In the midst of orange cones and road closed signs, getting into the CHS parking lot can be difficult. New water leaks have caused the entrance to the lot to be blocked off, along with most of 5th Street between Kingsley, Cathrine and Detroit Street. Even with these added difficulties, students with cars have something else to worry about: the parking situation.
Seniors with a pass on their cars are allowed to park in specific parts of the lot—spots 6061 to the north entrance and 6031 to the south entrance—but non-seniors are left to find street parking. Around CHS, most of the streets are 2-hour parking only, and 4-hour or non-time-limited, free parking is often a 10+ minute walk away from the school.
The solution for other schools is to ask their students to purchase their parking passes for a guaranteed spot; Skyline’s is $50, Huron’s is $65, and Pioneer’s is $75. CHS’s pass is free, with the uncertainty of a spot and the chance of a ticket if you have to park on the street.
Senior Emma Goblirsch has found that her morning schedule has changed somewhat drastically from junior to senior year. She finds herself in the lot at 7:30 each morning, just to get a spot.
“If I’m running late, it’s not just about missing class anymore,” Goblirsch said. “If I don’t get [a spot], I have to drive around, trying to find free, untimed parking.”
She believes that street parking is a gate-kept subject, and finds that the buses don’t come on time and are untrustworthy, so if Goblirsch has to drive to school, she finds herself in a challenging situation. Goblirsch also knows that the number of parking spots available in Ann Arbor is getting reduced, leading to more stress and frequent tickets. She has gotten a ticket herself.
“I don’t think students should have to worry about getting tickets,” Goblirsch said. “There’s no evident solution, but no one really tells you where to park. It’s something you have to figure out yourself, and it kind of feels like you’re thrown into the deep end.”
For CHS junior Rowan Kim, the fact of non-guaranteed parking isn’t a worry for him. He’s always been able to find a spot on the streets and has gotten away ticket-free.
“I mean, realistically, it’s not getting any better,” Kim said. “Maybe they could give us residential permits so we could park closer and not get ticketed. But I doubt that would happen.”
He has also noted that construction has made it difficult to get around the city, and found that parking far away is a nice alternative because the construction is walkable. Kim isn’t sure if he is going to park in the lot, as the seniors tend to get to the lot upwards of 7:45, before some of the CHS staff.
“You kind of gotta accept that [parking will be hard],” Kim said. “There are so many other benefits to the school. Because we’re downtown, there are places to park no matter what, it’s just they might be inconvenient or expensive, but I feel like everybody who can drive finds a place to park that’s free.”
