Pool Lot Traffic Solution

Pool+Lot+Traffic+Solution

Tara Afshar, Journalist

On April 8th, 2022, Corona del Mar Highschool’s principal Mr. Hill sent an email to parents addressing the efforts the school would be taking to help improve traffic flow in the pool parking lot and open more parking spaces. After a meeting with some students, parents, and staff, a plan was developed and finally put into action after CdM’s spring break starting April 18th. This new plan prevents parents from parking and waiting for their children while obstructing the flow of traffic and preventing students from leaving their parking spaces. Mr. Hill specifically instructed parents to keep the fire lane clear and to park in any additional empty parking spaces they find available. Additionally, this proposed solution also requires the assistance of some CdM staff to place cones to divide the exit lane into two lanes, allowing for a constant flow of traffic. The placement of the cones would also vary daily to test out how each variation would affect the traffic flow. The additional 30 parking spaces in the High School Admin Lot and the Enclave Lot that Mr. Hill allotted will be made available to 30 11th grade students who have entered the Junior Parking Lottery.

 

While these new solutions have appeased both students and parents, some CdM students aren’t as pleased with their new situation. Senior Max Wang says “I’m not particularly a fan of the new traffic solution. I’ve noticed that establishing two lanes disproportionately creates more congestion for the left lane that’s been diverted to the main entrance/exit of the pool parking lot, away from the right-turn-only exit. The entire lane has to wait for those that turn left or go straight when most people, including myself, want to turn right, which is why we would’ve just used the right-turn-only exit. However, the new ‘solution’ prevents us from doing so, which is a little bit counterintuitive.” Other students like senior Alex Cheng recognize its faults but also appreciate the long-awaited assistance from school staff saying “I think that the cones are a great idea as it allows two lines of cars to exit the parking lot at the same time, rather than the previous unorganized way. It is now easier and safer for students to back out of parking spots without being held up by extremely long lines of cars. I believe that this method is significantly more effective and safe.” While the efforts by the administration have come to fruition towards the end of the academic year, many students and parents hope this will allow for less traffic in the years to come.