Senior students who applied to park in the student lot received an email regarding the outcome of their application, during the week of September 11.
The email stated there were 142 applicants applying for 31 spots in the lot. If selected, the school gives the student a parking pass, allowing them to park in the parking lot outside of B-CC’s main entrance. B-CC has a total student population of 2,289 and a total square footage of 253,242. This is one of the largest student populations in the county, according to Niche, yet one of the smallest high school campuses. This, along with being located in downtown Bethesda, significantly limits areas for student parking.
Students who do not have a designated spot may resort to parking in the neighborhood surrounding B-CC. This requires a special parking pass, and while some students are able to obtain these passes, those who cannot resort to using a false parking pass which can result in a fine of up to 50 dollars administered by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. “I think it is unfair that students who just need somewhere to park are getting fined just for needing to drive to school,” said Junior Tyler Nordllinger.
Student drivers who do not want to risk getting a ticket for using a fake pass have found other parking methods. B-CC junior Jack Jablon reveals, “I park in the church lot because parking around B-CC is so expensive and because it is so close.” However, after only three days of doing this, his car was towed. “I had to Uber 30 minutes into Rockville and pay 150 dollars to get it back,” Jablon says.
“When possible they should try to find the most environmentally friendly option and one where they are not breaking any rules,” advises B-CC Vice Principal, Ms. Sutton.
Some alternatives include carpooling or taking the school or Montgomery County-provided buses. There are also metro stations from Friendship Heights to Wheaton that students can utilize to get to school. “I think that there are a variety of options. I know that driving your own car has a lot of perks but in light of this space situation it is not different from any venue with limited parking” suggested Ms. Sutton.
