Parking lot and traffic jams leave students questioning new turf fields

With the construction of new sports fields at the Lindbergh center, the HHS parking lot has seen a welcoming of new cars altering the flow of traffic. Despite these changes, Sofia Yunis, senior, has not found too many disruptions in her daily parking routine.

“It’s not making as much of a difference as I thought it would, just because for the past few years, a lot of parents have still been ignoring the drop-off at Lindbergh. There are a few more cars, but it’s not terrible,” Yunis said.

Construction at Lindbergh includes new synthetic turf ball fields and renovating two existing natural turf ball fields. With construction being six weeks behind schedule, the current state of the HHS parking lot may continue to cause delays for students and parents alike.

“I don’t think switching parking from Lindbergh to the parking lot is worth it for the new sports fields because I think the fields were fine,” Yunis said. “They could have done with a little bit more grooming, but I don’t think it was necessary or really smart to spend the whole budget on the new fields.”

In the midst of all the parking changes, Amber Forbort, junior, is in the process of obtaining her driver’s license. While the price of a parking pass has dropped from $300 to $250, Forbort has other challenges to take into consideration.

“The changes in parking make me nervous because for someone that has never necessarily liked to park, I don’t think it will be easier knowing that I have to park with a bunch of aggressive drivers,” Forbort said.

Forbort also worries about how the increased congestion in the HHS parking lot will interfere with her ability get to and from school everyday.

“With it all being in the front of the school, you have to deal with both the people that are dropping off and all of the other people that are trying to park, so it’s a lot more chaotic,” Forbort said. “It makes it harder to park because there are less spaces too.”

It is estimated that construction of the fields will be completed by the end of the season. While the parking situation will remain the same for the next couple of months, Yunis may have to take matters into her own hands in terms of learning to operate her vehicle.

“The hardest thing about parking in the HHS parking lot, personally for me it’s because I don’t know the length of my car. I always have to get out of my car and check if I’m in the parking spot all the way, because I have no depth perception,” Yunis said.