Driving to school usually offers freedoms. Yet this school year, student-drivers face $20 hang tags and an overcrowded parking lot that make driving seem like more of a bother than a benefit.

Overcrowding in Robinson’s parking lot has always been an issue. Unlike other schools in the district, Robinson does not restrict the number of people allowed to purchase parking passes, so students without a spot are often left to park in tightly packed rows on the grass to the side or hugging the fences surrounding the parking lot.

Administrators recognize the issue and say they are working to get that fixed.

“We understand that we don’t have enough room,” Amanda Batista, Assistant Principal for Student Affairs, said. “We’ve begged and pleaded to open up something on the campus to where we can make another parking lot, but we haven’t got that okay’d yet.”

For the time being, Batista urges students who are unhappy with parking situation to carpool or utilize other modes of transportation. However, while it is easy to see the downsides of a lack of parking spaces, Batista thinks the Robinson parking policy allows for more students to appreciate these newfound freedoms.

“We have a lot of kids who drive from a long distance,” Batista said. “I think it would be wrong of us to stop kids from driving and parking, so we just kind of try to accommodate everybody.”

Even so, frustration accompanies the rise in parking pass prices. Lianet Diaz (’17) has been driving since early in her junior year, back when passes cost $5. Despite the annoyance of paying an extra $15, Diaz feels like it is important to keep things in perspective.

“At some colleges, you have to pay like one hundred dollars a year to park,” Diaz said. “So paying twenty dollars doesn’t seem excessive when compared to a hundred.”

Parking passes are no longer being sold in the Bubble in the cafeteria. Students can still purchase passes in the Student Affairs office for $20. Students wishing to purchase a parking pass need to bring their driver’s license, vehicle registration and valid proof of insurance.