Park and Ride Locations (Phoenix, Scottsdale: safe area, school, living in)

[Fruit4Harvest]

I finally made it to Arizona from Ohio! I am living in the City of Maricopa and I need some help figuring out where the best and safest location would be to park my vehicle so that I can catch a bus into downtown Phoenix (City of Phoenix, located at 135 N. Second Avenue).

The Metro web site lists several park and ride locations in Tempe and Chandler and there is one in Gilbert. Here are the locations for Tempe and Chandler:

Tempe:

Big Lots - McKellips Road and Scottsdale Rd, SE Corner
Cobblestone Village - Warner Road and McClintock Dr, SW Corner
Costco - Priest Dr and Elliot Road, SE Corner
Grace Community Church, Southern Ave and Dorsey Ln, NW Corner
Target Shopping Center, McClintock Dr and Baseline Rd, NE Corner

Chandler:

Carl's Jr - Warner Rd and Alma School Road, SW Corner
Food City Plaze - Arizona Ave and Ray Road, NE Corner
Parking Lot - Chicago St and Arizona Avenue, NW Corner

From previous posts on this forum, I remember that the safer areas are in the Gilbert/Chandler area. I know each city has safe area and areas that are not so safe. I would like to know where you would park your vehicle all day from the above locations that might have the highest likelihood of finding your vehicle still parked there when you got back in the evening. I find the commute in the morning driving into Phoenix is okay since I can leave early. However, the commute back in the evening, leaving downtown Phoenix around 5 p.m. is awful!

Any other ideas of alternate methods used to get to work would be helpful. Thanks for your input.

[silverbear]

I would recommend considering the park-and-ride at Pecos Rd. and 40th St. in Phoenix. It would not require driving east into Chandler or Gilbert only to come back west on your way to Downtown. I think it's closer to Maricopa than any of the locations you have named.

40th St & Pecos

If you are coming up I-10, just go west on Pecos to 40th St. and you're there.

[Fruit4Harvest]

Silverbear:

Thank you a thousand times over. I looked at the options of taking the I-10 Rapid Bus from the 40th Street Park and Ride as you suggested. You are absolutely right! That is a much better choice than going all the way the Chandler. Even if the bus is slower in the evening rush hour, I can sit back and let the bus driver fight the traffic while I read a good book. Once I get back to the Park and Ride, it is only three exits down and I can get off at the Maricopa exit.

Thanks again for your help.