Best way to get from the nortwest side to the southwest side (Chicago: home, bus)

[johnjaja]

I need to get from the northwest side (harlem and irving) to the soutwest side (79th and cicero). I need to get there by 8am daily. I usually take oak park ave or narragansett/ridgeland south until pershing and then cross over i55 on central. Its been only a week and it usually runs me an hour give or take a few minutes.

Would it be worth my time to hop on the kennedy at addison and exit 79th on the dan ryan (according to google it is an extra 6 miles)? If so how long would this route take me? What about the reverse commute at 3:30pm? Anyone have a better alternate route? I really hate this commute and I can only imagine how bad it will be in the winter.

[supernerdgirl]

Originally Posted by johnjaja

I need to get from the northwest side (harlem and irving) to the soutwest side (79th and cicero). I need to get there by 8am daily. I usually take oak park ave or narragansett/ridgeland south until pershing and then cross over i55 on central. Its been only a week and it usually runs me an hour give or take a few minutes.

Would it be worth my time to hop on the kennedy at addison and exit 79th on the dan ryan (according to google it is an extra 6 miles)? If so how long would this route take me? What about the reverse commute at 3:30pm? Anyone have a better alternate route? I really hate this commute and I can only imagine how bad it will be in the winter.

Would just going over to Cicero to begin with be faster? Narragansett is a nightmare all the time.

[Venom]

Harlem ave

[myrc60]

Avoid the expressways unless you want to add time to your commute; especially going to the Ryan. I don't think going over to the tollway would help you either. You are actually doing pretty good timewise for the miles you are driving but you might try Harlem or Cicero to see if they might cut a few minutes off the total.

Have you considered moving? Much of the area around where you work is safe.

[johnjaja]

Originally Posted by supernerdgirl

Would just going over to Cicero to begin with be faster? Narragansett is a nightmare all the time.

Narranganset actually isn't at all bad. There has been no traffic at all going south. The thing that gets me is the timing of the lights. Can't seem to get a nice flow. I seem to get every red and it seems there is a stop sign half way between every light.

Originally Posted by Venom

Harlem ave

I will try that one day. I'm familiar with the traffic through oak park and that part kind of worries me.

Originally Posted by myrc60

Avoid the expressways unless you want to add time to your commute; especially going to the Ryan. I don't think going over to the tollway would help you either. You are actually doing pretty good timewise for the miles you are driving but you might try Harlem or Cicero to see if they might cut a few minutes off the total.

Have you considered moving? Much of the area around where you work is safe.

How is morning/afternoon traffic on Cicero by midway? I take central so as to avoid midway. I wish I could move. I own my home here already.

[chet everett]

I too think that moving might be a good long term solution, but I am not convinced that the tollways would not save some time. As you are already pretty far west, and don't need to head all that far east on the Stevenson to save some time a combination of the 294/55/LaGrange Rd MIGHT be an alternate to consider -- the total distance is higher than the direct route, but lack of stop lights MIGHT make this a possible route: from:79th st and cicero ave chicago IL to:41.74775,-87.813721 to:I-294 N to:W Irving Park Rd & N Harlem Ave, Chicago, IL 60634 - Google Maps

[horrorbiz]

294 shouldn't be bad heading south in the morning. I think the 294/55/LaGrange combo would be a good bet for you. You can get to i-55 from O'Hare in under a half hour. I'd also suggest trying to go straight down Cumberland/1st Avenue, but there are a few railroad crossings that will no doubt delay you from time-to-time. That may not be something you'd want to bother with.

[Venom]

I hate those railroads.
That's what I said Harlem.

Plus that one light at the eisenhower takes forever.

They need to add bridges over these train crossings in Maywood and Melrose.

Spend a long day at Albany Park... almost back... TRAIN.
ughghghghhg another 5 minutes.

One time the train was going at 5ph, then it stoppped went back again, then stopped, then went back again.

like 30 minutes!!!!

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by johnjaja

Narranganset actually isn't at all bad. There has been no traffic at all going south. The thing that gets me is the timing of the lights. Can't seem to get a nice flow. I seem to get every red and it seems there is a stop sign half way between every light.

I will try that one day. I'm familiar with the traffic through oak park and that part kind of worries me.

How is morning/afternoon traffic on Cicero by midway? I take central so as to avoid midway. I wish I could move. I own my home here already.

I would think because you are going south that you wouldn't have a lot of traffic backing things up at Midway. Most people are going to go the opposite direction of you once you get south of the Eisenhower.

[prairiestate]

It sure would have been nice if they had built that crosstown expressway and el line. There is an express bus route (the X54) from the Jefferson Park El Station to Midway, then numerous bus routes to 79th St. It won't be any faster then driving, but you can read or nap.