Over the summer, Greenbrier East High School decided to pave the student parking lot. In the past the lot was only gravel, which led to parkers taking up more than their share of space. This left students arriving later unable to find parking or forced them to park in illegal or inconvenient spots. The fact that East has now paved the lot and painted and numbered the spots fixes this problem. Now students can arrive at school and not have to worry about finding a spot.
The new car park also improves safety. For example, there is now less of a chance to pop a tire with glass or a loose screw. Another safety issue used to be the big clouds of dust stirred up when students exited the gravel lot at the end of the school day; the dust led to dust inhalation and reduced visibility. Asphalt, on the other hand, is easier to maintain in all four seasons and is more cost-effective in the long run. For all these reasons, many believe the paved lot is a good idea.
Some people, however, disagree–or at least disagreed initially. Because the paving was not complete by the first day of school, many students were upset about having to park behind the car park, which made an already long walk to class even longer during those first two weeks of school. Paving was supposed to be a quick and easy job over the summer, and its delay turned the first few days into chaos.
The biggest reason students don’t like the newly paved lot, however, is that they have been assigned numbered spots. Many are annoyed due to the fact that they no longer can park where they want to, or can no longer park beside their friends. The narrowness of the spots is also a problem: When pulling into a spot you have to swing it wide and be careful not to hit your neighbor. Finally, some kids who drive longer-wheelbase cars also have problems with their tail or front end sticking out.
Greenbrier East’s decision to pave the student lot was overall a satisfactory experience, with some complications. East’s administration could’ve done better with the timing of the paving of the lot; however, in the end, it worked out and students are happy they don’t have to park in the messy gravel anymore.
