Parents with children at Bonita Springs Charter school are spending an average of eight days of their lives sitting outside of the school waiting for the final bell to ring.
The average wait time is one hour if you arrive at the school at exactly 2 p.m. Any later and parents warn that picking up your child could feel like an eternity.
"You have to get here early or you'll get stuck out way in the back," said Beth Meinholdt, of Fort Myers, who picks up her 3-year-old every school day.
In an average school year, parents like Meinholdt will spend close to three weeks of eight-hour workdays sitting in the hot sun listening to the humming of their air conditioners working overtime to cool their cars.
"Most years it's not this bad after the first two or three weeks but for some reason this year, it just isn't getting any better," Meinholdt said referring to the more than 150 cars that encircle the school and spill on to Old 41. "It's dangerous if you get stuck back there (Old 41) with traffic whizzing by you so I come early even if I have to wait."
But for some waiting an hour or more each day has become an art form.
Countless parents, guardians, and even grandparents catch up on bills, talk on their cell phones or play games on their children's handheld games.
"It's my chance to read the newspaper and my own hour without the kids," said D Neff, of Estero. She was parked at the start of the line at 2:05 p.m., which cuts her wait time down by 15 minutes. "I don't want to have to wait this long because I'm out here sweatin' but I have to for my kids."
Not all parents are pleased to have an hour to themselves though.
Ron Temple has been trying to secure a bus ride for his two kids for some time but no one is returning his calls.
"I've called three times and they don't return my call so I have to sit here," said Temple, of San Carlos Park. He usually arrives at the school after 2:10 p.m. and waits an average of 45 minutes for his children. "Last year they were on a bus but the stop was a mile from the house so I have to see if I can get them on a bus this year."
School officials are aware of the idle parents but say it's getting better.
"The situation has gotten much better since the start of school and we are almost down to a half hour until we are completely done with parent pick-up," said Principal Deborah Tracy.
"It says a lot of the parents to wait out there and it's all about parent cooperation and keeping the students safety in mind."
Terry Hitchcock is one parent who prefers to pick up her 5-year-old everyday and checks off a few things from her to-do-list while she waits.
"I read the mail and pay my bills. I wait about an hour but that's OK. I don't mind sitting here waiting," said Hitchcock, who works on her tan by keeping the windows down so the sun comes in from the west.
Parents blame part of the reason for the congestion along Old 41 on the fire lane that officials decided to close for safety reasons.
"It's a pain. There should be another system but with the fire lane closed this year, cars back up onto Old 41," said Evelyn Butler, 38, of Bonita Springs. She was parked at the back of the line at 3 p.m. and expected to wait a half hour.
Although the school has two exits that lead to Old 41, one is blocked off for buses that leave partially empty and that frustrates Chrystal Whitlock.
"It's takes about three weeks to get my kids on to the same bus they used last year and I don't know why I have to register them each time," said Whitlock, 27, of Estero.
"It's moving along but it just takes forever and some days I just can't take it."
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