Parking Woes at PV

Imagine driving to school, already running late, turning into the Palos Verdes  High Schools’ student parking, only to find out there aren’t any spots left. What can a student do? Students cannot park outside of school without getting a city permit. The sad truth is that there are too many cars and too many students who drive, and not enough parking spaces for everyone.

Some students decide to make their own parking spaces. While talking with Palos Verdes High School’s security guard Jeff Mitchell, while laughing he said, “Students do not know how to park between the two lines.” Other students decide to park in the parking spaces reserved for other students or faculty. This is why the high school has now decided to give out parking permits.This is the first year in the high school’s history that each car has a designated number that identifies the owner of the car in case it is park somewhere that is not allowed.

Since we have no space for more parking, we need to find other ways to make the situation better.  When a junior was asked if he thought the school had enough parking spaces he simply said “no” and when asked about a probable solution he said “make more parking spaces.” The problem with this suggestion is that the high school does not have any more space to expand on, t making this suggestion impossible to fulfill.

In order to make up for the short supply of parking spots, the most apparent solution is for students to carpool. Carpooling helps the environment by reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses, and other pollutants emitted into the atmosphere . Carpooling will also help reduce traffic since less cars will be on the streets. It can also help students save money on gas; according to the Huffington Post the average American spends “over $2000 per year just to fill up the tank”. Imagine what other fun things one can do with these savings. It can also be fun to ride to school with friends. But carpooling can be difficult because according to  California law,  new drivers are not allowed to drive anyone under the age of 20.

Those students who live close to school should try walking, or riding their bikes.  Another solution that can score a student a parking space is simply getting to school early. Many Seakings do this by getting a zero period. An alternate solution would be that the school district provided school busses, but the likes of that happening are very low, and anyway I do not think many students would want to take the bus.

Mitchell, the security guard, also warned that “by the end of the year, since all underclassmen are will be starting to drive, there will not be anymore parking spaces available.” There will be approximately 1000 students driving by 2016. So if you want to be able to park get to school as early as possible.

If a student ever gets stuck without a parking spot, in my opinion the best way to get to class is to try to park outside around school campus. The school website states “parking is available on campus and on the streets directly adjacent to the school (Cloyden Road, Via Pacheco, and Epping Road)” so maybe try to find a parking space on one of these streets. If every place is filled, the school also says,“public parking is available at the Lunada Bay Little League Field, along Palos Verdes Drive West and Via Coronel”.

So how will you avoid getting stuck without a spot to park in?