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As the winter months have been coming upon us I have been questioning why I park in the Glen Ellyn parking lot when I could leave the same time and catch the same train at the Lombard station. On Monday the 6th I found my answer, and that is not to park at Glen Ellyn any more. The parking is a long distance from the train stop. Which does have its benefits around the holiday time, by giving us some exercise. But it also adds an extra 5-10 minutes to the already long commute. The other issue I have is the parking lot is not lit when many of us arrive home. I have called the city about fixing this and it is still a problem. And finally they charge 25 cents more then Lombard, which is closer to station and well lit when I come home. Even for the same price in Wheaton you do not have to have your commute turn into an expedition, in the darkness.
What really broke the camels back happened Monday the 6th. When I arrived back to my car, after the trek from the train, I noticed that several of the cars were ticketed for not paying the $1.50. I have noticed ticketed cars before but it was generally only 1 or 2. This time I noticed that at least 5 other cars had been ticketed. Since this problem I have contacted the police and according to their records there were no extra paid spots that day. The only recourse they say I have is to go to court and fight it, which I have little faith in and would lose me money by having to take a personal day at work. If the pay box was a little more up-to-date this would not be a problem, because there are ones now that issue a receipt when the spot is paid. As a result of this I encourage everyone that parks in that lot to reconsider parking there, because there are other better options open. At least until the parking lot is updated.
Why not just buy a quarterly parking pass for the Montclair lot? I think it works out to less than $1.50 a day (not sure exactly -- but it seems to be around $1.25 a day).
The Montclair lot is never full anymore (now that the construction folks -- at least temporarily -- have stopped taking for free the paid spots) -- and it's a quick walk to the train.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: farber55,
That is not a bad idea to get the parking pass, but I work at home at least one day a week. That would bring the cost up a little more. I also called and talked to the people that issue the passes and they tell me that it would take a couple months for me to get the pass.
Have you contacted anyone associated with the village to try to find out who is responsible for the lot, and how you might best present your concerns to them?
Not sure what you mean. For the lights I contacted the maintenance department. As for the distance, not much you can do with that. And the ticket I have spoken with the cashier and the police department. The cashier explained to me that this a police issue, nobody else can cancel the ticket. Any one else I should be contacting on these issues?
quote:Originally posted by North Side: Any one else I should be contacting on these issues?
I don't know. I don't use a commuter lot, so I really couldn't care less what condition they are in or how much they charge. Heck, I'd probably just as soon have them maintained as cheaply as possible, while charging as much as they can get away with. But if I did care, I would consider the possibility of trying to get something done about it. Or I might just pursue other options as you are.
Here are a few more complaints about the pay lot by the library.
Why are the payment boxes 2 blocks away from were you park? Yes, I know we must walk past them to get to the station, but I'll bet everyone who parks there occasionally forgets the correct change or forgets their space number. Then you must decide, do I run back the 2 blocks to my car and miss my train or just guess at your space number or just stick a $5 in there?
Second, why aren't there any permit spaces at the library lot (thereby negating my 2 points above)? And this point leads to another question. Why doesn't G.E. charge premium prices for premium permit spaces, for example an equivalant permit fee of $2/day right at the station, $1.50 at farther away lots and $1.25 at the library or something like this?
Ahh, there's nothing like walking 4 blocks down the Prairie Path in the snow.
Dinsdale Apology accepted. I can understand where you are coming from. As long as it's making the city money, let it be. Thank you for the warm welcome.
Actually, I'm coming from somwhere slightly different. Yours is not the first suggestion that the "services provided" seem inadequate given the "premium paid" to live in GE. Trash and leaf pick-up, street clearing, supervision of building sites ... The list goes on. In response, one often hears, "If you don't like it - leave." I am often frustrated by what I perceive to be an over reliance upon the residents to discover problems, and inform the appropriate bureaucracy of such problems. However, acknowledging such a system, I have concluded that the squeaky wheel is the one that gets greased. On more than one occasion I have been frustrated that the village has not addressed what I considered to be an obvious situation. Very often, tho, once I took up an issue, I've been pleased at the village's prompt response. So, to conclude, if you really think the parking situation needs improvement, I suspect it won't happen unless you or someone else becomes a gadfly. Bitching on these boards serves some use, but IMO is relatively ineffective.
Nor is this news. Several years ago - maybe 10-15, I had a buddy who lived in GE, but caught the train at Lombard or VP. Thereafter, he moved to Lombard, citing better services. He now lives in Elmhurst - I believe a stable school situation was a big factor. Not saying he's right. Just another data point.
I usually get dropped off at the Glen Ellyn Metra Station but when I have to drive, I go to Lombard. The Lombard parking lots are much closer to the Lombard Metra Station. The closer walk is much nicer during the winter time.
I thought the Mayflower building still stands. I saw they planted some nice trees around it and painted over the UPS brown with gray, or was there another building for Mayflower I didn't know about? What might be nice is a parking garage. There's plenty of room next to the "Great Flower Clock" I'm sure this has this been covered already.
