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The EL mostly serves the city itself and there are some duplicate commuter routes into the burbs. Oak park and Evanston for instance have both El and Commuter train access.
Most of the people who would be driving in rush would not be heading downtown. They may be heading through it but not heading to it Could you imagine that many people on the expressways. Yikes!
Not sure how to translate boarding into rides,but the EL had about 730,000 boarding per day total, the bus 935,000 and Metra 305,000. That is a lot of people off the highways and streets. No the EL as a whole is far from capacity but then again the Cities population had been dropping since the 50ies.
That what I assumed, I was about to write that in the previous post, but I was unsure of Chicago's expressway geography and more so typical trip patterns so I didn't write it.
As for Chicago, while transit isn't close to the majority of trips of the region or even just the city, it's obvious some parts of the city (the Loop of course and to a lesser extent other dense neighborhoods) wouldn't function well without it. One of positive about a subway system not at capacity is a higher chance of getting a seat. Though with lower frequencies.
That what I assumed, I was about to write that in the previous post, but I was unsure of Chicago's expressway geography and more so typical trip patterns so I didn't write it.
As for Chicago, while transit isn't close to the majority of trips of the region or even just the city, it's obvious some parts of the city (the Loop of course and to a lesser extent other dense neighborhoods) wouldn't function well without it. One of positive about a subway system not at capacity is a higher chance of getting a seat. Though with lower frequencies.
Not a local...Metra has seats open due to higher prices and limited service. The EL is much more likely to be crowed with no where to sit, however because the distances are shorter you are not as likely to be forced to stand for really long periods of time. The only time you get a seat on the train is after rush(the time when you are less likely to need it). Also as the day goes by the number of trains decreases a bit as well as number of cars in that train so yeah you can still get crowed.
I would say that most of the city wouldn't function well with out it. Older Children use the bus to go to school, imagine adding that many more trips. The expressways are the fastest way to travel across town so extra traffic on them is painful. Other major users of transit are people too old to drive, low income, and disabled people.
Not a local...Metra has seats open due to higher prices and limited service. The EL is much more likely to be crowed with no where to sit, however because the distances are shorter you are not as likely to be forced to stand for really long periods of time. The only time you get a seat on the train is after rush(the time when you are less likely to need it). Also as the day goes by the number of trains decreases a bit as well as number of cars in that train so yeah you can still get crowed.
I took the El a bunch, a few around evening rush hour. I probably wasn't quite at peak time or on the right trains (or maybe got lucky). Also I was comparing to a system at capacity (such as some NYC lines), where getting a seat is even less likely.
The only way you're getting a seat on the L at rush hour is if you're traveling in the opposite direction of the standard commute or you're within a few stops of the outer terminals (morning) or one at the first or second station it stops at downtown before heading out (afternoon). On the lower-demand lines like the Pink, Congress branch of the Blue Line, you might get a seat on a morning inbound train any time before the last few stops before reaching downtown. If your stop is within about 3 miles of downtown on the Red, Brown, Purple, or O'Hare branch of the Blue Line, there's a good chance you'll have to let a couple trains pass by you before you get a standing spot, and you can certainly forget about an actual seat.
Wikipedia claims 75,000 weekday riders.The busiest section of the Chicago L is the red line, within the loop and the closer in parts of the north side. Blue line might also be busier than the loop elevated.
None of the Chicago subways are operating at maximum capacity. The four-track Lexington Avenue line in Manhattan carries 1.3 million passengers daily, I don't think even the largest expressway comes close to that volume of traffic.
I don't think many people outside New York would put up with the Standing Room Only conditions on their subway system.
I don't think many people outside New York would put up with the Standing Room Only conditions on their subway system.
We have standing room only on both SFs Muni (buses and light rail) during the commute and certain lines nearly all the time, and on BART during the commute (particularly if you are getting on in the middle of the system).
BART was designed as commuter rail with comfy seats and not much room to stand, but the new cars that are in the works now are being re-thought to deal with the standing reality. I live in Oakland (which is the middle) so there isn't going to be a seat for me during the AM or PM commute. And on many evenings the trains are packed through downtown SF and the middle of Oakland/Berkeley. Taking BART for me to downtown SF takes about 15-20 minutes. And the seats are more available after the SF downtown stops or Oakland stops.
Some of the local buses in Oakland are also packed, but I rarely take them during the commute or very far. Typically I take the bus for 10 minutes or less.
The problem is this board is full of young singles, mostly male, who have no idea what it's like to try to coordinate schedules of multiple family members. Most of the married ones on this board don't have kids, either.
They also live in very moderate/mild climates. Spending 20 minutes walking to a bus stop and then waiting for a bus in 10 degree temps with a 20 mph wind creating a -25 degree wind chill will disabuse even the most ardent transit support of his/her love of buses if he/she has to do it every work day for a couple of weeks. That's the kind of February and March that a lot of the Great Lakes area has suffered through this winter.
They also live in very moderate/mild climates. Spending 20 minutes walking to a bus stop and then waiting for a bus in 10 degree temps with a 20 mph wind creating a -25 degree wind chill will disabuse even the most ardent transit support of his/her love of buses if he/she has to do it every work day for a couple of weeks. That's the kind of February and March that a lot of the Great Lakes area has suffered through this winter.
That's a big assumption. This winter was one of the coldest on record for the Great Lakes region, that situation isn't really typical most winter days. I lived in upstate NY for a number of years, and yes managed to be outside and get around by foot. First, being a 20 minute walk from a bus stop isn't a particularly convenient situation, most regular transit users would live close. I walked to a bus stop on a morning with a -6°F windchill. Both Toronto and Montreal have a higher transit usage and walking rates than most American cities, the weather doesn't cause much hindrance. Three weeks of morning with a -25°F looks like hyperbole:
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