My morning routine can be narrowed down to a few daily constants: eggs and toast for breakfast, hitting every possible red light on Falls Road and waiting over 15 minutes each day simply to get in the CHS senior parking lot.

The first two of these constants I have grown to accept as a natural part of life, but the third I have steadily begun to hate with a vengeance. The chaos and simple frustration of the area affectionately called the senior lot has grown too large to handle.

The problem stems from the fact that teachers, students and parents all use the same two-lane road to get to CHS. No matter whether you go by a bus, bike or automobile, Gainsborough Road is a mess in the morning. In my opinion, however, it is by far the worst for those who have the responsibility of driving themselves to school.

What makes matters more difficult is that there are only two possible entrances to the senior lot. The entrance to the staff lot, which is next to the senior lot can act as a short cut to the senior lot but is heavily guarded by a CHS security guard who only allows teachers in. The second entrance leads to both the senior lot and the student drop off lane, causing both parents and seniors to cram into the same one-lane road.

Though there are days where all goes well and I can reach my parking spot in under a minute, other days simply are a disaster. On one rainy day earlier this year it seemed that every parent in the county was driving their child to CHS, causing a line that almost stretched all the way back to Cabin John MS.

According to security guard Jeff McGowan, the current system works best at ensuring safety, and it would be difficult to find another area for the student drop-off lane.

This does not mean, however, that other options should not be explored.

An easy way to help with traffic would be to make a distinction between the lane for students and the lane for parents. Though there is enough room for two cars to enter the senior lot at one time, oblivious drivers often clog up the lane and prevent more cars from getting through. This can easily be fixed by painting a dividing line between the two lanes.

Like the entrance to the teacher lot and the “A Lot” on the other side of the building, the senior lot also would benefit from a security guard to mediate traffic in the morning. A security guard could help to prevent impatient drivers from cutting in the lane and creating traffic, and would also make sure that people who should not enter the lot do not enter the lot.

It is worth it to students for the administration to fix current parking issues. Students at CHS are stressed enough as it is, and having to wait a lifetime simply to get to the building is one problem that could be easily avoided.