WHAT EVERY SCHOOL NEEDS

    If you have ever been to that one busy high school, it is not the best of feelings when sitting in your car with many others lining the school drive-through while sweating bullets as you think about the test you will miss a few minutes on. Hopefully, that has never happened to you and never will. 

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    However, in my freshman year, I had the unfortunate situation of getting stuck in traffic before school started–on finals week. I assumed that I would be early and have a few minutes to stretch and take a breather. However, I  failed to consider the supercharged traffic that virtually tripled as people rushed to get up early into school. Although I came even 15 minutes early, I arrived several minutes late, which ruined my Chemistry final exam. 

 

     Although this situation might have been my first, it definitely wouldn’t be my last. As a current sophomore at Dougherty Valley High School in California, worrying about how much earlier I should come to school shouldn’t be at the top of my priorities. In DVHS, you can find 5-10 minute lines at every school entrance, fully booked by cars on the roads leading up to the school. This same thing is happening in many other schools in our district, leading to unnecessary stress for many students. 

 

    However, I believe in a better solution that would help everyone, lessening car traffic and increasing school transportation by electric 2-wheel vehicles. Just as a book from the library can be borrowed for a few weeks, an electric scooter or bicycle could do the same, offering many students the ability to cut through the morning traffic straight to their next class. Using this transportation can overall divert the amount of traffic generated by cars and at the same time give added incentives. By coordinating with the San Ramon School District school board and Dougherty Valley administration about these ideas, and conducting a school survey to gauge student opinion, I believe that we can make a positive impact on our school community and foster a more traffic-free environment. I also plan to post weekly blog updates and progress reports on this system. As time passes, feel free to contact me if you want to suggest any new ideas or changes.