Parking spaces in the student parking lot are smaller than the ones near the pool. As you seen on LHS Bad Parkers, some students are having trouble staying between those narrow white lines. Some may intentionally be bad parkers but other students struggle.

This issue has caused a lot of problems for students and anyone who is trying to get a parking spot or is trying to leave the parking space. Another challenge is that, for people who are a little new to driving may find it difficult to park because of their lack of experience at driving. This also goes with etiquette in how they open their doors. So students will park to make more space to prevent dings and dents.

According to the city of Renton Code, a compact parking stall measures 8’6” and a standard parking stall is just six inches larger at nine-feet. Many of the stalls measured in the student parking lots were smaller than the compact stall at 88 inches, 14 inches shorter. Pool parking is larger at 111 inches. The pool parking area is newer and follows newer codes while the student parking lot is older and has to fit so many stalls. The city code always leaves room for how many people are expected to park at the building(s). Thus making more parking, but small stalls.

On any given day, the student parking lot is only 70% full with some spots wasted by poor parking decisions taking up one or two spots. With so many parking spaces unoccupied, it becomes a waste of spots.

Once all the construction is completed in 2024, the student parking lots will get a make-over. Details if stalls will be compact, standard or how many handicap stalls will be needed.

Here are some safety tips to successfully park in the LHS Student Lot:

1. Slowly position your vehicle so that it is in the center of the parking aisle. If the aisle is made for only one direction of traffic, position your vehicle as far as you can to the opposite side of the aisle to allow more room for turning.
2. Stop your vehicle when its front bumper is approximately half of the way past the parking space before the one you plan to park in.
3. Turn your wheel towards the parking space and slowly begin to drive your car into the space. Check the left and right sides of your vehicle to ensure that there is a reasonable amount of free space on either side.
4. Keep turning your steering wheel as you pull into the parking space until your car is parallel with the vehicles parked on either side of that space.
5. Continue to slowly pull forward until your car is completely inside the parking space. Be careful not to park too close to any vehicle that is parked directly in front of you.
6. To exit a parking space when other vehicles are parked on either side of you, you must first evaluate the proximity of the two vehicles. If you are able to turn to either side when reversing out of the space, turn towards the side on which the closest car is parked. This will give the front of your vehicle more room in which to turn as you exit the parking space.