After the main entrance to LOHS off Country Club Road, the second most used entrance is the one in the back off of Boones Ferry. This goes straight into the back of the parking lot, and many students come in and exit this way. In the mornings, Boones Ferry is packed with cars trying to get into the parking lot. In the afternoons, it is the same way; everyone is trying to get out of the parking lot and there are also parents coming to pick up their kids through this entrance. A high school parking lot is chaotic enough as it is. Barely anyone can drive or park, and there are students looking at their phones and walking directly behind cars in reverse, barely paying attention to the fact that the car they are walking behind is backing up. But besides that issue there is another problem at hand. 

Half of the students that are walking in the parking lot are walking home. Actual cars in the parking lot are an issue for these students, but it’s not their biggest issue when trying to leave. Hopefully since the majority of cars are backing out, they are going pretty slowly and these students will be kept out of harm’s way. The real issue is Boones Ferry. 

The speed limit on Boones Ferry is 35 which is already fast for it being right by the school, and that’s not taking into account how many people speed and how far over the limit they go. Before and after school, it’s super hard to cross the street because of how many cars are trying to go in and out, and the cars that aren’t going to the school usually don’t stop for kids or are going too fast for you to be able to cross the street. 

 I’m sure there are other ways to get to school than having to cross Boones Ferry, but that’s probably inconvenient given that no one does it. I do actually like the speed limit on Boones Ferry because it’s not too slow and this doesn’t actually concern me personally because I don’t walk to school, but I am concerned about people who do walk. To avoid students getting hit by cars on that road, a good solution would be to make that area a school zone. 

There is already a school zone at the front of the school, which makes sense. So why not have one at the back of the school as well? The same reasons we have one on Country Club are still applicable when it comes to the back. 

As a driver, I know this doesn’t sound too appealing because school zones are incredibly slow, and seem even slower if there’s no actual students when you’re driving through. But from a student’s point of view, imagine if you were trying to cross the street to get home but you couldn’t because there were so many cars all driving really fast that you never had time to cross or you start to cross but a car comes speeding around a curve and you have to back up again because they aren’t going to stop for you. Similarly, a parent’s view: your kid is trying to cross and they start to cross but a car is coming so fast around the curve they see your kid and have to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting them or do actually end up hitting them. Hopefully that would never happen, and with a school zone back there it would be less likely. A better chance to keep students safe and prevent accidents involving them would be a school zone. 

The school zone wouldn’t be all the time; most are only Monday through Friday 7:00 am-4:00 p.m. or when the lights are flashing if it is one with a light. The only times we would need it to be active would be in the mornings and afternoons on weekdays. So ideally, it would be from about 8:00-8:45 a.m. and in the afternoons from 3:15-4:00 p.m. with the flashing yellow light.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for driving fast, but only where it’s appropriate. A road next to a school that is highly used for walking beside and crossing is not the best place. For now let’s keep high speed limits and speeding on the freeway. On Boones Ferry we should be going slower and be on the lookout for people crossing, trying to cross and walking along the side of the road.