Why Does Traffic Seem Like it’s Growing Every Year?!

Can you imagine the absolute chaos that is trying to exit the Bon Secour Wellness Arena? The almost 16,000 people rushing out of one place and at the same time is a hectic scene. Horns honking, bright headlights shining, and mindless pedestrians running across the parking lot can be overwhelming for even the most expert of drivers. Now, imagine THIS amount of chaos, but in the parking lot of Hillcrest High School, and for every waking day of the school year…

Although the population of the school hasn’t changed much, it still feels as if the traffic in the parking lot has grown in the past few years. And after asking around various students and staff members, I am not the only one who shares this sentiment. Many attending Hillcrest feel that traffic has gotten a lot worse, even though there has been little to no uptick in students. So, how could this be? How is there almost no difference in students attending our school; yet, many feel a universal feeling of the traffic gradually growing?

To this, Dr. Jarrett has an answer, stating, “One of the biggest contributors and we saw this, this trend ever since COVID happened there are far fewer bus riders now as a percentage of the total population than there was in pre-COVID.” He puts this situation in another way by saying, “Let’s say we got 2300 kids now, like, oh, that 2300, we only have like 500 bus riders. Now when, before COVID, if we had 2300 kids, we would’ve had like 1000 bus rides. So there’s a lot more people driving.” As I write this down, I realize that I am a part of this statistic myself. I used to ride the bus to and from school, but after COVID, I became a full-time care rider. So, much of Dr. Jarrett’s explanation began to make much more sense. 

After this informative discovery, I began to ask Dr. Jarrett about ways we could improve our traffic situation for parents, staff, and students alike. His solutions are simple, saying that a lot of us have the same mindset of coming and leaving in a matter of minutes when that just is not feasible. He says, “we gotta realize there’s 2,400 kids, about 2000 of those kids are all leaving at 3:45. 2000 kids, all leaving here at the same time, plus all of their parents for like a thousand of those kids. So we got 3000 people all trying to get outta here, and everyone’s like, “get out my way”. So if everyone just kind of chilled and, and lowered the expectation a little, meaning don’t try to get in and outta here in five minutes, you gotta just realize that’s probably going.” 

While he says this, we look around the carpool that was void of almost all traffic. “Well, that was quick”, I say. And he responds with, “Yeah. So if, if you’re a student or a parent and you don’t want to fight all the traffic, and I don’t blame them, I mean, patience is not exactly my strongest word myself. I’ll wait until 4:05. Yeah. To leave as a kid or as a parent. If I’m a parent at Hillcrest, I can tell you right now, I ain’t arriving until 4:05.”

And in the end, whether it be in day-to-day life or in the school parking lot, “patience” is something we could all use a little more of.