Downtown Naperville/Lisle Metra Parking - Private Spaces? (Chicago, Aurora: city hall, to rent)

[Frank the Tank]

I currently live on the western edge of Naperville and commute to downtown Chicago out of the Route 59 station (Aurora side), but I'm in the process of looking for houses in the eastern half of Naperville and Lisle. If I end up moving, I'll need to commute out of either the downtown Naperville or Lisle Metra stations. My concern is the parking situation at those stations. As bad as the traffic might be, at least I know that I can get a daily fee parking space at Route 59 before 8:00 am, but downtown Naperville and Lisle are different stories. I'm VERY well aware of the daily fee parking space crunch and long waiting lists for parking permits. I also know that there are PACE buses, but I've had friends that have taken them (either through neighborhood routes or Park-n-Ride) that have described the extra time it takes, and as someone with twin babies at home that often works 10-12 hour days, that's just not going to be a viable option for me.

So, here are my 2 questions:

(1) What time does the daily fee parking fill up at those stations for rush hour trains (i.e. spaces that open up after 9 am won't work for me)?

(2) Are there private businesses or residences in those downtown areas that are willing to rent out parking spaces to commuters and, if so, is this prominent at all? I know that the official stance of Naperville is that it's not supposed to be allowed, but I want to know the reality of what actually happens because all of those commuters have to be parking somewhere. Is there a "black market", so to speak?

I really want to get info as to what's happening on the ground, as I'm not going to get a straight answer from city hall. Thanks!

[TempesT68]

I'd give this a search, there have been numerous topics on it.

[pvande55]

Judging by this forum, parking at the Naperville station (either downtown or Rt 59) is the most pressing issue in the Chicago suburbs. Pace buses help for some commuters, but one of the problems is they put their buses to bed too early. I don't think any of the park and ride shuttles is of any use if you ever work past 7:00 P.M. Why do they stop running so early? Guesses range from "they need their beauty rest" to "They are afraid of the dark."

[MikeBoom]

I live just off of Spring Ave. in downtown Naperville, where there are several daily fee spots. They are almost completely filled by 6:30 a.m.

There are a number of homeowners who will rent out spaces in their driveways. I believe that one of the businesses just south of the defunct Blockbuster about 2 blocks north of the BNSF tracks on Washington St.) has a sign up indicating they rent spaces. I'm not sure what the going rate is for either of these options, but it's not entirely a lost cause.

[acdevane]

There is parking to be found. A knowledgeable Realtor should be able to assist you with finding you a home as well as assisting with a spot within a reasonable distance. Homeowners willing to allow this are out there. Few spots are close, not all opportunities are in the "immediate" vicinity of the station. Most will require some walking.

The going rate has been starting at $75/mo and going up from there.

[Diws]

As a daily commuter from the naperville 5th Avenue station, I'd say that the daily fee parking generally fills up by around 7:30 am. It has gotten better since they opened up the lot at the city works building, but still it fills up. Generally if you get there by 7:00 am, you should be fine.

Of course, the waiting list for permit parking is legendary.

I will say that the parking enforcement borders on abusive. I don't know what the expectation that the city has when they don't provide enough spots: that people will simply give up and go home when the parking is exhausted rather than go to work?