Mornings at Carlmont are a nightmare. There are no two ways about it. The traffic is terrible. Space is limited in Carlmont parking lots. Only the first 100 seniors get to park in the senior lot, and things only get more difficult for juniors.

Invariably, the senior lot fills, and students are forced to find parking on nearby roads every morning. Drake Lem, a senior said, “Yeah the senior lot gets full everyday. I park there but I have to get to school at 7:30 to make sure I get my spot.”

This problem is even worse for juniors, as there is no special lot for them, so parking is always tightly contested.

Henson Kwok, a junior said, “Parking is tight. I have to almost drive on the wrong side of the road for a few seconds to even get to a reasonably close spot to school.”

Despite this, the parking system is prone to human error, and thusly, opportunity rears its head.

Chula Vista Drive is chock full of cars jostling for nearby parking every morning, while El Verano remains relatively untouched.

This inefficiency is exploited by the observant few who decide that the cost-reward analysis weighs heavily in favor of parking on El Verano, despite its marginally higher transit time to class.

Short of mandatory use of public transit, Carlmont will always be plagued by traffic and parking problems.

This unfortunate reality is counterweighted by the fact that people will flock to wherever they think is the best spot to park, while the enterprising student will rationally weigh the pro’s and con’s of a certain spot, and ultimately find the most efficient spot to park.