Every year, as school begins, there is the period in which students have to learn that there may be different rules at school than at home. They are needed for school to run smoothly and to make sure people are safe.
And most years, parents have to go through that learning process too. This is one of those years.
Great Bend Police Department Capt. Bob Robinson said there are problems developing with double parking, and they have been especially challenging in the area in front of Jefferson Elementary.
Robinson said in the mornings and afternoons, parents have been double parking on 24th Street to drop off or pick up students.
The issue is more than simply that such behavior is in violation of city regulations, the captain explained.
Double parking takes place when a vehicle is legally parked next to the curb, and then another car parks in the lane of traffic.
Not only does it make it difficult for traffic to move safely, and block in the vehicle that was legally parked, but it also creates more of an area for students to cross as they walk into the street, block the line of sight and making it more likely that a child could be struck by an on-coming car.
There have also been complaints that cars have parking in front of private drives in this area.
Robinson said officers will be patrolling the area before and after school and those who violate these regulations can expect to be issued a citation.