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Parents on the morning of Sept. 5 Leave through Tiger Drive after dropping off their students at school. Photo by Carter Hanefeld.
Morning madness Increased traffic causes headaches for all involved Carter Hanefeld
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hanefcar000@hsestudents.org
enior Oliver Hazel began his day much like he has years prior. He woke up at 6:50 and left the house at 7:00. However, instead of getting to school at his usual time, he arrived much later. “Last year, I got to school at 7:15. Now, it’s 7:20 or 7:25,” Hazel, who takes 126th St., said. While five to ten minutes may not seem like a lot, it could sometimes be the difference between getting a parking spot or getting a tardy. This congestion is not just seen at 126th and Hoosier, but all around the school. “In the morning, we’re dealing with buses and cars trying to turn in, both from 131st and 126th, then also cars trying to leave the school,” School Resource Officer Matt Ruhnow said. “On a given day, we are out there till past 7:30.” While traffic can fluctuate from year to year, this year has seen a universal increase. Officer Ruhnow noted that there are significantly more car riders this year than any year prior, and this falls in line with the observations made by some of the student body. “I think it could be the fact that classes are getting bigger as more people move into the district,” senior Ben Johnson, who comes from Hoosier Road, said. Johnson also said that the influx of transfer
students from HSE might be part of the issue. Wherever the issue is coming from, the idea that increased class sizes are a contributing factor to congestion is backed by the numbers. When the school opened, it had 1,700 students. Now, it is around 3,600. Furthermore, with the increased development of Fishers and population growth, that number is projected to continue rising. One proposed solution was the expansion of roads. “The state has refused to expand the roads, mainly because it is a problem that only exists for thirty minutes in the morning, and thirty minutes after school, and it is not economically viable to spend millions of dollars for an hour long issue,” Officer Ruhnow said. With that in mind, what the administration is left with is an ever-growing population contained in a finite space, like increasing helium in a balloon, and eventually, it will pop. However, the administration is looking for ways to solve the problem. “We have a traffic study in the works for sometime in the future, but at the end of the day, we’re willing to take suggestions from anyone,” Officer Ruhnow said. “This isn’t just one person making all the decisions. Let’s all work together, because getting traffic in and out safely is what’s most important.”
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