Problematic parking, where’s the proof?

Art+by+Taein+Park+

Art by Taein Park

It is 2:39 P.M. Students congregate around the door, rifling urgently through their backpacks in search of their car keys. The seconds pass at tortoise-like pace until that sacred bell of relief finally chimes. Like a stampede, a sea of khakis races through the Hall of Fame and out the door, each person setting out to be the first one in their cars and on the road. This is survival of the fittest.
If you are one of these students who chooses to park in the back lot, then you likely know this struggle all too well. Notoriously congested, cramped, and careless-driver infested, the lot is nothing short of anxiety-inducing. If you arrive after 7:50, there is a good chance you will lose out on your usual spot. It is not uncommon to observe the sight of cop cars parked adjacent to the entrance, doling out speeding tickets or attending to urgent concerns.
Compared to the front lot, where spaces measure approximately 9.2 feet wide, the parking spaces in the back are notably smaller at about 8.9 feet. While this difference may not seem glaring, the difference in available space makes it more difficult to maneuver between spaces. Moreover, the overall flow of traffic in the back has a tendency to become sporadic, making accidents an unfortunate reality.
But if this is the case, why would anyone choose the back lot if there are almost always open spots in the front ? Well, for many, this choice is one made sheerly of convenience, as it provides easy access to the athletic facilities and certain classrooms.
In addition, there seems to have been a viral trend as of late of sharing particularly bad parking jobs on social media. With photos of cars parked sideways, severely over the lines or touching plate-to-plate with other vehicles, it begs the question: Have people always parked this poorly, or is this new wave of absurdity partly done on purpose? We get it: It’s funny to see the craziness of the back lot immortalized in our camera rolls, but let’s be sure to be careful to not be a hazard to our fellow students in the process.
While some of the back lot’s general chaos can be attributed to its physical layout, the major onus is on students and drivers to prevent accidents and drive cautiously. There is nothing more inconvenient for high school students than having a severely damaged car or, even worse, a potentially dangerous accident. However, we also propose a potential aid from administration: security cameras throughout the backlot. This would serve as an extra level of protection, if accidents unfortunately happen, for insurance and liability purposes. This would further hold people accountable for parking-lot related incidents.
With the already omnipotent stress of the school year, the last thing a student needs to worry about is how they might go about navigating the parking lot. With a dual sense of awareness and caution from both the students and faculty alike, it should be a goal to reduce the looming threat of danger which lies just beyond the Boler Center.