At seven in the morning, the last thing we want to do is take a lengthy stroll from the farthest parking spots on the street to the front entrance of the school.

Juniors and seniors (who don’t have designated spots in the senior parking lot) are continuously being forced out of the parking spots along Rolling Road. Rather than taking our time to get to school in the morning, we have to leave earlier and earlier in order to claim a spot in front of the school.

As high school students, many of us are already deprived of sleep. The last thing we want to do is worry about how much earlier we must leave in order to get a well-placed parking spot.

Although we realize that the parking spots on Rolling Road cannot be regulated by the school, we feel that a lesson about parking etiquette is in order. As more students have begun parking in front of the school, the more difficult early-morning commutes have become.

For this reason, we have provided a list of three simple rules to follow when parking on Rolling Road. We believe these will help to convenience the majority of student drivers and decrease the complaints regularly heard from those students, especially juniors, who find the current parking situation an annoyance.

Rule #1: Learn how to measure the space  between your car and the car in front of you. There is nothing more frustrating than having to park on Hillside. Many more spots could be salvaged if students had been considerate of the other drivers. It is necessary for students to realize that leaving two car spaces between them and the car in front of them is rude and inconsiderate.

Rule #2: Similarly, do not park too close to the car in front of or behind you. For instance, if your car’s front bumper is an inch from the other car’s back bumper, you have parked too close and made it nearly impossible for the other person to pull out of their spot. Plus, by leaving an appropriate amount space (not too much!), you decrease the possibility of hitting the cars around you.

Rule #3: Never park in random spots along the shoulder of the road. This sort of behavior makes parking more difficult (especially for those who cannot parallel park). Fill up the parking spots consecutively, whether you are pulling in at the back or the front of the line of cars along the shoulder of the road.

The only free and convenient places to park are on Rolling Road, especially for juniors. Unfortunately, the school cannot make rules on who parks where on a public road. But, as students we can promote good parking etiquette. Please consider these recommendations next time you are parking on the street in front of our school.