Rude Awakening

Waking up early is enjoyed by some students, but not all. 

The start of this school year has had some changes, and they aren’t all for the better. The change that’s making the morning difficult is the specific route the middle school parents are required to take. 

When waking up, I don’t think anyone is looking forward to lots of traffic. Last year this wasn’t an issue. 

Although the middle school starts only 10 minutes later than the senior high, the routing has been changed for drop-off. LJHS main entrance was in the middle with an entrance, loop for drop-off, and an exit. The entrance has been turned into the exit now, and the new entrance is the road that buses go to and from.

These changes in the entrance have caused only issues for me personally, taking the back road with no traffic just to run into a car-infested road with only a few people courteous enough to let you in, and this is with regards to the kids crossing and stopping traffic, the system isn’t working, and personally, I feel like it should be a more significant gap in time difference.

 To see if this opinion is just mine or if others share the same thoughts, I got some words from Deegan Chambers and Chris Bauer, and their opinions were similar to each other along with mine.

When I posed the question, “Do you feel the traffic has been worse in the morning than it has been in years past?” Deegan responded saying 

“Most definitely, I think it’s from the new alternative route, ’cause that’s a big route too. Lakeland High School, given the fact we only have one entrance and their turning route, is right there at that one entrance, so it’s like a little bit more of a backup.” Deegan also adds, “It’s another excuse in the morning for why I’m late,” and I couldn’t agree more.

I also talked to Christopher Bauer and asked him if he’s noticed anything different with traffic in the mornings.

Chris said, “This year it’s horrible, and there are so many kids that just don’t know how to drive anymore; there’s a lot more traffic.” 

What are your thoughts on this new morning traffic? Is it affecting you? Is it another reason that you might be late in the morning? Maybe it’s our own fault for procrastination, but regardless, was this re-route plan really necessary?