Each year at De Soto High School, many changes are made, just like the addition of parking spots for staff and students, a roundabout, the new Minga system, and more. However, every year, some kind of construction is going on as well.

Not everyone is affected by traffic, like Mrs. Stanton,

“I arrive and leave at different times than the students. I really don’t have any traffic issues!” Stanton said.

While staff may not have a difficult time with their drives to and from school, some students face a bigger issue. Traffic at De Soto High School during school hours has become extremely backed up, potentially leading to accidents and tardiness.

New driver, sophomore Charlotte Daniels encounters other obstacles,

“I have often had to make quick stops and overall quick decisions. Sometimes, the traffic has been so bad I have arrived later than I would’ve hoped,” Daniels said.

Traffic during school hours presents a difficult challenge due to various factors, particularly if you are new to the system. The amount of vehicles alone during school hours is one crucial contributor, especially considering same time drop-offs, pick ups, and student drivers entering and leaving all at the same time.

Some students have more experience than others,

“There have been added stoplights and signs and also the new roundabout. There has been a lot of construction changing ways of traffic.” Senior Mishayla Guile said.

The dedicated areas around De Soto to accommodate travel needs often leads to extensive backup. While critical for safety, the school zone speed limits and posted pedestrian crossing signs, these factors also contribute to the congestion. Some drivers unwillingly add an extra ten minutes to their trip to the school and back home.

Bussing also slows down other drivers by waiting on students to get on and off, as well as consistent stops.

One of the biggest issues is the behavior of drivers during these peak hours that cause complications.

Many drivers become impatient while in a rush to get to specific destinations on time and may disregard traffic rules; this leads to bigger problems. Students of the school are not the only ones facing this, but parents are as well. They are in a rush to get their children to school while continuing with their day, despite work or other planned activities. This instance causes additional delays and an overall hectic traffic environment. The never ending effect of these factors makes traffic during school hours difficult to work with and particularly challenging. This kind of backup heavily affects some students trying to get to school on time,

“With traffic, it can take me anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes to get to school and without traffic generally it’s about 20 minutes,” Junior Nathan McKinney said.

There is a need for efficient traffic management and well designed drop-off and pick-up procedures that could certainly make everything flow more smoothly. Staggered school start and end times, a plan for working around traffic between schools, and better public transportation are all options to limit the commotion.