Traffic troubles at Jenison High School
October 15, 2021
As school comes into full swing the attendees of Jenison High School have to get through the crowds of crawling cars before and after school.
The traffic at Jenison High School looks even worse this year. Students arrive to school later and take much longer to leave after the day is over. Why is the traffic different and how are the students affected?
The best way to get the answer to how this affects the students is to ask them. Josie Bolt is a sophomore at Jenison High School who has experience with the traffic. She says it takes around 20 minutes to get home after school each day, while only living about 2 miles away. In contrast, Brady Swiech, a senior at the high school, takes only 6 minutes to get home while still living about the same distance away. The difference between the two is that Brady gets out of school after 5th hour when there is no after-school traffic, while Josie gets out at the end of the day when the traffic is at its highest. Brady said, “I feel that for me the traffic is not bad, it basically has no effect on me.” Josie on the other hand voiced her dislike with the traffic after school.
Deputy Josh Blanton, the resource officer for Jenison High School, often observes the traffic at the school and the new three-way stop. The three-way stop was put in after the construction on Cottonwood began early this summer. When asked if the three-way stop has lead to any accidents or problems he said, I think I’ve only dealt with one accident on that stretch, one or two accidents. So, nothing major. — Deputy Josh Blanton
The three-way stop may not be everyone’s favorite, but it does have some supporters. “After that stop sign was established, a lot of local residents that live on 24th have called the road commission and talked about how much they like the stop sign because it makes it easier for them to turn on to Bauer.” Deputy Blanton also stated that the three-way stop might be there as a permanent addition even after they finish the construction. After the construction comes to an end the expectation is that some of the traffic will switch to Fillmore, instead of all the traffic going onto Bauer.
The blockage of cars after school may lead to some problems. “Our biggest concern was buses not being able to get in and out at the start and end of school but we haven’t had any complaints with that,” stated Deputy Blanton. While the buses leave the school as intended and on time, the additional time for students getting into the school could cause them to be late to classes. Along with that the traffic after school may impede people’s abilities to get to activities after school, such as work, on time.
Many students have found that the traffic in front of the school burdens them, but with the support of members of the community the three-way stop may be here to stay.