What is one trait that all car-owners have in common? They need a place to park their car. For years, LHS students have expressed contempt at the lack of parking space around the school building, an issue that became increasingly exacerbated by the construction of LHS’s new wing. This renovation, which began last school year and only just completed, led to the removal of all-day parking spots along Union Ave, bringing the student parking issue to its climax. 

Last school year, students were provided with parking passes for the commuter lot on Carpenter Ave. to make up for the removal of parking on Union. Principal Joseph Rainis said that parking along Union will be replaced sometime in the future when the LHS field is completed, though the date is not known. 

“Parking has been an issue around LHS since I attended LHS,” said Rainis. “In that time, we’ve only seen increased growth and development; therefore, both student and staff parking has increasingly become a bit difficult.”

Fortunately, a solution — albeit temporary — is within sight. On Oct. 22, Rainis announced that passes for the commuter lot will, once again, be made available to students. From now until June 30, students with a permit can park in the lot between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. The downside, however, is that only sixty permits are currently available, so only a select group of students will receive a parking spot. Additionally, each permit is $110, meaning some students may be deterred from purchasing a spot due to its price. 

The closest unlimited, free parking around LHS is either a five-minute walk down Union Ave. or an eight-minute walk down Spencer Ave. Space any closer to the school building means either one-hour parking or having to pay a meter, which is also limited to two hours. Additionally, there are only about 10 spots of free parking on Union, so the majority of drivers need to resort to the much farther distance on Spencer. The nearest spots become highly competitive territory, as the number of drivers far outweighs the number of spots.

Seniors in particular can attest to the difficulty of finding parking and the consequences that result from this scarcity: being late to class, stressing about the potential of getting a ticket, or entrusting friends to move their car when they cannot do it themselves. School policy states that teachers are not allowed to let students leave the building during a class period, so students are frequently ticketed.

Senior Abigail Almonte drives to school every day and said she must leave her house 45 minutes before class in order to find an all-day spot. “Something needs to change,” she said.

In addition, safety measures prohibit students from entering school through the gymnasium doors; if they choose to park behind the building, they must make a several-minute walk to the front doors and pay for metered parking. “The parking at school has gotten so difficult that we have to get to school at least 30 minutes in advance to get a spot that’s not even close to school,” said senior Alex Travis. “For someone like me who has one off period a day, I’m unable to park in two-hour parking, and I have to find a spot that’s very far away.”

If LHS were to provide a permanent student parking lot, some argue, these issues would no longer occur. However, Rainis explained, the creation of a lot is easier said than done. Several logistical circumstances have prevented this, including lack of space, the cost of real estate, and the cost of construction. The LHS field cannot be used for parking space since it is necessary for physical education classes and emergency drills.

“Of course,” Rainis agreed, “a [student] parking lot would benefit LHS students. It just isn’t possible at the moment.”