No parking on Kingman Drive…What an idea!

I think I remember a post a while back about the parking situation at Leominster High School.

Is Leominster High School creating its own traffic and parking problems? 

Apparently Sgt. Michael Goldman of the Leominster Police Department reads my blog and decided to take my advice as you can read in the article below in today’s Sentinel.

Proposal would nix parking on Kingman Drive

Just kidding Mike! I’m sure you came up with the idea on your own. Nonetheless, it’s a great idea and I think it should be seriously considered. I do commend Sgt. Goldman for bringing this idea to the City Council.

The main arguments from the students and administrators are as follows:

“…the city should expand the existing parking lots so students don’t have to risk tardiness and fender-benders to find a spot before school.” – GET UP EARLIER!!!

“If they banned parking on Kingman, we’d have to be here before 7 (a.m.),”  GET UP EARLIER!!!

“…as underclassmen receive licenses throughout the year, more students bring cars to school, overtaxing the fewer than 300 spaces on campus.” GIVE OUT FEWER PARKING PERMITS!!!

“I think there’s a perception by some that kids are bringing cars to school because they just want to drive to school …” WAKE UP!!! THEY BRING CARS SO THEY CAN JET AT LUNCH TIME AND BLOW OFF THE REST OF THE DAY!!!

I think the administration at Leominster High has missed the boat on this one. Did they forget that driving is a privilege not a right. Especially for a 17 year old kid. Limit the number of parking passes that are given out. How many after school jobs start within 1/2 hour of school getting out? Is that really a problem?

How about going to athletic events? Aren’t the athletic events associated with the school? How about scheduling the after school practice at a time that will allow all students to get their on time by taking the bus?

It’s very simple. Eliminate the parking on Kingman Drive, limit the number of parking permits given out, and stop coming up with excuses as to why 17 year old kids need to be driving to school!!!

Where is the monument for Brandon Martinez

It’s very simple…

Why can’t either the City of Leominster or the Leominster School Department do something to remember this kid who was killed?

Build a monument, put a bench there, plant a tree…

Do Something!!!

Is Leominster High School creating its own traffic and parking problems?

The Sentinel recently ran an article about the traffic and parking problems at Leominster High School. Basically there is too much traffic and not enough parking. But is there something that the administrators at the high school can do themselves to alleviate the problems?

I went to Leominster High although I did not have a car. Many of my friends did and many of the ones that had cars lived close enough that they could very well have walked to school but who wants to be seen walking to high school right?

I’d like to suggest a solution to the parking problem that will then help to ease the traffic problems on Granite and Exchange St. I think the only way to help the traffic is to decrease the number of students driving to school so I will offer my parking solution and the traffic problem should be somewhat mitigated although it will never go away. It’s up to the faculty and administrators to step up and make some immediate changes to their parking policies if they want to see changes.

First thing…figure out exactly how many parking spaces the school has on-site. Actually the very first thing to do is to put No Parking signs on Kingman Drive. Parking should be limited to striped spaces only. The recent accident on Kingman Drive should be evidence enough that that road isn’t wide enough to accomodate on-street parking. It’s narrow and winding and clearly an unsafe road.

The second thing along with figuring out how many parking spaces their are in the various lots is to figure out how many are required for the staff. After designating the staff parking, whatever is left is for the students except for a small number of spots that should be designated for visitors.

Rather than allowing all Seniors and Juniors to drive to school, have a lottery. Only give out as many parking permits as the school can accomodate in the on-site parking areas. Maybe there is an opportunity to create a little more parking but I’m sure they look at that option every year. First you start with Seniors, draw names to see who gets parking permits. If all seniors are accomodated, go to the Juniors and maybe a few Juniors get parking permits too.

Not only should they limit the number of parking permits that are issued, they should restrict the issuance of parking permits to students that live a certain distance from the school. If  you live less than 1 mile or so from the school there is no excuse not to be able to walk.

With all the hoopla around the environment and preserving the ozone layer and carbon emissions, it would do everyone good if more people walked to school. Maybe offer students that ride bikes to school some sort of reward like each time a student rides a bike to school they get entered into a drawing for something like a computer or maybe a new bike.

What about the problem with obesity in high school students? I think some of those kids need to do more walking for the health benefits. I don’t mean to be disrespectful but kids these days are a lot lazier then they were years ago. Obesity is a real problem. Am I right?

Now the downside to my idea is that there is a potential for more students needing to be bussed to school but by limiting the parking privelages to students that truly need transportation, you aren’t picking up new bussing students. The kids that lose parking privelages because they live too close to the school wouldn’t qualify for bussing anyways.

Now I don’t have the figures on how many parking permits are given out now and how many students park on Kingman Drive but I think it’s worth looking into. The benefits are sure to outway the drawbacks. I’m sorry if a group of students are going to get mad because they have to walk to school but maybe somebody can start a carpool service or something. Get creative…

Do you have any ideas to help the parking/traffic problem at Leominster High School?

I’d love to hear them…