In July, a new law was passed to prevent students from parking in neighborhoods around the school.
Westglen Farm Drive, Wood Dale Ridge and Edge Wood Manor Lane have new regulations in place during the school day. Drivers are limited to parking on these streets for a maximum of three hours from 8 a.m. through 4 p.m.
“It’s unfortunate that kids go and park there because it creates a nuisance for the people who live there,” Assistant Principal Kirti Mehrotra said.
Sophomore Jennifer Butler lives in one of the neighborhoods protected under the new law. She said that one of the main problems caused by the parked cars was a lack of space.
“I just had to dodge [the cars]. The roads were really clogged, it was tough,” she said.
“Everyone parks on the side of the street, which made it very hard for me when I started to drive,” Butler added.
The main reason students park in the neighborhoods is to get out of paying for a $90 per semester parking pass.
Junior Cole Early, who parks on the school lot said, “I guess they’re trying to cheat out the system, which is kind of smart but also kind of dumb.”
“It’s rude to park in the street, just so you don’t have to pay for something,” Butler said.
Mehrotra added that there are less expensive options available for student drivers, “We have a lot of options for the kids to choose from if they don’t have the money.”
She continued, “They can buy just a semester pass, if they have the money they can buy a full year pass. We have some options for them so they really don’t need to go in the neighborhood and park.”
There are also about 15 spots available for students to park in that cost $5 for a day pass. Parking passes are still on sale in the Junior Office from 3:15-4 p.m.
