More snow means more snow banks. More snow banks mean less parking spots for students. Once again, LHS has reached the bad parking season. Where students try to squeeze their cars too close to others, or worse, leave them where they don’t belong, in the fire lanes and teacher’s lot.
Many students at Leominster High park in fire lanes and the teacher’s lot due to the apparent lack of room. However, that doesn’t make the places they park all that smart either.
School Resource Officer Jody Kwan here at LHS said that “even if a fire lane isn’t properly marked you shouldn’t be parking there, and after break the snow will be cleared from the parking lot.”
Our sophomore dean of students Steven McCaughey went out “patrolling” for cars that were parked illegally and gave all of them a sticker that said they would all be ticketed if they were found there again. Yet, the students who parked in the fire lane weren’t totally to blame.
There was no sign denoting the fire lane, making it improperly marked.
Officer Kwan also mentioned that there were cars parked on the sidewalk in a few places, as well as cars parked facing the opposite direction of traffic. Both not allowed.
She recommended that people pay attention to the direction of traffic flow and get here early enough to find a legal spot on campus before there is a chance of parking illegally.
Driver’s Ed Instructor Darryl Robichaud was asked about the illegal parking and he said,” The parking situation is both disappointing and dangerous from a public safety standpoint.”
In previous years, people have parked down Kingman Drive on the CTEi side of campus and gone down to Exchange Street and taken the corner.
The ongoing construction of the new track field in the rear of the building will also add more parking for the teachers and free up space in the current teachers’ lot. In addition, the Seniors leaving in May will free up spots.
If you have any questions about proper places to park, please reach out to the SRO’s here in the building to avoid being ticketed or towed.
