If you drive to or are driven to school, it’s more than likely you’ve waited in the long line of traffic that extends down both Wible Run and Anderson Road. The traffic usually begins to back up at 7 AM, just 14 minutes before the first period bell rings.

At this time, there is an influx of students and parents driving into the school in order to make it to school on time. This ultimately causes a traffic surge as everyone is trying to get into the building at once. A chain of cars leads many students to be late to school and change the time that they leave their house to avoid the long line.

“I usually get dropped off at school pretty early every day, but once in a while I get there around 7 am from the upper entrance, passing the tennis courts. At that time, sometimes I have to wait nearly 20 minutes with an endless line of cars ahead of me from both sides, making many students late or just make it at the first period bell. I think it takes a long time especially since there is only one lane to drop off kids in the morning,” senior Ella Katona said.

Officer Frank Spiker explained that the problem lies with volume of cars. There are two roads to get into the school and they merge into  only one road through the drop off area. There are roughly 500 to 600 cars that enter in about a 35 minute period, which is a lot of volume. Spiker also notices that the volume has increased this year due to more student drivers and parents who drive their kids to school.

With so many people entering the school at once, there are often complaints about the one-point entry system that only allows students to enter the front of building. Spiker also sees the one point entry method that is currently being used as the best way to let students into school safely and ensure those who are entering the school are authorized. He also believes this method is the easiest to manage, especially with the low staffing outside.

“We want to make sure anybody who is unauthorized to be here is making their way in. I’m able to secure that point in an emergency situation…we never want to jeopardize safety for convenience,” Spiker said.

While it can be frustrating and inconvienient for those in the traffic, Spiker does not see it as an actual problem.

“I don’t see it as a problem, I see it as a choice. Do you want to get here early, or get here right on time? Because [if you get here right on time] you’ll have to deal with the traffic. We have a lot of folks who are thinking the same way, we’re creatures of habit, we’re all doing the same thing,” Spiker said.