West Springfield High School Newspaper

The Oracle

West Springfield High School Newspaper

The Oracle

West Springfield High School Newspaper

The Oracle

Parking passes provide problems for students: Invading the neighborhood across the street not an option during school day

 
 

Attention! Illegal parking is no more.

Those who live in the neighborhood directly across from the school now need a parking permit to prove they are a resident.

“If you live there, there is a sticker that says you can park,” said senior Emily Esposito.

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The sticker is for residents only, but there is also a permit that can be given to guests visiting during the school day. One look in the car window is all that is needed. Violators will be fined.

“It just says I can park here legally,” said Esposito.

To get a permit you have to prove you are a resident, prove you have a registered vehicle and pay a fee. All that trouble just so you can park on the street in front of your house.

“It is a government conspiracy to make more money,” said sophomore Ricky Erazo.

Though it’s worth the money for some, not all residents agree. Sophomore Katy Tyler is just out of the permit program’s reach. Living over by Cardinal Forest keeps her from enjoying the privileges the parking permit offers.

“It would be so much easier,” said Tyler, “it’s faster than walking to school, just park and go instead of messing with the senior parking lot.”

The permit makes a push for car pools, clearly rewarding those who do. Just pile in one car and all you’ll need is one parking permit.

This method would be completely legal unless the driver was under 18 and therefore could not drive more than one person outside immediate family, according to Virginia law.

“I just have my friends park on my driveway,” said junior Rick Naramore who lives in the neighborhood.

Finding parking near and around the school is a pain. Parking in the neighborhood has always been an issue, and cops would just give tickets to any car parked out front of a house. Now the parking permits make their jobs easier because they can spot those who don’t live there much faster.

“They went down our street and found one of our parking permits and said it wasn’t valid,” said Esposito.

Even with the permits there seems to be trouble. The passes were only meant to make it easier on the police to in force the law and should not be anything to fret over.

“Just ask a resident if you need a pass,” said Esposito.

 

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