The limited number of parking spots available on and off campus for BYU students has become a widely discussed issue, with more parking tickets on car dashes and reports of decreased punctuality to classes, according to some students.
"If you don't get here, like, before 8 a.m., you're not really getting a spot," said senior McKinsey Flores, who owns a Y Lot pass. "After that, if you come, you're probably running around all the different parking lots and everything. Probably for about 15 to 30 minutes, I would say."
Students can buy $60 parking passes for student lots, called Y lots, but some say the number of passes sold far exceeds the number of parking spots available.
Full Y Lots are not the only concern. Several students said that finding open parking on nearby streets without a permit is nearly impossible.
"I have to park far enough away that my Apple Watch thinks I'm on an outdoor walk," said Alex Clifford, a junior. "As I'm walking to class, it'll just say, 'Oh, we noticed you're on an outdoor walk, would you like to log it?' And it's like, well, no."
Senior Sophie Knecht, who lives in Lindon, says she has to leave about an hour before class to make it on time, whether she's using her parking pass or parking off campus.
BYU police said the university's parking committee is aware of student concerns and reviews the issue monthly. However, several students said they have yet to see any concrete changes.
Students have begun brainstorming their own solutions.
"I think one thing we could do is open up more parking spots that are in the underground parking of the JFSB because it's mainly for staff," Knecht said. "It's really empty right now, so we could just open it up to students, and then the normal parking lot for students would be less packed."
Clifford suggested that the university could ease overcrowding by allowing students to choose preferred parking lots based on their major, or by reserving more spaces near academic buildings.
"Even like a lottery could be good, because then everyone knows that they get a spot," Flores said.
BYU police responded to student complaints by explaining that construction impacts parking at times, especially when lots must be temporarily closed.
Students said they hope their ideas will help improve the situation, even while construction is underway.