Cars are backed up from the intersection of North San Antonio and Almond all the way to the high school, as one lone car waits to make a left turn. Even when it is finally able to enter the parking lot, it circles endlessly, praying that there is a spot closer than the far back corner. Finally, it pulls into a non-existent spot.

This is enough to make anyone frustrated. What is the cause of this terrible morning routine? The answer is simple: There is not enough parking.

As the amount of drivers grows, the size of the parking lot doesn’t change. This results in a combination of lack of parking spots and traffic congestion. The administration needs to develop a way for providing for the larger amount of drivers that is still steadily increasing.

Finding a parking spot should not turn into a game of musical chairs, and maneuvering the local streets should not be nervewracking.

Students have offered potential options that the school may consider.

“Number the spots so that people could park there every day,” junior Taylor Lynch said.

“Get rid of the preschool and replace it with more parking spaces,” sophomore Emma Carr said.

“Use big traffic cones [to direct traffic],” sophomore Sean Armstrong said.

But short of tearing down surrounding houses and constructing a larger parking lot while widening Almond Avenue, the traffic dilemma has to be resolved with what the school already has to work with.

The problem has to be dealt with from both sides; from the administration pushing for parking-friendly policies, and students being more aware of their actions.

One such action that the school should encourage is the use of the drop-off look in front of the textbook room and tutorial center. Parents often choose to wait in the front of the school when picking up their kids, which bottlenecks traffic within the parking lot.

Perhaps the greatest roadblock to happy parking are the prominent “No Parking” signs on Valencia Drive and Alicia Way (and of course, Almond. That would be ridiculous.). Though local residents may insist that teenagers are a menace to society, the school should push for these streets to be opened up to meet the growing demand for parking spots, especially for students without parking permits.

Many of these students, who have chosen to park illegally because of the restrictions, have been forced to consider alternatives when the administration started checking for permits regularly. Creating legal alternatives to drivers that are faced with the conflict between parking illegally and arriving in class on time and parking in the back of the school and making the arduous voyage across the soccer field.

Rather than just ensure that those with parking permits are treated fairly, the school should not forget the other drivers.