By Aaron Strow
Every morning, senior drivers arriving at school are faced with significant challenges when navigating their parking lot. The lot is made of loose gravel, with constant activity creating deep potholes, thick dust, and dangerous conditions. In my opinion, it is time for the school to pave over the senior lot before these daily hazards lead to serious accidents.
Winter maintenance on a gravel lot is inefficient and hazardous since gravel is almost impossible to plow. A common problem faced by seniors as the weather gets colder is the gravel becoming slippery when snow and ice accumulate, creating a rough and unpredictable surface. This can make driving and walking back to school extremely dangerous.
Additionally, the loose gravel can cause ongoing car damage. Gravel can easily gather under tires, leading to cracked windshields, scratched paint jobs, and small dents on cars.
Furthermore, in my opinion, there are serious accessibility issues regarding the unpaved lot. Gravel is much harder to walk on, navigate with skateboards or bikes, or see when it is covered with either snow or ice. Consequently, students attempting to walk across the inconsistent surface are forced to walk carefully in fear of tripping and losing their balance on a rock.
Justin Corniel-Perez, a senior at Irvington High School, said, “Every time I park, rocks hit my car which makes it annoying to drive.”
According to driveway maintenance research by The Driveway Rebuilder, paving the lot with asphalt provides a “smooth and uniform” surface that resists severe weathering and reduces maintenance over a long period of time.
Moreover, Fisher Plows articulates how switching to a paved surface eliminates the severe hazards that are associated with the loose stones during the winter season. By making the surface more predictable, this ensures that winter maintenance is both faster and more effective for maintaining school-safety.
With the upgrades for the track pavement, additions to furniture in classrooms, and further implementations of phone rules, I believe that it is only right if the school officials begin to look more exterior to the school, and towards the senior lot.
Ultimately, the senior lot is an essential component for high school seniors every single day. By replacing the loose gravel with asphalt, the school can protect the student vehicles, remove the icy conditions, and create a safer experience for its students.
