Driving to Vanden High School in the morning is an obstacle course as traffic builds before and after the school day. Incidents like car collisions or closed roads delay the time it takes to drive to school; the combination of students, parents, teachers, and buses create difficulty for drivers to find a quick way out after school.

Although the first class period begins at 7:50am, most students need to arrive earlier to avoid any stress of traffic. “I leave around 7 so I get to school around 7:15,” says Vanden Junior, Tristin Castro.“The traffic in the student parking lot is way too much. It’s hard to get in and out,” As car accidents and traffic levels are unpredictable, the safest decision may be to “beat the traffic.”

Earlier in the 2021-2022 school year, the overpass on Peabody Rd., the main route from Vacaville to Vanden, was blocked off due to a collision. “In the morning you got a lot of people in a rush.” says Herman “Rob” Robertson, a campus monitor at Vanden. He monitors the student parking lot before school as students arrive. “They’re not really paying too much attention and they’re messing with music… That’s normally the cause of the accidents,”

When students are scurrying to be on time for first period, the single entrance into the parking lot causes a slow line of vehicles moving on Markeley Ln.. “I feel like we should have a larger range of where we can park.” says Castro. The student parking lot only accommodates student drivers while they also have the option to park in the neighborhood nearby the high school.

During Vanden’s previous years, traffic was eased by utilizing two parking lots on polar sides of the high school. “We used to have junior parking over [at the center parking lot] and senior parking [at the student parking lot]” says Robertson. “It’s been maybe 3 or 4 years since our parking area turned into Center’s because they don’t have much room up there.” Students are not permitted to park in Center Elementary School’s lower parking lot and doing so may result in a ticket.

On the Vanden High School website, it states “Parking in student parking lot, located on Viking Ln., at Vanden High School, is only permitted with a valid student parking permit.” Students can request for a parking permit by filling out a form in the main office. In order to be eligible for a parking permit a student must have a driver’s license and follow the rules and regulations stated on Vanden’s school website.