In the tenth grade, I was diagnosed with a rheumatic condition that undermines the strength of my lower half. It’s something I’ve learned to live with normally, but driving is a task that I can only undertake in very short time intervals, usually under the influence of very specific painkillers. Because of this, school mornings are a hassle to get through—with no license, I am at the mercy of Lightridge’s dreaded two-lane drop-off and my father’s increasing discontent at the snail’s pace the other cars are moving at. On the unfortunate chance that I do enter the building close to 9:30 a.m., my morning turns into a race—me against the warning bell.

A minor inconvenience, sure, but when you would rather not have to dash into class to maintain a decent attendance record, at the risk of irritating your injuries, a question arises: why is a measly little road causing all of this? While it does save space, Lightridge should make a policy that lengthens the drop-off road to avoid congestion in the mornings and evenings.

A policy like this wouldn’t only benefit students without licenses. The drop-off line feeds into the student and teacher parking lots and extends into Hovatter Elementary’s own drop-off (and presumably, the school being constructed), which means that everyone is subject to the narrow two-lane. By lengthening the drop-off road, at least a thousand more lives would be saved from the horrors of school traffic.

That being said, school traffic could have been avoided in the first place. With a budget that spans at least six digits, it’s not as if Lightridge was starved for choice when building the road. But instead of focusing on functionality, the school put all its eggs into the basket of aesthetics. And sure, nicer facilities and a coffee shop do play a role in engaging students with their learning environment, but glass windows and LED stairways are a bit excessive. This money should have been focused on ease of transportation.

Instead, we have an unease of transportation, causing blockages during mornings and evenings and reflecting poorly on the school’s large budget. With how rapidly Loudoun County’s population is increasing, it’s inevitable that more students will come to Lightridge and its neighboring schools. And with more students…another car enters the fray.