report any problems they encounter to the administration instead of just fuming silently.