Mall parking lots, highways and scenes of an accident are all synonymous with heavy traffic, yet do not compare to the always congested Baltimore Road.

For some students within a two mile radius, leaving at 7:00 a.m. sharp from their homes meant arriving at RHS fairly early, approximately at 7:10 a.m. However this year brings more traffic and less punctuality.

While sitting where Norbeck Road meets Baltimore Road, a stretch of cars with no open road in sight can be clearly seen. All of the cars scoot along the road at a speedy two miles per hour until they are able to reach the RHS parking lot in the morning.

With a massive increase of students now attending RHS, the traffic truly has grown. This does not account for the non-students who share Baltimore Road with the students, trapped amongst the heaps of cars on their way to work.

Coming home from RHS is also found to be troublesome for students.

Driver’s licenses may no longer free students from the inconvenience of the bus schedule. Buses are given priority over cars during afternoon school departure, so students are held hostage in the RHS parking lot, despite their newly found sense of freedom.

“We’re looking to minimize the interaction between students, incoming cars and the buses a�� We do so to make sure the buses cycle in and out safely,” assistant school administrator Michelle Sobers said.

The majority of students with licenses are seniors. Mind you, after a seven-hour school day, most of us are anxious to get home. We swerve around cars, butt in line, and merge as close to the open exit as possible.

“It’s stressful because if you have somewhere to be at three, you’re not making it, even though school ends at 2:10,” said senior Hayley Egart.

For now, I will continue to sprint out of my eighth period class, down the halls and into the parking lot, solely in a desperate attempt to beat the jam.