Chaos tends to ensue when the final bell rings during the day. The simple tune of the electronic bell is the only thing that many kids look forward to throughout the day, and there’s no secret to why. School is a necessary evil, but surprisingly, the dread of school is not the problem here. The problem, rather, takes the form of a poorly-placed stop sign in the back of the school.

It looks harmless, a simple stop sign behind the portables next to Auto Body. Looks can be deceiving, however, as countless students claim they’ve been slowed down by this wretched sign.

The sign’s purpose is to allow people–like our neighboring middle schoolers–to cross the street with safety, but when a simple traffic sign interferes with the day-to-day operations of a school, specifically travel, a compromise needs to be made.

Ever since it has been there, afternoon commutes have slowed down and have even come to a hault, literally. This obnoxious sign doesn’t affect only the mornings either. Many of last year’s afternoons were spent waiting in this horrible quagmire. Going to school is already enough of a hassle for teenagers, but when travel is slowed down and you are forced to wait in an already undesirable setting, it truly is an obstruction of justice.

When asked about it, senior Jordan Swan described the sign as “useless” and proposed the idea of replacing it with a yield sign. There’s no telling whether or not that would completely solve the problem, but it would seemingly help the traffic flow.

Christina Rozzo elaborates, “It’s ridiculous, I think a cop should be there directing traffic and letting more than one car at a time. It takes more time to get through that than find an actual parking spot.” She also added that she would like to see the sign taken out because it is “frustrating” and slows her down every day.

Senior Alex Mitchell explains “It causes a hold-up for a lot of students.” He also agrees that it should be removed.

In a perfect reality there would be no sign at all, but dealing with traffic sign placement that is regulated by the government unravels a whole another set of legal issues. The student body as a whole seems frustrated, though, and measures should be taken to solve the problem.