Can after school traffic at VHS be prevented?

Every Wednesday since the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, students at VHS have been getting out at 2:40 p.m., as there are no 7th-period classes on Wednesdays. Now, imagine approximately 2,200 students trying to leave school at the same exact time. What a nightmare that would be, right? 

While some people may see that letting all the students out at the same time may be convenient for some parents as well as the district, it does not help lower the traffic problems caused by this decision.

Isabella Dalzell ‘24 said, “I have to go to practice so I can’t move my car from lower [lot] to upper [lot] and when I watch [the traffic] it looks terrible.” 

Whether it was a decision made by VHS Administration or the Ventura Unified School District, I truly believe that having all students get out at the same exact time was a huge mistake. Even a 10-15 minute gap would have made a huge difference. 

Adeline Vertucci ‘26 said, “One thing I can think of to improve [the traffic on Wednesdays] is [making] the student lot more accessible, instead of having such a small entrance make it bigger so more cars can get out faster, or create a designated entry and exit for cars.”

While the traffic in the student parking lot is a mess for student drivers, parents who pick up their children from the front of the school also encounter traffic problems on the streets that surround VHS.

The lack of accessible parent parking is a major factor in the traffic that occurs. VHS is not granting nearly enough access to parent parking which leads to a build-up of irregular traffic and inpatient parents. The irregular traffic may disturb the residents living close by because of all the cars using their sidewalks as a means to pick up their kids from school. This not only is a problem for the homeowners but also for parents. 

The small narrow streets, Evans and Catalina, which are located in front of VHS make it much more difficult for parents to park anywhere. For example, often, parents decide to park and wait for their kids at the stop sign located on Evans, which only increases the chaos of the traffic. 

Najwa Takla, a VHS parent said, “[I think that the traffic that occurs on Wednesdays is] bad, and [that] the school can make this better. They should put a [crossing guard] to signal and make way for others.”

I agree with this and suggest that VHS invests in hiring a crossing guard on the streets of Evans and Catalina, as this will bring many benefits that solve the problems at hand. Having a crossing guard will not only regulate the heavy traffic but also ensure the safety of the students getting picked up. The biggest benefit that this would bring is tackling the problem of parents ignoring the stop sign, therefore making the process much easier and safer for everyone.