Everyone who has traveled up and down Valley Christian's hill has obviously had to deal with the traffic problems that occur in the morning and in the afternoon. The increased school population has obviously put a toll on VC's traffic. Students are now forced to wake up earlier than last year to come to school on time. However, there are ways to "dodge" the traffic. VCHS students have many options enabling them to come to school on time and help reduce traffic.

Most of VC's students come to school by car. Traffic always seems to line up cars for hundreds of yards in all 3 directions into the Skyway campus. The motorists have an alternative to being dropped off at school by their parents. First and foremost, the students can now find carpools to come to school. In the high school office, there is an information directory that includes all the addresses and phone numbers of all the students at Valley. These families are categorized by zip code making it easier to find a carpool in your area. VC students live as far south as Hollister and as far north as San Mateo. Secondly, the VC students can now take the VC shuttle bus. The cost of the VC shuttle bus is twenty dollars per year. The bus is always on time and is a great alternative for the parents who have a hard time trying to make it to work after dropping off their children at Valley Christian. The school bus picks up from five different locations; Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Blossom Hill, Capitol Expressway and Leigh Avenue.

For students who do not want to carpool or take the bus, there are minor things that can be done to reduce traffic. One of the best ways is to come to school earlier than most students do. There never really is a stop-and-go type of traffic on the hill when a student arrives early. Also, when the VC Bus Shuttle comes up and down the hill, traffic starts to back up due to the tight turns on Skyway Drive. Students can tell their parents to try to avoid times when the school bus arrives at school. The bus arrives at VC at 7:00, 7:25, 8:10, and 8:25. In addition to the bus, the Caltrain crosses Skyway Drive at approximately 7:23 every weekday morning. The train stops up traffic for the eastbound Skyway drivers and the southbound Monterey drivers. Avoiding the train can help move traffic efficiently up to the VC campus.

Lastly, avoid the junior high! The junior high starts school at 8:20 every morning which causes a backup for high school motorists who are coming to school for their early days. High school students should plan their drive times accordingly. Every VC high school student dreads leaving school on Fridays, even though the traffic is easily avoidable. Students' parents should not plan on lining up to pick up their children on Fridays because the waiting causes a backup for the junior high parents which leads to a backup for the high school students. Also, parents can now be cited for waiting too early. In addition to waiting too early, avoid being picked up in the passing lanes. The blocking of passing lanes can definitely be an inconvenience to the cars trying to leave the hill. Last but not least, listen to the instructions of the VC traffic officers, especially on Fridays. Their experience in directing traffic can create a comfortable drive for the VC drivers.

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