The parking at Bakersfield College (BC) has been an issue for a while. With the shutdown of Parking lot 9 and the parking lots being full most of the day, the passes aren’t worth the money.

Each semester, students buy a $40 parking pass, $30 in the summer, to have the chance to park in the main lots on campus if they’re lucky. This means that students can spend up to a $100 dollars per academic year when most of the time, the only empty spaces are the ones right next to the free parking lot found near Haley and University, almost a half mile from the main campus.

The problem with these passes is a new pass must be bought each semester, without offering a better solution for parking spaces. Safety in the lots is also a concern as cars are open to theft from others. Students claim that it’s a consistent problem with parking as the challenge of finding a spot made some wonder why even bother with buying a pass at all.

Taking public safety into consideration should be a top priority, especially because the lots are full most of the day. It leads one to think that maybe buying a pass isn’t worth it. The passes’ high price isn’t equal to the money if it is a consistently negative experience. Offering a reform to the lots, creating new spaces, and increasing accessibility would result in a bigger profit and happier students.