Students Scramble to Avoid Tickets

Parking is the perennial issue in Westfield, as drivers seek to find a space to park their cars hoping not to come back to find a ticket on their windshield. The issue permeates all age groups, including the high school.

The high school contains no student parking lot and street parking surrounding the Dorian Road building is limited, with many streets posting limited parking hours. Students say enforcement has been aggressive in the neighborhood. As the school year ends, the parking issue becomes worse as juniors gain their licenses, adding to the seniors who already have licenses.

“I have been driving to school for the past two years and it has been a constant hassle,” said senior Matt Karnofsky, “I have to get to school 20 minutes earlier than I should just so I can get a spot within a reasonable walking distance.”

Parking is available on many streets surrounding WHS, but with so many students driving to school, there simply are not enough spots. Students are found to circle the neighborhood, depending on when they arrive, hoping to find a legal spot.

Another difficulty that is added to the high school parking equation is the large number of two-hour parking spots. On two streets in very close proximity to the school, Codding Road and Trinity Avenue, only one half of the street is available for all-day parking. Dorian Road is also reserved for two-hour parking only, making students very vulnerable to receiving parking tickets.

“Since there are so many restrictions on where I can park, I often end up having a sizeable walk to school. I can’t count how many times I have been late to first period because of it,” said senior Andy Flood.

While downtown businesses have complained about the ticketing of cars in downtown lots, students believe they have been targeted by the police. Erin Cahill, who is graduating from the high school tonight, believes the police are taking advantage of school rules which prevent students from being able to easily move their cars around in the two-hour-only spaces surrounding the high school.

“I have gotten multiple tickets for being in two-hour parking for too long," Cahill said. "However, the rules that tell us when we can leave the high school make it difficult for students to move their cars on time. All I’m trying to do is get to school on time."

Students are permitted by the administration to leave the school only during periods five to eight. This leaves only a window of over four hours from when classes commence and when students can leave the building to move their cars. Students, including Cahill, said this is when they receive tickets.

WHS Principal Peter Renwick acknowledges the fact that something has to be done to improve the current parking situation. He said there have been discussions about a potential long term plan, including potential student parking at the Armory.

“I am well aware that there is a parking issue and that there is a long history of this being a problem here," he said.