Before and after school, as parents rush to drop off or pick up their children and inexperienced drivers veer across parking lanes, the BHS parking lot can get chaotic.

In the morning, traffic flow in the school parking lot is generally calm and slowly builds up until 7:50. Around 7:35, traffic flow begins to increase. Finding a parking spot becomes progressively more difficult.

After school, however, is more chaotic for drivers and dangerous for students walking to their cars.

Senior David Bohm believes the traffic flow in the afternoon is hectic and unpredictable.

“It’s terrible. Cars try to get around the busses and block me, so I have to go all the way around the parking lot to leave,” Bohm said.

Junior Danny Stanescu agrees there is disorder at the end of the day.

“Leaving school, I find it a bit more hectic,” he said. “Everyone’s pulling out of their spots, and the danger of hitting another car while pulling out is definitely heightened. Then, once you make it out of your space, you have cars coming from all directions, none of which are stopping at the stop signs and giving priority to other cars.”

With many people eager to leave the parking lot at once, the flow of traffic increases drastically in the afternoon. In the morning, staff and students tend to arrive at a slower pace.

According to Stanescu, at the end of the school day, more vehicles attempt to exit onto Richmond Rd. than Fairmount Blvd. This causes a less streamlined traffic flow towards the Richmond exit, as drivers compete with school buses and other motorists for a spot in line.

“To top it all off, you have 10 busses trying to leave as well, so a long line forms at the exit onto Richmond and the buses add to the line. The stoplight stays green for a very short amount of time. All in all, leaving is very troublesome,” Stanescu said.

Stanescu and Bohm both believe the heavy traffic flow poses a danger to students and pedestrians walking to their cars or through the parking lot.

“People try to walk in between the buses and pop out of nowhere, causing drivers to slam on their brakes,” Bohm said.

However, there does seem to be some ways to avoid the apparent dangers of the traffic flow in the parking lot.

According to Stanescu, hitting the heavy traffic flow can be avoided by arriving at or before 7:30AM.  In the afternoon, students and staff can also take the Fairmount exit to avoid majority of the traffic flow and help alleviate the build-up at the Richmond exit.

“I usually got Maya to school between 7:20 and 7:30 and never had problems with traffic in the parking lot,” said Barbara Peleg, mother of junior Maya Peleg, who drives her daughter to and from school every day. “If we were running a little late, at around 7:35, the parking lot was busier and kids were driving pretty fast. If you come at a certain time, it’s perfect.”

When leaving school, Stanescu suggested using the Fairmount exit in the future to avoid the long lines and short light.

To address some of the concerns of parents, staff and students, Principal Edward Klein assures the safety of students is extremely important to the administration and believes the best way to stay safe in the parking lot is to be alert and conscious of all surroundings.

 “We’re already out there every day to monitor the parking lot. It comes down to individual students and their behavior… As long as students are paying attention both when walking and driving, they should be safe,” Klein said.