Parking Correctly, Obeying The Rules Would Help Problem

A car horn echoes across the lot. The sound of Jay-Z singing “Big Pimpin”’ blares from a car stereo.

Screeching tires, profanity, and minutes ticking by faster than a sea turtle laying eggs.

It’s another typical day in the Coeur d’Alene High School student parking lot.

The parking lot is so congested it can take 15 minutes in line to get out after school.

“It’s awful! People cutting you off left and right,” complained junior Sarah James, “If you take 5 minutes to go to your locker, there’s no way you’re not going to wait to get out. It’s ridiculous!”

So what’s causing the clog-up? The school is overcrowded, and the parking lot has only two exits to accommodate an area two football fields in size.

“Two exits are not enough,” junior Fred McNeil said angrily. “It just gets too clogged.”

Poor behavior and disrespect of traffic laws are partly to blame.

“People cut you off, they won’t let you in front of them,” said sophomore Brittany Leonard. “Unless you know someone, you could sit and watch everyone squeeze their cars in. There’s always a good chance to get your car smashed up.”

CHS Principal Steve Casey said students are responsible for their own actions in the parking lot and that teachers don’t have time to baby-sit.

“I’m not going to go out and write tickets all day,” he said. “I would rather spend my time dealing with drugs and classroom work.”

Excessive speeding and profanity can lead to further delays.

“It’s like people forget how to drive when they’re in the parking lot,” McNeil said. “Add on top of that the fact that people park where they want, whether there’s a space there or not.”

Although Casey agreed that the parking lot is clogged, he said the problem would be better if students would simply park correctly and obey the rules. The CHS administration has attempted to bear down on improper driving and parking, distributing tickets and fines.

And while Casey and the administration have been writing tickets, some frustrated students said the administration’s attempts aren’t enough.

“They say they’ll write tickets and tow your car, but I rarely hear of it actually happening,” Leonard said.

Plans have been put into effect to adjust the parking configuration and add exits. Construction originally was scheduled to begin this past summer to be completed by the beginning of the 2001 school year. Bidding and scheduling problems have pushed back construction until other projects such as the remodeling of three wings of classrooms are finished.

The administration apologized for the delay. Casey explained that the parking lot project was supposed to have started along with changes for the bleachers on the football field.

But that meant both areas would be torn up until late October. And in the middle of the football season, the school couldn’t afford to have a construction site for a home football game.

Some students said these excuses are just more broken promises.

Also fueling the criticism is the feeling among CHS students that more time and money is spent on the other high school in the district, Lake City High School.

“Lake City has all its repairs done, while at CHS there’s spots that still need paint,” said one CHS student.

Principal Casey asserted that every school receives fair treatment. “This school fights very hard for a lobby and funds,” he said. “But so is every other school head in this community.”

The school district’s Long Range Planning Committee, which determines which school gets what, has done an excellent job, Casey said.