Every day after school a wave of honks and screams fill the parking lot of Wayne Valley High School as students desperately try to race out of the lot to beat the traffic and get home. The 200 lot of Wayne Valley High School spills out fast, and with this increase in cars, the exit gets a large cluster of inexperienced drivers trying to navigate the intersection which consists of three separate roads all meeting at one exit point. This causes stress, panic, and trouble. There have already been a few accidents reported in and near the lot. This traffic is not helped by the fact that after a few minutes, traffic from the other two lots and dozens of large buses are sent right past the exit, adding an upwards of 15 minutes to the students’ departure.
Wayne Valley senior Anthony Fiorello is one of the many students who experiences this on an everyday basis. When asked about how long the delay was due to the buses, he responded, “If I rush out of school and leave before the buses, I am out in five minutes. But if I have to wait for them, it’ll take 20 to 25 minutes.” This seems to be the general consensus amongst the students. Fiorello added, “It’s pretty stressful, when the three lanes meet I try to get out as quickly as possible. It definitely is risky, and accidents can happen.” Fiorello suggested that the buses should be delayed an extra three to five minutes to minimize risk and allow students to get out safely. One issue with the buses leaving early is that they need to get to the middle school on time to pick up students.
When asked about the abundance of traffic, senior Jakob Kirz offered this, “Oh yeah, it’s jam-packed, it’s a rush to get out and people have things to do you know, get to work, do homework… sitting in the 200 lot for half an hour after school isn’t exactly what I wanna do.” This problem is widely discussed amongst students, and it has led to many concerns. Students attempting to get out of class early, students running to start their cars, and due to the lack of awareness accidents have happened and are prone to happen again.
In the beginning of the year, the lot did not have many people occupying spaces, but as more and more students get their licenses, it is filling up fast; this just adds more people to the traffic. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, “The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among teens ages 16-19 than among any other age group.” During traffic congestion accidents often increase in severity and frequency as well.
Students were asked what they would suggest to fix the problem. The main solution suggested is directly connected to the buses departure time. The buses normally leave at 2:23, four minutes after the bell rings. This is not nearly enough time for students to get to their cars and get out of the lot to beat the traffic. Students suggested having the buses delayed by a few minutes which would give them time to get out safely and quickly. Due to the lack of drivers though it is necessary that they get out early to drive and pick up the students of the other schools. On the other hand, if students are able to get out of the parking lot earlier this will minimize stress to the students and decrease the risk of accidents from rushing and speeding in the parking lot.
