Every student at Hays High School knows the daily horror that is “The Parking Lot After School.” Picture this:
As you warily back out of your parking spot, you glimpse at your rearview mirror to see another car whip out of its spot, nearly slamming into you. Your foot jams on the brake to avoid a collision, but the other driver is completely oblivious to the close call. After a triple check in all your mirrors, head spinning wildly to account for all your blind spots, you finally exit your parking spot and sit somewhat impatiently in line.
Once it is finally your chance to turn into the outer aisle of the parking lot, you clench your teeth with anticipation. Desperately trying to make eye contact with the other drivers who have suddenly become completely unaware of your car inching forward slowly, you question if someone will even stop if you try to cut them off to gain a place in line. Oh! Someone looks your way! They see you struggling! They quickly avert their eyes, feigning peripheral blindness.
Suddenly, a red pickup truck lays on its horn directly behind you. You search frantically for a gap in the never-ending stream of vehicles. In your lowest moment, a kind soul slows down ever so slightly. This is your chance! You whip out into the aisle with lightning speed. You are one step closer to the exit.
Now, you are tasked with the moral dilemma that every student driver faces. After just being on the receiving side of this decision, you are now forced to choose: allow someone to enter the line by sacrificing five seconds or pretend you cannot see their pleading eyes that glare in your direction the moment you pass by them. Most likely, you will choose the latter. You have plans after school, and every second counts!
Even though you shave off a whopping 20 seconds, you don’t reach the exit of the parking lot for another seven minutes. Your car creeps along, just another idle engine in the long line of 1,000 teenagers.
This is the reality of Hays High’s student parking lot. While the administration has made efforts to improve efficiency in the lot, it takes many students at least 15 minutes to navigate off campus. Fender benders are inevitable, and an easy exit seems unimaginable.
To combat this situation, I propose that Hays High implements a staggered release of students daily to maximize efficiency and create a less stressful environment for students immediately after class ends for the day.
A staggered release is when grade levels are released from their classes with five minutes separating each grade. For example, seniors would leave at 3:05, juniors at 3:10, sophomores at 3:15, and freshmen at 3:20.
On Jan. 8, after a particularly intense amount of snow and ice, Hays High used this staggered release method to reduce the amount of students in the parking lot at once, with juniors and seniors being released at 2:55, sophomores at 3:00 and freshmen at 3:05. This was also done to hopefully prevent collisions or overcrowded lanes after 3:05.
When I reached my car that afternoon, the usually cramped lanes were practically empty. What normally took me 15 minutes to get through the parking lot turned into a quick three-minute drive with minimal stress or traffic.
Icy conditions should not be the only time we use this staggered release method. It provides benefits to student drivers, no matter what the weather conditions may be.
Some may argue that this would force the underclassmen to stay in class for a longer time than usual. However, this time would normally be spent sitting in their vehicles, waiting in line. The time at school would not change, only the location. The first location possibility is in a classroom, catching up on homework. The second location is staring at the back of another student’s vehicle and releasing unnecessary carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Furthermore, this release method would provide upperclassmen with an extra 10 to 15 minutes each day, greatly reducing their time sitting in a car. Another benefit is that collisions would become less common given that there would only a fraction of students in the parking lot at once.
If Hays High can switch to a staggered release model, I believe the results will provide students with a less stressful drive, lead to less congestion and safer driving conditions and maximize efficiency.
26ddixon@usd489.com
