The New Reality Of Hinsdale's Commuter Parking

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale officials on Tuesday plan to discuss changes to downtown parking to reflect the reality of fewer commuters.

The demand for Hinsdale's commuter parking is at historic lows as behavior remains changed since the pandemic, Assistant Village Manager Bradley Bloom said in a memo last week.

Before the pandemic, most downtown Chicago employers required workers to be present in the office five days a week, while they now ask them to show up three days at most, Bloom said.

Metra's ridership is 31 percent of pre-pandemic levels, with the highest use on Tuesdays (46 percent), Wednesdays (45 percent) and Thursdays (43 percent), according to the memo.

Before the pandemic, the village maintained a waitlist of more than 100 residents for commuter permits for its main lot of 168 spaces. Now, the village said it is at 25 percent of previous permit sales, Bloom said.

To offset this gap, the village proposes allowing nonresidents to get permits.

Because many commuters are only going three or fewer days a week, the village is considering $3.50-a-day fees for all the red-blue parking areas in lieu of buying permits. Commuters could access this option through an app. Under this arrangement, the existing $310 six-month permit would remain.

The village staff also recommends that 56 of the 82 spaces at the Robbins Park parking lot, next to the tennis courts, be allowed for use by Hinsdale Central students from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days. This would cost students $400 per semester.

The remainder of the parking spaces in the lot would be limited to four-hour parking to accommodate park and Community House users. Such a method, the village said, would deter Central students without permits from illegally parking in the lot.

At their meeting, Hinsdale trustees are set to discuss the staff's recommendations. No action is planned.