At West Forsyth High School, the morning rush no longer comes with steady traffic guidance from management. What was once a carefully managed system has now become a source of frustration, safety concerns, and debate on how West Forsyth can make this a better experience for parents, student drivers and teachers. Without them, the daily drive has shifted to longer waits, tighter merges off the main road, and rowdy parking lots where students struggle to exit.
With $46 million in budget cuts, staff members who once directed the flow of cars at the entrances and exits were instructed to stop, as the school could no longer afford the extra time spent managing traffic. Mark Kephart, who previously served on the school’s traffic management team, has seen firsthand how the changes have reshaped the morning and afternoon routines following the cuts.
“At the beginning of the year, it’s always bad. Like, even last year, we usually got to, like, 4:15 when everybody was cleared out. But by the third day, it was better. This year, everybody is still leaving at 4:20,” Kephart said.
What was once a smooth process has turned into a long, drawn-out wait, with students and parents caught up in the congestion. Kephart believes that this year, the parents who aren’t familiar with the campus, dropping off and picking up students, have made the problem worse prolonging the morning cycle..
“In the mornings, there is nobody to get the people moving out of their cars, and everybody gets backed up–and in the afternoons, it takes an average of fifteen minutes extra every single day.” Kephart said.
Student drivers have also felt the impact of the missing traffic officers, with many students describing the lots and exits as hectic and jammed.
“There’s just a lot of traffic, and there was some last year, even with the traffic control officers, but there is more this year, and I feel like there’ve been a lot more near-accidents because there hasn’t been anyone to control the traffic. I kind of had an experience with that because there have been multiple people that almost crashed into me, because they think they can get there…but they can’t,” senior Csinszka Konyeha said.
This is a good reminder to all students, staff, and parents to drive safely and be patient. Student safety still matters, and hopefully, traffic management will make a comeback. Until then, stay attentive and drive safely.
