Our school faces a danger in need of a solution. Over a thousand students arrive at Aragon every day, attempting to reach their classes before the first period bell rings. However, the traffic on Woodland Avenue and the amount of cars that flood into the student parking lot every morning pose serious threats to the safety of both Aragon and Baywood students.
Although the official student drop-off site for Aragon students is on Alameda, parents are hesitant to use it because it is difficult to make U-turns in the middle of heavy morning traffic and also to navigate among the congestion that forms from the the limited space on Alameda.
Thus, parents have taken to driving into the student parking lot and dropping their children off near the CTE wing, even though the lot is reserved only for Aragon students with parking permits. This forms a long line of cars on Woodland Avenue of both parents and students attempting to turn into the lot. If a security guard is there to prevent parents from coming into the lot, parents will stop in the middle of the road as their child gets out of the car. This slows down the students and has led to many tardies for first period classes.
Adding to the concern, Baywood Elementary School, located right next to Aragon, changed its kindergarten school schedule to an 8 a.m. start time. The congestion is exacerbated by Baywood parents exiting their drop-off sit that feeds directly into the traffic. Additionally, many Baywood parents park in the student parking lot or on Alameda and cross Woodland Ave. to walk their children up to Baywood, creating a huge safety concern.
This is quite the mess — parents and students driving on Woodland Avenue, lines of cars trying to turn on Alameda, Aragon students crossing Woodland Avenue, and Baywood kindergartners crossing Woodland Ave.
As the numbers of student drivers increases during second semester and Baywood children continue to dangerously cross the busy, congested street, the Outlook believes that this concern demands a solution now.
The layout of the drop-off situations creates an impossible solution, however, we believe the most effective way to mitigate these concerns is to separate the drop-off sites of students and parents to create a continuous flow. We are proposing to open up the road to the Aragon theater as a drop off for students. By doing so, Aragon will be guaranteeing a more substantial option for both the student drivers and parents. Furthermore, Baywood will need to adjust their start time to eliminate congestion resulting from the drop off. This creates a continuous stream of cars that will lead to a more efficient system. We think that Aragon needs a more effective drop-off zone in order to ensure the safety and punctuality of all the students in the area, and using this road seems to be the best way to do this.
