Something that all students can relate to, whether they drive themselves or get a ride to school, is the many difficulties that the parking lot offers. The school parking lot, poorly designed and on a busy road, lends itself to all kinds of safety and traffic issues.
Firstly, there is what is probably the most obvious challenge about the parking lot: the traffic flow. As with any institution, there are always going to be certain times at which traffic becomes super heavy; for KO, that’s around 7:55 AM (just before the start of school), 3:15 p.m. (upper school dismissal), and 5:45 p.m. (many sports get out around this time).
KO has also instituted a new bus schedule run by Upper School Administrative Coordinator Lindsay Perkins. This year, as a way to increase their reach in the greater community, KO added buses to the Avon/Simsbury/Canton area, the South Windsor/Manchester area, and then the Glastonbury bus which is not new, but was run by the parents prior to this year. “It’s really amazing that kids or families are choosing KO, but it is a big commitment driving them every day so we’re happy to expand our busing to appeal to more families in our community,” Mrs. Perkins said. While this is a significant positive addition to the greater KO community, it can also add to the perceived chaos, as it is something new.
Another one of the huge problems that KO community members face in the parking lot is the issue of reckless driving. This includes speeding, driving in the wrong direction on one-way paths, ignoring stop signs, and not being conscious of pedestrians. Additionally, people come up off Trout Brook Drive at a higher speed and often maintain that speed, which is very dangerous in a lot that has a speed limit of ten miles per hour. If students are caught recklessly driving multiple times, they can be banned from using the parking lot. “It’s a privilege to park at Kingswood Oxford, it’s not assumed,” Mrs. Perkins said.
KO students feel similarly when asked about the major issues in the parking lot. “I feel as though there should be a better way to control the traffic in the mornings because trying to get a spot or straighten out my parking job in the morning sometimes makes me late for class,” senior Diya Mistri said. Many students also felt that the students are often blamed for issues that are not solely perpetrated by them, citing rushing parents as a parking lot danger.
There has been some talk amongst the administration about putting in speed bumps, which would combat the issue, however, there are budgetary restrictions that must be considered. Additionally, there have been steps taken to deter the traffic such as new yellow lines and stop signs, but, at the end of the day, there is always going to be a certain level of traffic at such times when there is a lot of activity in the parking lot. One way to avoid this is to get to school earlier; while this might be a bit inconvenient for those who live further away, it will eliminate the risk of being late due to traffic with the additional benefit of a good parking spot for those who drive themselves. Furthermore, the parents or legal guardians of Upper School students can, instead of waiting in long lines for pick-up, park and have the students walk down to their car.
Unfortunately, some of the solutions that are sometimes used are not acceptable, for example, dropping off, picking up, or parking at the back of the school on Outlook Avenue. “I don’t think we want to advertise it as a spot since we don’t want to create congestion in the community because that’s a neighborhood and we want to keep good relations with our neighbors,” Interim Dean of Students Kata Baker said. There have been reports from residents in the past about somebody parking partially in front of their driveway, effectively blocking them from entering.
Additionally, there are certain parking spaces that students are not allowed to park in, for example, the lottery spot (reserved for one student), the visitor spaces in the back, and the bus parking spots. Six out of the seven toaster parking spots have signs that clearly indicate that students are not allowed to park there, but there is a recurring issue of students parking in the one spot that does not have a sign; however, that spot is still reserved for the buses. If there is a vehicle parked in one of those spots, there are stickers that can be placed on the car as a reminder to not park there.
Another significant problem associated with the parking lot is signing out. Any time that a student has to leave campus, they are required to sign out with Mrs. Perkins so that, in the case of an emergency, their whereabouts can be accounted for. Seniors and second-semester juniors are allowed to sign themselves out during the day – when they don’t have class, of course, – but first-semester juniors and underclassmen’s parents or legal guardians need to reach out to Mrs. Perkins in order to leave campus.
Some might not realize that the parking lot is technically off-campus and, thus, students are still required to check out if they need to quickly grab something from their cars, for example, as it’s a genuine safety issue. “We’ve had several scenarios happen where it’s been a fire drill and kids have been in a place where they couldn’t hear it and we couldn’t account for them,” Mrs. Baker said. “If it’s a real fire, we will be sending people into the burning building thinking you are stuck somewhere.” In a survey performed by students from the statistics class, approximately 50% of students allowed to leave campus do not sign out with Mrs. Perkins before leaving campus.
Moreover, as it is considered off-campus, the school is not accountable for any damage that occurs in the parking lot. There are signs near the baseball field that say “park at your own risk”, as stray baseballs have been known to occasionally hit cars. The new dugouts should prevent this from happening as often, but it is still a possibility that students and faculty should be cognizant of when parking near the field.
The school is also not involved in any sort of accident that occurs, beyond acting as a moderator between the two parties. There have, however, been instances where somebody has hit another car and then left without taking responsibility; it’s a very tricky situation because sometimes the school can identify that person, but, as they don’t have security cameras, oftentimes they are unable to. “It is our jobs as educators to be like ‘Hey, here’s what you do when you hit a car.’” Mrs. Baker said. “It’s not the end of the world, but it’s really bad form to walk away.” Here at KO, the hope is that all students will practice honesty first and foremost both on and off campus.
Another thing that students should be aware of is whether or not their car is registered. At the beginning of the year, a Google Form is sent out to seniors and juniors through which they can easily register their car. However, there are some students who don’t do this which can be a safety issue. For example, registration might be used to see if people who are not part of the KO community have been using the parking lot, which is never allowed. In the cases of accidents, cars parked in banned spots, or a dangerous parking job, it can also be very helpful to quickly identify to whom the car belongs. Additionally, if for any reason a student has to use a different, unregistered car, they should always let Mrs. Perkins know. If that car will be used for a long stretch of time, then, for security reasons, they should get a sticker for it.
Overall, there are many issues that make the parking lot hazardous, but it is our responsibility as a community to come together to make it as safe as possible!
