By Deanna Schnotala
Driving to school can be what some call “convenient.” But parking, not so much. Do I park on Rockwell? Talman? Or what about one of those side streets? These are the questions driving students ask themselves.
Timothy Pinner, Div. 360, parks on Talman, a small side street behind McDonald’s.
“I used to park on Rockwell, but now I park on Talman because it’s less of a walk to McDonald’s in the morning,” Pinner said. For him, parking on Rockwell seemed risky after an incident that occurred to his car.
“Someone broke my window for $2,” Pinner said. “It’s funny because they didn’t take the iPod I had in the glove compartment.”
A far walk and broken windows aren’t the only things people have to worry about.
Victoria Potasz, Div. 253, used to park on the side street Cornelia. But while parked there, she accumulated six parking tickets.
“I parked 21 inches away from a crosswalk. Another time, I was more than six inches away from the curb,” Potasz said.
Most would agree that those are not common reasons for getting a ticket. After getting six tickets in a matter of two months, Potasz decided to park elsewhere.
“Now, I just park on Rockwell because my locker is right by D, so it’s a short walk,” Potasz said.
Some students don’t have to worry about parking. Seniors can apply for a permit to park in Lane’s parking lot. It is $60, and they also have to maintain good grades.
If students do not want to pay the price, or don’t have the grades, they could simply sneak into the parking lot. One student, who wants to remain anonymous, does it because she is only a junior.
“I sneak into the parking lot early in the mornings sometimes,” she said. “There’s no security blocking the entrance around seven o’clock.”
Luckily for her, she has not yet gotten the big, neon orange sticker that says “You are illegally parked here” plastered on her windshield, which security has been known to put on illegally parked cars.
If a student parks on a street, they just have to worry about finding a parking place. Walter Nolan-Cohn, Div. 381, has a problem with the way people park sometimes.
“I hate it when people take up two parking spots!” Nolan-Cohn said.
Cars on Rockwell and Talman are unevenly spaced out. There can be five feet between two cars, and then ten feet between another two. By having cars park closer together, there would be more parking spots available.
Many other students have problems with the five-minute walk to their car when they leave school. Although five minutes doesn’t seem like a very long time, when it’s 30 degrees outside and pitch black, even ten seconds can be an eternity.
“Sometimes when I have [cheer] practice late, I have to walk to my car in the dark,” said Jacqueline Twohig, Div. 383. “There are so many creeps, I get scared.”
Whether a student parks on Rockwell or Talman, finding parking can be difficult. But there are some tricks to getting a close spot. Students need to make sure they leave their house on time. But if they leave late, there is still a way to get a close spot.
“If I’m running late, I’ll call my friend and tell them to save a spot for me,” Pinner said. “They just take up two spots and when I get there, they back up so I can get in.”
If students could get guaranteed parking close to Lane, many would agree that there would be very little to complain about. But at Lane, parking is very limited. While driving to school may seem like a good idea, students should consider parking problems first.
