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Commuter rail only works if you want to go within a mile of one of the stations. No one wants to take the commuter rail and then get on another train. The peopl

Commuter rail only works if you want to go within a mile of one of the stations. No one wants to take the commuter rail and then get on another train. The people who use commuter rail in Chicago at least all also have a car that they use to get to the city whenever they’re doing anything else since the train only goes to the business area

dangus 2y ago
I think that detractors of transit believe that eliminating cars is the goal like it’s this black and white thing. It’s either 100% cars or 0% cars. “If I can’t do 100% of every possible trip on transit, it’s not a good investment.” But the reality is that reducing car trips is really helpful to congestion and traffic for everyone, and having alternative options can make a lot of sense to a lot of people if they’re planned well. If I take all my daily commutes in with the Metra but then my weekend trip to the city outside the business center is in a car, I still reduced my dependency on my car by huge percentage. That means more of my miles are being spent on safer, more energy efficient, less costly mass transit. And anyway, you’re not really correct here in the first place. Chicago commuter rail stations downtown have easy connectivity to the L and numerous buses. You just brazenly claim that nobody wants to transfer but it happens all the time. Yes, it can take longer than driving…except when it doesn’t, because Chicago has two or three of the nation’s slowest highways. Metra plus a transfer is often a trivial difference in travel time, plus on the Metra you can relax, use the bathroom, and even legally drink a beer if you wish. Many trips using the L plus Metra transfer are pretty competitive to drive times. Obviously it doesn’t work for every trip but doing a Metra ride plus a $10 Taxi ride will beat parking costs, plus you’re not operating and maintaining a personal vehicle. Finally, for those who can’t drive at all or have difficulty doing so, having an option that’s slower or less convenient than driving is still a godsend. Being able to get somewhere via transit in 2 hours will beat a 1 hour car ride when the alternative is not taking the trip at all because you’re elderly or disabled and can’t drive yourself. If your car got totaled and you can’t afford a new one having a transit option solved the catch 22 of needing a job to pay for a car and needing a car to get to your job.
- HDThoreaun 2y ago
  I’ve lived in Chicago my whole life and have never heard of anyone transferring to cta after taking the metra. Not saying it doesn’t happen, but it’s not scalable solution that people will buy into. The vast majority of people will just drive in that case
  - dangus 2y ago
    Your anecdote versus mine. As an example, there are 12 different bus lines that are directly adjacent to Millennium Station. You barely even have to step outside to use them. Hell, you don’t have to step outside at all to transfer from the blue or red line to Millennium station trains. All loop CTA lines are a 10 minute walk to Union Station and Ogilvie. You really think with these kind of stats that nobody is transferring? Not to mention the fact that the Metra runs express trains during rush hour to high population suburbs. You can get from Downer’s Grove to non-downtown neighborhoods like Lincoln Park or Wrigleyville faster than a car during rush hour via express trains + purple line.
    - HDThoreaun 2y ago
      The advantage of cars isnt that they are faster than public transit. Its that they are private space and usually a bit more convenient. Arguments about speed will convince no one. The loop buses are doing horribly fyi, the BRT is a complete failure in terms of ridership.
  - tptacek 2y ago
    I did it every day getting to Ignatius from Beverly, and again getting to my office in South Loop when I lived in Evanston. One advantage the Metra often has is better parking, so even if I could end-to-end take CTA, I might park and ride a scheduled Metra instead. (Doesn't matter anymore, I live a short walk from the Green Line).

dangus 2y ago

I think that detractors of transit believe that eliminating cars is the goal like it’s this black and white thing. It’s either 100% cars or 0% cars. “If I can’t do 100% of every possible trip on transit, it’s not a good investment.” But the reality is that reducing car trips is really helpful to congestion and traffic for everyone, and having alternative options can make a lot of sense to a lot of people if they’re planned well. If I take all my daily commutes in with the Metra but then my weekend trip to the city outside the business center is in a car, I still reduced my dependency on my car by huge percentage. That means more of my miles are being spent on safer, more energy efficient, less costly mass transit. And anyway, you’re not really correct here in the first place. Chicago commuter rail stations downtown have easy connectivity to the L and numerous buses. You just brazenly claim that nobody wants to transfer but it happens all the time. Yes, it can take longer than driving…except when it doesn’t, because Chicago has two or three of the nation’s slowest highways. Metra plus a transfer is often a trivial difference in travel time, plus on the Metra you can relax, use the bathroom, and even legally drink a beer if you wish. Many trips using the L plus Metra transfer are pretty competitive to drive times. Obviously it doesn’t work for every trip but doing a Metra ride plus a $10 Taxi ride will beat parking costs, plus you’re not operating and maintaining a personal vehicle. Finally, for those who can’t drive at all or have difficulty doing so, having an option that’s slower or less convenient than driving is still a godsend. Being able to get somewhere via transit in 2 hours will beat a 1 hour car ride when the alternative is not taking the trip at all because you’re elderly or disabled and can’t drive yourself. If your car got totaled and you can’t afford a new one having a transit option solved the catch 22 of needing a job to pay for a car and needing a car to get to your job.

HDThoreaun 2y ago
I’ve lived in Chicago my whole life and have never heard of anyone transferring to cta after taking the metra. Not saying it doesn’t happen, but it’s not scalable solution that people will buy into. The vast majority of people will just drive in that case
- dangus 2y ago
  Your anecdote versus mine. As an example, there are 12 different bus lines that are directly adjacent to Millennium Station. You barely even have to step outside to use them. Hell, you don’t have to step outside at all to transfer from the blue or red line to Millennium station trains. All loop CTA lines are a 10 minute walk to Union Station and Ogilvie. You really think with these kind of stats that nobody is transferring? Not to mention the fact that the Metra runs express trains during rush hour to high population suburbs. You can get from Downer’s Grove to non-downtown neighborhoods like Lincoln Park or Wrigleyville faster than a car during rush hour via express trains + purple line.
  - HDThoreaun 2y ago
    The advantage of cars isnt that they are faster than public transit. Its that they are private space and usually a bit more convenient. Arguments about speed will convince no one. The loop buses are doing horribly fyi, the BRT is a complete failure in terms of ridership.
- tptacek 2y ago
  I did it every day getting to Ignatius from Beverly, and again getting to my office in South Loop when I lived in Evanston. One advantage the Metra often has is better parking, so even if I could end-to-end take CTA, I might park and ride a scheduled Metra instead. (Doesn't matter anymore, I live a short walk from the Green Line).