Wheaton to Carol Stream commute options (Chicago, Addison: transfer, high school, college)

[SmilesNFun]

Hello!
I am commuting from Ogilvie in downtown to carol stream. Planning on taking the UPW metra to Wheaton. What are my best transportation options to get from Wheaton train station to my office on schmale Road in Carol Stream ? bus / carpool/ A place I can park my car overnight / bike (how is biking in winter ?)
Thank you

[IAmEverywhere]

Wheaton has a ban on parking on all streets between 2 AM and 6 AM. You would have to find a lot which expressly allows overnight parking.

Main Street in Wheaton, which is 3 blocks east of the downtown Metra station, becomes Schmale Road in Carol Stream. This is probably your best option because it's a direct route and there's nothing indirect which is significantly faster. There are no expressways or other major highways between Wheaton and Carol Stream.

If it makes more sense for you to stash a car at the College Avenue Metra station, you can also get to Schmale Road easily. In this case, you'd probably want to go north on President Street, west on Geneva Road and then north on Schmale Road. This is actually a somewhat easier commute, despite being about a mile longer, because it circumvents downtown Wheaton.

There are buses which go from Wheaton to Carol Stream. Unfortunately, the schedules are quite limiting.

Bicycling is a difficult option. Drivers in the area are not used to watching out for pedestrians or bicyclists because both are rare there.

One route which might work on a bicycle is to ride through Wheaton on side streets going generally north of the train station. On a bicycle, it's possible to pass through Northside Park. Northside Park is accessed via West Street, which is actually the street the train station is on, and is not excessively busy. As you leave the park, go north to Cole Street. Wheaton North High School will be on your left (you can't miss it), and Cole Street will be on your right. When you get to Main Street, just continue north until you get to your office. This puts you on major streets for the last part of your commute, but I don't see a good way to avoid them.

It should be noted that the areas near Schmale Road in Carol Stream between roughly Geneva Road and St. Charles Road are slightly sketchy. You'll probably be fine if you stick to Schmale Road itself and use the same kind of street smarts as you'd use in a big city.

More importantly, traffic enforcement is strict in Wheaton and very strict in Carol Stream.

[oakparkdude]

Do you plan on having a car in Wheaton and a car in Chicago?

[Golden Camel]

Since you don't say exactly where on Schmale Road you will be working, check the map and schedule for Pace Route 711 Wheaton-Addison to see if it serves your needs. There is hourly service to and from the Wheaton train station on weekdays. Since the trains don't run more than once an hour in the reverse-rush direction, that may not be limiting.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Golden Camel

Since you don't say exactly where on Schmale Road you will be working, check the map and schedule for Pace Route 711 Wheaton-Addison to see if it serves your needs. There is hourly service to and from the Wheaton train station on weekdays. Since the trains don't run more than once an hour in the reverse-rush direction, that may not be limiting.

The problem is the 711 schedule doesn't coordinate very well with Metra schedule. In other words, there will be long (sometime 30 minutes+) waits for transfers. Adding 60+ minutes to an already long commute will be psychosis-inducing.

BTW, have you called city of Wheaton to inquire about overnight parking options? That's your best bet.

[SmilesNFun]

Thank you all for the detailed responses. I only plan on having one car which I will leave in wheaton. Is it safe to leave cars in the wheaton overnight parking lots. The car is a 2008 camry - nothing fancy. My office is 371 S. Schmale Road, Carol Stream, IL, 60188

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by SmilesNFun

Thank you all for the detailed responses. I only plan on having one car which I will leave in wheaton. Is it safe to leave cars in the wheaton overnight parking lots. The car is a 2008 camry - nothing fancy. My office is 371 S. Schmale Road, Carol Stream, IL, 60188

Perfectly safe. Obviously don't leave valuables or cash in plain site, but I wouldn't worry much about theft or vandalism. Be prepared to shovel out your car in the winter, although we generally get less snow than in Boston.

[IAmEverywhere]

No problem!

Wheaton is one of the safest towns anywhere, so it's unlikely that anyone is going to bother your car.

Have you confirmed that overnight parking is allowed in the lots you're planning to use?

[JacksonPanther]

About 5 years ago I called the city of Wheaton to ask abut overnight parking in their Metra lots. They said "No problem." I did it for about a year or two and never had a single incident. I even started leaving my bike in the car (covered of course) to get some exercise before getting on the train home. Love the Prairie Path...

As another person said, the worst part is winter, getting into a car that has been exposed to 0-degree cold and winds all night. Or having to shovel it out after a snowfall.

[chet everett]

Some place many restrictions on overnight parking in Metra designated lots, others have none. If you can get a space in a covered lot / garage it would be well worth not having to shovel out...