All students are familiar with the 8:00 AM check-in battle, as it is something that occurs every morning. Students have tried complaining, they have tried begging for the return of those last five minutes between 8:00 and 8:05, and they have tried intentionally showing up late in mass numbers in protest, but nothing has worked. On a daily basis, large numbers of students are receiving detentions for showing up to school at 8:01.
The main reason for this chronic lateness? The absurdly long backup in the drop off circle. The line has been known to stretch through the back gate, at a complete stand-still, causing even students who are on campus at 7:50 to arrive at school in time to sign in tardy. This phenomenon happens at least two times a week. What teachers and students alike are trying to figure out is how the size of drop off line has suddenly become the bane of punctuality.
In fact, the answer is quite simple: the merge lane in the upper school circle is being completely ignored.
Merge lanes exist for a reason. They exist to direct the flow of traffic in a way that gets drivers where they need to be in a more efficient fashion than using one lane would accomplish. Instead of one-lane of traffic handling cars from the front and back gates, there is an extra lane to accommodate traffic coming from both directions.
Merge lanes are not difficult to use either. Anyone who has driven on a highway can safely and effectively use a merge lane, and if there is still confusion, the school has been nice enough to put up a sign with visual instructions on how to use the lane in the drop off circle. Drivers simply take turns pulling into the gaps in traffic.
Although there is apparently an unspoken rule against using the merge lane, it is a rule that makes almost no sense. Using the merge lane creates two rows of cars going around the circle and a traffic lane that moves fluidly, instead of one large lane that is backed up to Hamilton road. Using the lane would not only increase the speed and efficiency of morning drop off, but it would also dramatically decrease the number of tardy’s and detentions received for lateness.
Written by Sarah Fornshell’15
