Early in the morning as the sun rises, Kilgore Road is flooded by the cars of students, parents and staff on their way to school causing slow-moving traffic jams for people going to Loy Norrix, along with whoever else gets wrapped up in it. Buses navigate around cars trying to enter the parking lot to get to their next location on time. The congestion can make its way almost down to Westnedge Ave. 

The school week of March 14 began with a change in parking lot procedures. Through April 4, one of the entrances on Lover’s Lane was closed and students were instructed to enter in the Kilgore Road entrance and loop through the parking lot. Once school ended, both entrances on Lover’s Lane were open and students were not allowed to exit onto Kilgore Road. Parents dropping off students looped around the parking lot and back around towards the tower in an attempt to limit traffic backing up onto the road.

As of April 4, the second entrance returned to being open in the mornings, but the drop-off loop around the parking lot will remain in place in order to get more cars off Kilgore Road and into the parking lot.

Students have expressed frustration at this change, due to some experiencing longer waits to enter and exit the parking lot.

‘’It makes it really hard to get to and out of school. Almost every day I’m late getting to school and I’m late going home and I’m late to work because of it,” sophomore Gordon Jennings continued. “At the end of the school day, there’s a big line to get out of the parking lot, and if you’re not the absolute first person to leave then you get stuck in the line for upwards of like 15 minutes and my work starts at 3:00, so I don’t have a lot of time to get there in the first place.”

In response to student worries, principal Christopher Aguinaga, who has also been stepping in to direct traffic himself on occasions, has suggested over the morning announcements that students should wake up earlier to get to school on time. 

“I like that the buses have their own space,” said senior Thomas Frink, “but the new parking lot directions seem very confusing, and for people who may not be able to get out of the house as early, it can cause a lot of problems.” 

Before school, staff members with traffic cones guide drivers through the loop from Kilgore Road and around to exiting in the same place.

Members of Loy Norrix’s National Honor Society (NHS) chapter contemplated stepping in to help guide traffic before school for NHS required community service hours. “I’m open to it,” said NHS advisor Matthew Porco. “I saw security was out there today. I think ultimately find someone who can do it permanently, so I don’t know, and if they have a need and they want kids to earn some community service out there, I’d be fine with it.“ 

“It’s already too early, so I’m not gonna come even earlier to volunteer,” said NHS member Emma Atkinson.

This procedure will likely stay in place until the end of the year as it has alleviated some of the congestion spilling into the surrounding roads, along with the 10 mile per hour speed limit that has been in place since before the school year. With this large number of cars arriving and departing at the same time, it’s difficult to balance traffic on the surrounding roads and traffic in the parking lot. 

“I think it’s just part of the nature of a building with 2 thousand people,” said teacher Christina Holmes.