The five best weekend parking options at Bradley University
After testing the parking lots around campus, our team has made it easy for students to find perfect weekend parking.
Parking is a hassle for most people in urban areas. Frustration from the lack of open parking spaces increases when the pressures of being a student trying to reach classes on time are added.
As Bradley is an urban campus, students have more difficulty parking during the week. To solve this problem, the school requires students to buy a parking pass to be displayed on the rearview window. Students must comply with parking regulations or risk receiving a $15 parking ticket.
Weekend regulations are not as strict, however. Students can park wherever they find to be most convenient, safe, and/or available.
Why you should trust us
Our team has been testing the best options for students to park their cars over the weekends. We have been parking on campus for three years and have used a variety of parking options offered on campus. We have also seen our fair share of crazy parking jobs, accidents and weather damage.
We have witnessed cars parked on the crosswalks by Harper-Wycoff and the Student Center. Yes, that’s right, two different crosswalks, two different vehicles. We have also seen cars take up multiple spaces. People have been involved in minor accidents while backing out of spots in the Duryea parking deck. Students' cars have also gotten stuck in the snow on the roofs of the parking decks.
As relatively safe drivers, our team has done our best to represent the typical parking options for students around campus. Our team also takes the safety of our cars very seriously because we are broke college students and can not afford to fix avoidable damages.
During the week, parking monitors ensure students park accordingly, but the weekends are free-reign for everyone.
“Every once in a while, they would go out and look up and take pictures of all the license plates in the Visitor’s Lot and put a flyer on their car basically saying if you’re still here in three days from now, you’re obviously not a visitor and you need to be gone,” former parking monitor Aly Watkins said. “Otherwise, you’re getting a ticket. They would go back and compare the license plates to the cars that are still in the lot.”
Students don’t have to worry about getting a parking ticket from 6 pm on Friday to 7 am on Monday. Our team members with vehicles on campus have avoided parking tickets with this rule in mind.
Who the product/story package is for
This evaluation of the places to park on campus is made for and can be used by many people. All current Bradley students, whether residential or commuters, can use this guide to find a suitable parking spot regardless of whether they have a car on campus. Bradley students with vehicles may use this guide to find the best parking option for their needs and desires.
Students can also use this list of recommendations to help guests find the best parking locations while visiting the Bradley University campus. Guests can utilize this guide when they come to the university to find the best or most convenient parking location.
Additionally, this package can assist future students in determining which parking option will best suit their personal and academic needs during their time at Bradley. This guide would also benefit students relocating to new residential accommodations on campus. Lastly, this guide will help students who may not have current parking arrangements on campus understand and navigate the various available parking options to weigh each location's benefits and disadvantages.
How we picked and tested
To ensure we were providing the best information for Bradley students, our team went out and personally parked in each lot for the weekend. We chose only parking lots on campus because that is where most people park during the weekend. This means that none of the lots on our list will be off-campus, such as the St. James apartments. Our testing started with parking in our usual spots for the weekend. From there, we observed how accessible the spots were and how safe they were from getting hit. Our team also tested the spots' safety by timing the distance from each parking lot’s most popular parking spot to the closest blue light box used during emergencies.
Top picks
#1. Duryea Parking Deck

The Duryea Parking Deck, a three-story enclosed parking deck, was voted as the most desirable parking location on campus by our team and according to the results of our random survey. The primary reason for its popularity is location and convenience. The Duryea Parking deck is conveniently located near all the on-campus residential buildings, making it prime parking for all residential students at Bradley.
During the testing process, our team found that reaching the nearest blue light box took 35-40 seconds when parking in the middle of the deck. There are six blue light boxes between the three levels, with each floor having two on each end of the building in the staircases. There is also a box outside the parking deck between the parking deck and the GCC building, furthering student security.
The disadvantage of utilizing the Duryea parking deck is that it is the most popular, which means finding a parking spot is more difficult, even on the weekends.
#2: Between the Michel Student Center and Heitz Hall

The parking between the Michel Student Center and Heitz Hall was the second most popular for our team and surveyors. The benefits of this parking option include mentions of location and accessibility. This parking area is located in the middle of campus. It provides quick and easy access to several buildings, including the main dining options on campus within the Michel Student Center.
There weren’t as many blue light boxes available, but this location takes less time to get to the closest blue light box, timing in between 20-25 seconds when using the one located at the Heitz building. There is one offered on the other side of the Student Center and one at the corner of Main and Elmwood, all of which are not easily accessible in the case of an emergency—offering less security than that offered at Duryea.
Additionally, unlike Duryea, this parking option is not an enclosed space, leaving vehicles and drivers exposed to the elements, making this location fall secondary to the benefits of the Duryea parking deck but still a favorite among surveyors and testers.
#3: Parking between Olin Hall and the bookstore
The parking between Olin Hall and the bookstore was the third favorite location for students to park on campus. The popularity of this option is based on the quick access to various academic buildings and on-campus residential halls.
Regarding safety, our testers found that reaching the closest blue light box took between 20-25 seconds. This blue light box was located outside of Constance Hall. There are additional boxes located on both sides of University Hall, which are not easily accessible when parking within this location.
This parking option is also exposed to the elements and offers a very limited number of parking spaces.
#4: The Visitor’s Parking Lot
The visitor's parking lot, located across from the GCC building, was the fourth most desirable parking option on campus. It was highly rated due to its convenience and easy access to common destinations. It is close to the bookstore and admissions office, within a short walking distance of several residential locations, Campustown, the GCC and the Garrett Center.
The nearest blue light box was located on the corner of Duryea Place and St. James, just outside the GCC building. It took our testers approximately 50-60 seconds to reach the box when parking in the Visitor’s Parking lot. Since this is an open lot for anyone to use, this brings up another level of safety concern.
This location is typically pretty full, making it difficult to find a parking spot, and while entering is free, it does charge a quarter to exit the parking lot. This location is also not enclosed, leaving vehicles and drivers exposed to changes in the weather.
#5: Main Street parking deck
Our final parking option located on campus is the Main Street parking deck. This option made our list because it is an enclosed location and provides semi-easy access to the Renaissance Coliseum and the Markin Center. It is, however, quite a walk to all of these locations and even further to reach any of the common academic locations on campus.
This parking option offers blue light boxes on each of its four levels within the staircases located at the north and south ends of the building. One outside the north exit is on the sidewalk along Main St, giving nine blue light boxes at this location. These are necessary since this parking option is on the furthest end of campus and is often the least populated area for students. Our testers parked in the middle of the second level and reported a 24-second walk to the nearest blue light box.
While the Main Street parking lot was not among the top surveyed choices, it was still worth mentioning as it offers four parking levels and ample spots for commuters and visitors on campus. Considering its quick walk to reach Hayden-Clark Alumni Center, this is also the most likely location for Bradley Alum to park.
The rest of the competition
Street parking on Bradley Ave, along University Ave, Main St, and parking on side streets between Bradley Ave and Moss Ave.