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| Kyle Ferguson defends the new parking restrictions on Putnam Avenue. Students are no longer allowed to park on the street due to safety concerns. |
Putnam parking panic
Kyle Ferguson | 2/21/08 | Opinion
ecently students have been told that they can no longer park on Putnam Avenue. This is both truth and lie. Due to recent and past events, there will now be parking restrictions on this street, but we are not banned completely from doing such.
Many students have created misconceptions as to why these measures are being taken. Some think it’s because that’s the side of the school with the staff parking lot and that they don’t want us to be around there. Others blame it on the fact that it gets rather busy on that street after school. And some just like to think that the people in charge just don’t want us to be there.
The point of the matter though, is that it is a safety issue. “There have been a few fender benders there, and it’s because when you are coming out of that parking lot with cars parked on the side of the street, you can’t see any oncoming cars until you are already in the lane,” says Mrs. Duncan. When I said that we are not banned from parking on Putnam, I was being truthful. Like many of the determined student drivers has already found out, the school can do nothing about us parking on the other side of the street, since it is publicly owned and not by the school. Some of the brave even put signs on their cars saying something along the lines of this, “Dear GHHS Administration: Please stop leaving signs on our cars. I called the Porterville Police Department and they said we could legally park on Putnam since it is a public road, and there are no painted curbs or signs prohibiting us from parking there. Sincerely, GHHS Students.”
While talking to Mrs. Duncan about this issue, she admitted herself that she cannot prevent us from parking across the street from the school. Although, I could tell that she would prefer we not, because it is not as safe as the student parking lot, which can be locked off and stop any potential thieves from at least having a speedy escape.
When the issue is really boiled down to the core, this only actually affects those students who don’t have a 7th period class and leave early. To all the rest, while I know it’s going to just totally and completely inconvenience you because the extra five minutes tops it would take to get out of the student parking lot, please, stop parking on the school side of Putnam. At the bare minimum, you wouldn’t want your precious ride being hit now would you?
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Name: Diana Quijada
Date & Time: Friday, February 29, 2008 11:29 am
Subject: Putnam parking panic |
I think the whole situation is absurd. Students should be able to park there freely because they're causing no harm to others it is actually their responsibility to know the risk they're taking by parking up there. |
Name: Ashley Morrison
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 03:08 pm
Subject: Putnam parking panic |
Kyle,
You told Rachel that the school owns the side of Putnam that is closest to the school. The fact is THEY DON’T! It is the same matter as the road or curb and gutter that is in front of your house. Even though you pay for it, you don’t own it, therefore you can not say who parks there and who does not. The same [goes] for Granite Hills.
-Ashley
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Name: Christopher Cox
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 02:09 pm
Subject: Putnam parking panic |
The day after the first flyer was posted on my vehicle, I began investigating the administration’s claims that students would be ticketed. Upon talking to the Porterville Police Department, I found that they had heard nothing of the situation and, as Steven Dumar said, only painted curbs or "No Parking" signs could prevent anyone from parking on Putnam. The following Monday I parked on Putnam and received the same flyer from the administration. That evening I made a flyer of my own in response to the administration and after that, I didn't receive any more flyers. I heard that a few students received detentions for parking on Putnam. I again called the police department and they informed me that I needed to call the district office in order to discuss disciplinary issues. Thirty minutes later I ended up finding that the superintendent was unavailable so I left a message and have not heard back yet. When I was called into Mr. Land's office, the vice principle, he proceeded to give me a detention. But when I told him that due to unforeseen circumstances I would not be driving for awhile, his whole attitude changed. I told him that as far as my part was concerned the issue was resolved until I began driving again. Also, in a civil manner, I told Mr. Land that I would not comply with a detention for parking on a public road. The issue was dropped. Why should he drop the subject with me and give other students detention? I believe that there may be an issue with parking on the school side of Putnam, but student drivers cannot inhibit view by parking on the far side of Putnam. I would be willing to compromise, but I will not be denied my rights. Mrs. Duncan even denied involvement in the situation, even though she was aware of it. I would like to encourage fellow students to write letters to the superintendent, and to ask their parents to call. This seems like an abuse of power by the administration. Since when is it punishable to park on a public street and then proceed to walk on campus? I would not advise parking on Putnam until this issue has been brought to the superintendent’s attention. |
Name: Morgen
Date & Time: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 02:43 pm
Subject: Putnam parking panic |
I have heard much about this issue, and [I] agree and disagree with Kyle's statement.
I agree about the safety issue with not being able [to see] when people pull out onto the road. But then I also disagree.
I feel that there is nothing wrong with parking across the street.
It's not in anyone’s way. And honestly, there have been so many useless rules made so far this year at GHHS. Can this just be one less issue to worry about?
PARK WHERE YOU PLEASE. |
Name: Kyle R. Ferguson
Date & Time: Monday, February 25, 2008 02:14 pm
Subject: Putnam parking panic |
OK, now that I've noticed that people have reacted to my editorial, let's clear some things up...
