Parking Problems

All Schools Should Have Assigned Parking Spots

Illustration by Mary Kate Kise/ Maclay Andalusian

For teenage drivers, one of the most stressful parts of the morning routine is parking at school. Students are already nervous about arriving to class on time, and  locating a parking space just adds to morning stress. To mitigate this, some schools assign specific parking spots to all students. However, Maclay does not currently have assigned parking spots for upperclassmen who have their driver's licenses. This is something that Maclay students could benefit from, and so can teenage drivers everywhere. 

One out of five car accidents happen in parking lots. Teenage drivers especially are at risk for minor or major car accidents, because of immaturity or lack of experience. In the morning, students have to fight over parking, as the spots fill up quickly. The distraction of trying to search for a parking spot is very dangerous and makes accidents more likely to happen. Schools should have assigned parking so students can easily pull into their personal spots and not have to worry about distractions or potential accidents while trying to find a place to leave their cars during the school day. 

Additionally, assigning parking would make mornings easier for students. If students know exactly where to go in the morning, they will not scramble to find a spot. The worst feeling in the morning is arriving late to class because all the spots are filled and you don’t know where to park. Having an assigned spot to go to every morning would ease some of the stress off students driving themselves to school because students are already under a lot of pressure. To take away some of that stress, schools should implement assigned parking spots to make the mornings easier for everyone. 

Because Maclay doesn’t have assigned parking, a lot of times, students will establish their own parking spots and claim them every morning before someone else can. However, they aren’t actually assigned, so students will sometimes take each other's preferred spots which can cause arguments and drama. Having actual assigned parking spots would fix this issue because nobody would intentionally or accidentally take someone else's preferred place to park. Some schools also allow their students to paint over their spots, which would make it easy for students to remember their spot and not accidentally take someone else's, as well as bring some personality and spirit into the parking lot.

The downside of assigned parking is that it could exclude students who get their licenses mid-year. Many sophomores don’t turn 16 until further into the year, which means assigned parking might make it harder for them to get a spot that isn’t already taken. While this could present itself as an issue, the fix to this would be to keep a number of spots set aside for sophomores or even freshmen who get their licenses later in the year. That way, all students who drive could have a place to easily get to in the morning. 

All schools should implement assigned parking spots for upperclassmen, as it is safer, easier and takes morning stress off of students. This is something that could benefit all schools and make for a safe experience while learning all facets of operating a vehicle as a teenager.