Student parking; a controversial topic across the student body of Bethel Park High School.  Student parking has never been an issue in the past due to the campus style layout of the school.  Therefore, due to the newly constructed high school, student parking has been an immense problem.  In the morning, there have been back-ups, traffic jams, and issues with traffic flow on the newly established layout of Blackhawk Drive.

For the most part, there are two entrances into the high school.  One is located off of Church Road where most students come in.  Another entrance is off of Broad Street.  “I suggest the entrance on Broad Street,” Dr J. says, to address any students currently driving to school.  Evidently, the most sufficient and effective entrance is Broad Street due to it being closest to the entrance of the student parking lot; it’s an easy turn and the crossing guard there tends to “favor” those students as he sometimes backs up the flow of traffic from the entrance of Church Road onto Blackhawk Drive.

Nevertheless, the buses enter into the staff parking lot, which keeps the flow of traffic steady until a crossing guard stops someone or if a parent drops off a student in front of the school.

Everybody knows about the problem of student parking but has never formulated a thorough solution on how to solve the underlying problem.  The main solution, according to Dr. J, is to set a timed schedule that provides structure so you can arrive to school on time and promptly.  The “rush” tends to be around 7:05 – 7:10 as the flow of traffic becomes extremely hectic and frantic.  Nonetheless, try to schedule a time to arrive at school before 7:05 or 7:00.  “At about 7:10 Blackhawk Drive becomes crazy, so planning is critical,” explains Dr. J. The “rush” occurs because 330 – 400 parking passes are issued, explains Dr. J.

This number is whopping, as there are still spots open and students can get a pass issued during the school year at any time.  On the other hand, compared to last year, juniors were not permitted to drive to school due to the construction of the school.  Moreover, even more passes are available for students to purchase at any time for $50 in the activities office.  It seems that a lot of students drive currently, but there is a surplus of passes.

The real culprits behind the traffic jam are the cones blocking the first entrance of the student parking lot. The whole student body is questioning these cones that undoubtedly halt the flow of traffic.  What’s up with these cones?  Is it a safety issue, is there not enough personnel to safely direct traffic, or is there not enough room in the budget to hire another trained crossing guard?

Dr. J explains that the first entrance is meant to be an exit only; this is for several reasons.  It is just too sharp of a turn to safely turn into the parking lot.  If one were to turn into the parking lot from this first entrance, they would definitely ride the curb and it would result in a sticky situation, including accidents or injuries.  One can see that safety is a valid reason for the cones.  But, even if this turn were safe, there is just not enough personnel in the morning to direct the flow of traffic at this entrance.

“There is to be an electronic arm and gate installed at this entrance, hopefully no later than the winter,” Dr. J explains.  This electronic gate will automatically open when someone pulls up to it to exit only. Nevertheless, this is an exit only slot to leave the student parking lot.  This tech savvy electronic arm solves numerous problems in just one solution.  Students will not have to wait for the cones to be removed by a security guard at the end of the day.  Hopefully, the construction company installs this electronic gate before the end of the winter season to enhance and enrich the landscape of the newly developed school.  There will be a sign that says “exit only” and if someone tries to pull up to this gate to enter, it will not budge.

Aside from all this, Dr. J emphasizes that it is prohibited to drop off in front of the school.  This regulation is in place and it is extremely critical to keep the flow of traffic constant and unwavering.

From the interview with Dr. Jansante, one can deduce that a structured schedule, obeying the traffic laws on Blackhawk Drive, and an electronic gate in place in the first entrance to the student lot will be evident solutions to keep the flow of traffic steady on Blackhawk Drive.