To Robert,
You make a good point. I don't know how many times I've been going down that road with a friend and cringed at the sight of another car coming our way. That street is narrow enough as is and adding parked cars and little kids doesn't help at all.
To Rachel,
No, the school doesn't quite own the street, but the school CAN influence whether or not we can park on the school SIDE of the street. Like I said in my paper, the school side of the street is school property, and the other side is public. And it's not the people parking that everyone is worried about, it's the people who can't see the oncoming traffic BECAUSE of the parked cars that have something to worry about.
To Ashley,
OK, OK. I'll give you that. The student parking lot isn't any safer than most other places, but it IS locked off, as one of you pointed out to me. That means that nobody can make a quick escape while stealing anything and it's at least a bit harder to get into than the side of the street. |
Name: Sarah B.
Date & Time: Friday, February 22, 2008 08:04 pm
Subject: Putnam parking panic |
Nice article Kyle. I happen to be one of those students that does not have a 7th period class. When I first found out that I would have to park in the student parking lot I was confused. Mainly because there is no way to get out of the parking lot unless you want to go off road and get into some trouble. But the fact that I have to park in the teachers’ parking lot, with my parking permit in my window to keep myself from receiving a ticket, upsets me. Why do I need to have a permit to park in the school’s parking lot? If I can’t park on the street with or without a parking permit why do I have to have a permit to park in a parking lot? Why punish us for actually being at school?
I completely understand why parking on Putnam is frowned on. Keeping the students and their property safe is important, I understand. But if parking on Putnam is a safety issue, placing all the students who drive in one rather small parking lot will not resolve the issue. The parking lot is overcrowded and extremely dangerous. I can’t count the times I have almost been hit getting into the parking lot.
Please, if safety is the issue, look at a few more ways to fix the problem. Make a new parking lot or something. Add some extra security. But please don’t punish the students for actually being at school. |
Name: Ashley Morrison
Date & Time: Thursday, February 21, 2008 08:10 pm
Subject: Putnam parking panic |
Personally, I think the whole situation is absurd. Students should be able to park where they want to! Even though I park in the student parking lot most of the time, when I come to school late because of doctor’s appointments, I like to have someplace to park since I can’t get into the student parking lot because it is locked.
Now maybe some of the office staff, or even staff in general, have suggested that by students parking in the student parking lot that it stops any potential thieves breaking into their cars. However, I have known plenty of students that have had radios, money, speakers, and other such belongings stolen out of their cars while parked in the student parking lot. Most students may be under the impression that there [are] video cameras in the student parking lot so if anything would happen to their car, then they would be able to go to the office and find out who or what was behind the mischief. Truth be told, after a good friend of mine had a radio stolen out of his car, he went to the office and found out that the cameras only can capture so much of the parking lot and that there was no way to see who had got into his car to steal his radio.
Maybe just maybe if the school would have a better security and work around certain students schedules then more students would be willing to park in the student parking lot. |
Name: Robert Jones
Date & Time: Thursday, February 21, 2008 07:21 pm
Subject: Putnam parking panic |
Kyle, I completely understand the reasoning behind shutting down parking on Putnam. The only thing that bothers me is that the school still allows temporary parking for the day care drop offs on the street that Putnam turns into. I can't tell you how many times I've had to hit the brakes or swerve into the other lane because a mother and her child are standing in the middle of the street after getting out of their car. That street is already a tight squeeze for two mid-sized cars to fit through, but when you have other cars already parked there it makes it extremely difficult to drive through there without cleaning anybody out on your way. Normally I wouldn't care if it was just adults or the elderly who were at danger, but the fact that children (who are hard enough to see as it is) are within the vicinity worries me a little. The tight parameters also presents a problem for people heading that way after coming out of the student parking lot. I'm honestly surprised there haven’t been any head-on collisions caused by cars having to make a wide turn to avoid the parked cars only to head straight into an on-coming vehicle.
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Name: Mae
Date & Time: Thursday, February 21, 2008 06:26 pm
Subject: Putnam parking panic |
| Kyle, you didn't add the fact that students who are caught will be issued some form of discipline, like a detention or something. I'm not sure if it's every student, but I know that some kids have gotten a detention for parking over there. |
Name: Rachel Ybarra
Date & Time: Thursday, February 21, 2008 03:07 pm
Subject: Putnam parking panic |
This infuriates me greatly!!! Christopher Cox and I put those signs on our window so we would stop getting flyers on our windshields telling us to not park on Putnam. Putnam is a city street. The school does not own this street so they cannot put regulations on where we park. They may ask very politely but that’s as much as they can do. Mr. Land should not be allowed to give detention out to students who park there. If people want to park on Putnam and get hit, then let them do it. Unless there is a posted sign by the city stating we can not park there or the curb [is] painted red, then students should be allowed to park on Putnam Avenue. |
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