Emily Telesco, Blogs Editor
@etelescocourant
Recently, driving and parking regulations have been significantly reinforced on school campus. This is due to an increase in both illegal parking as well as speeding. To address these violations, fines for students who park on campus without a parking pass have been maintained, and a new speed monitor has been implemented as well.
According to Principal Bill Egan, a big issue has been that some students are parking illegally on campus without a parking pass. This will result in those students having to pay a fine of $100. “Generally in the beginning of the year it’s pretty good, but as the year goes on we see more and more students parking illegally. So, we have to figure out who they are. Sometimes this means we have to see the kid get out of the car and then figure it out from there. It takes a while and it’s really inconvenient for us,” he said.
That said, it’s not difficult to get a parking pass for the school season. “We have the cheapest parking pass out of all the schools in the district. We try to open up as many spots as we can, so we’re asking students to be honest about parking here and doing the right thing,” Mr. Egan said. “Because of that, it does get a little frustrating when students continue to park illegally.”
This time of year, some sophomores are also starting to get their licenses. Sophomores are not allowed to park on campus, and it is considered illegal if they do. Like any upperclassmen who park illegally without a pass, sophomores are charged the same fine of $100. Junior Charlotte Campell provided her opinion on these regulations. “It’s definitely a heavy fine to pay if you’re a sophomore that gets caught parking on campus, but at the same time parking off campus isn’t that big of a hassle.”
Because some of the spots are being taken up by sophomores, it makes it much more difficult for juniors and seniors to find a place to park. “I hate struggling to find a parking spot in the morning. So it’s frustrating to know part of the trouble is underclassmen parking where they’re not supposed to,” said Junior Nick Mohamad.
Although it’s exciting to get your license, there are many responsibilities that come with being a driver, and rules that need to be followed. School Resource Officer Jeff Deak has played a large role in enforcing all of these existing regulations. “I think it’s important to say parking on school campus is a privilege, not a right just because you have your driver’s license,” he said.
Another huge issue is speeding on school grounds. “We’ve heard from families and from some kids that students are driving at excessively fast speeds. The speed limit out there is 15 miles per hour. So, anything over that is a danger,” said Mr. Egan. “Our number one responsibility is that we want to keep everyone safe. If people are driving excessively fast, we want to slow them down.”
The consequences of being caught speeding can be detrimental in various ways. “What’s important about those tickets is moving violations. Moms and Dads won’t be happy, because your insurance can skyrocket as a young driver if you’re going excessively fast. And we’ve seen it in the parking lots – it’s pretty dangerous,” said Officer Deak.
Many students who drive have also noticed an increase in speeding in the parking lots. “I’ve only been driving for a year and I’ve already seen a ton of reckless driving in the parking lots,” said Charlotte. “It’s a big problem, and I appreciate that there are steps being taken to keep people safe.”
In addition to the speed monitoring sign, there are many other changes being made in order to promote safe driving and parking. “Not too many people know this, but during spring break, we are putting in something called a speed table. This means the crosswalk is going to be elevated and wide to slow people down,” said Officer Deak.
According to Officer Deak, the traffic flow will also go through various adjustments next year. “It gets confusing because we have it one way until 8:15, and then we open it up to two ways. Hopefully, the new traffic flow regulations with that. Finally, one last thing we’re doing is we’re turning the jock lot into a big circle to help with the traffic flow,” he said.
If more students abide by these parking and driving regulations, it can help create a safer and more positive school environment. “We just hope that people will follow these procedures. We want everyone to be happy and I want this place to be one where we love what we do,” Mr. Egan said. “Ultimately, we just want to keep everybody safe.”
