Several times every school day, North students and staff must face the greatest adversary of all: the bustling, treacherous hallways. Whether it’s someone barreling through an unsuspecting crowd or a small group of people forming an impenetrable blockade, many of us have been on both the receiving and instigating end of so many nuisances. Luckily for us, there are a variety of ways to improve the landscape of the school halls: we just have to work together.
North officially opened in 2000, but it mostly had been built a few years prior. Designed originally as the Wredling Middle School building, it isn’t a surprise that many areas aren’t fully equipped for the massive waves of students passing through. Some students are in a rush to get to where they need to be, others don’t hurry as much. Some students go up the stairs, others go down those same stairs at the same time. Some students walk alone, others walk in groups. What to do with so many variables?
To best accommodate all staff and students, following simple American driving rules along with showing common courtesy reduces hallway traffic jams.
One fundamental rule of driving in America remains in our minds from an early age: stay to the right! Whenever possible, keeping right, whether walking in the hallways or on stairs, allows people to travel in both directions freely. It’s fortunately already a pretty commonplace practice at North due to students and staff alike realizing its benefits; everyone can get to where they need to go using whichever route they choose.
However, there’s yet another layer. On highways, the left lane is loosely considered the “fast lane” or, more accurately, the “passing lane.” Drivers can momentarily speed up to get around people going slower than them. In addition, typical bike lanes are located all the way to the right on roads with few exceptions for certain one-way streets, median-divided roads going in a single direction, and so forth. Why don’t we try out these techniques ourselves? When we’re walking slower, we can get closer to the wall so those in a hurry or those who simply are quicker can also pace themselves appropriately. It resolves the fuss about getting trapped behind someone. The notable exception to the rule would be with wheelchairs and other mobility aids such as crutches, as people who use them require more space.
In a similar vein to getting stuck, many of us have been blocked off by unaware groups from traversing the hallways or even entering pods and classrooms. They’re capable of stretching across such a wide surface area, so wide that we can’t pass through or around them. Honestly, the key here is just our own self awareness. If we notice people confined behind us, is it that hard to scoot over a little? Even for a moment? The amount of times I’ve attempted to go to class in the morning only to get blocked from entering the pod is countless, but all could be solved by a common understanding that everyone has somewhere to be.
General politeness sometimes feels scarce in North’s hallways. I can particularly recall earlier this year when I was walking through the link and someone just threw an open water bottle in the air, soaking everyone in close proximity. I myself had some water dripping down my forehead for a couple of minutes. I’ve also personally been shoved on several occasions while disembarking to the stairs, and so have quite a number of my classmates. Students and staff of North: remember, every one of us is just trying to get by. There’s no need to push or purposefully create annoyances.
That’s really what it comes down to, isn’t it? Looking at the situation through the eyes of a driver standardizes some helpful rules, but we also all have to show respect towards one another if we want peace in North’s hallways. After all, nobody wants the chaos to thrive when we are just trying to be on time for our big test next hour.
