City, students talk traffic at Moses Lake High School

MOSES LAKE — Some of the students in her civics class at Moses Lake High School didn’t really see the point of studying civics, said MLHS teacher Gaynor Edwards. They argued their vote doesn’t mean much, if anything, so Edwards said she challenged them to see what would happen if they put the principle behind civics to the test.

“The students had an issue,” she said, so she challenged them to work with city officials to find a solution, or at least start working on a solution.

The objection, of course, is that high school students don’t really have the kind of issues that need the attention of city officials. That’s real-life stuff – permits, licenses, things like that – not high school.

Well. Anybody who’s tried to get in or out of the parking lot at MLHS knows there’s plenty of real life every school day, especially around 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Moses Lake High School and its parking lot were built for about 1,600 students, and the current student population is somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,300 students. All of those students are trying to get in and out of MLHS off Sharon Avenue, which wasn’t built for 2,300 students either.

Jake Mooney explained some of the problems to a bystander. Mooney is a senior and one of the students who took Edwards up on her challenge.

The students invited city officials to see for themselves, on Friday afternoon when most kids leave school, about 3 p.m.

A lot of kids in a lot of cars are trying to get out of the parking lot, all at the same time. Long lines, long waits, and it can be frustrating for kids who have to get to work or who just are trying to go home, Mooney said. The kids trying to get out of the parking lot have to factor in bus traffic, as well as pedestrians, kids who don’t or can’t drive. Kids walking away from MLHS are trying to cross Sharon Avenue, and classes are dismissed at Garden Heights Elementary about the same time, which means more pedestrians. Some students are turning right on Sharon Avenue, others are turning left, other drivers are trying to get into the parking lot, which often involves a left turn off Sharon – in short, there’s a lot going on.

Municipal services director Fred Snoderly, city engineer Richard Law and public works supervisor Mike Morrow listened to the students’ presentation of their ideas to help alleviate the congestion.

The students analyzed traffic in the parking lot, and came up with the suggestion to designate it as one-way during peak times. Cars would go around the parking lot perimeter to exit, and the left turn lane would be moved to a different location. The students also proposed a crosswalk at the high school entrance. They suggested a no-parking zone on Sharon Avenue in the area around MLHS, to provide better sight lines.

Law said the students had done a lot of thinking, a lot of analysis, and had some good ideas. But real life being real life, the proposal needed some adjustment.

The crosswalk location was a problem because there is no sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. The MLHS parking lot entrance is pretty narrow and might have to be widened. And while the city owns the street, the Moses Lake School District owns the parking lot, and a number of property owners are involved on the opposite side of the street. All of those parties would have to work together.

Nevertheless, Law said the students came up with some good ideas, and some of their proposals merit further consideration. Edwards said she wanted the students to keep working on it.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.