Driving in the suburbs? (Naperville, Arlington Heights: to live, commuting, distances)

[chet everett]

...is about options. Believe me if everyone TRIED to use some of the alternates routes that I do then they would not "work" for me or the folks that rely on 'em.

I really meant to contrast the range of options that our "grid" does give all drivers. I can literally be way out three counties away from Chicago and quickly find a way to bypass some traffic snarl if I pay attention to which cross streets line-up.

The alternative in places in Atlanta or Washington DC or too many other places literally does not exist -- due to things like barriers caused by waterways and other natural features as well as an overly "central control" mindset odds are that secondary streets simply are feeders to expressways...

Originally Posted by Vasily

I commuted for five years from Naperville to Arlington Heights, and used side streets when there was a major problem on 88 or 355/290. I came to know pretty much every possible route from my house to work, and found dealing with stoplights and RR crossings and boneheads flying through lights a real stress inducer. The main advantage was avoiding a two to three hour bumper to bumper drive on the tollways which for me was even more stressful.

I don't think it's a matter of right or wrong, I think different people have different levels of tolerance for things like commuting. I grew up in a town of 50000, and found the commute to AH a horrible experience. Others (like those who are used to the big city life or areas where you can't get anywhere without a big drive) may find it a piece of cake. To each his own, I suppose.

[Aleking]

traffic in and around oak brook is hellish...true torture

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Aleking

traffic in and around oak brook is hellish...true torture

I suspect that Aleking is either being silly or attempting some troll type tactic.

The layout of Oak Brook is such that that is has DIRECT access from both 294 and I-88 as well as terrific options to get off 290 onto Roosevelt which then has multiple options such as York, Rt 83 and Summitt/ Midwest Rd. The vast majority of employment locations are easily accessed from arterials such as Cermak / 22nd St, which runs all the way through to the McCormick Place complex as well as easy access to 31st St and Ogden which similarly are useful arterials for the region. Secondary roads that link parts of Oak Brook to neighboring towns include Spring Rd and Meyers.

The traffic management is well coordinated in Oak Brook and surrouinding towns with fully syncronized stoplights mostly equipped with protected lefts that make for efficient timings in all but the heaviest peak shopping days.

The capacity of roads like 22nd has been increased signficantly over the recent past with efforts to widen all the bridges and underpasses that cross the tollways.

[mattywo85]

It really depends on what roads you take, the time of the day, etc. It can be busy one day at one time, and not so busy the next.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by dogsandart

This may seem like a silly question, but here goes. I've lived in the Dallas and Atlanta suburbs and hated the traffic. We live in Greensboro, NC now, a mid sized town. We may have the opportunity to move to Chicago. Right now my husband is telecommuting for a company in Oak Brook. I've been watching the real estate listings and have gotten helpful feedback from the forum. If we moved to a western suburb with an under 30 minute commute to Oak Brook, would I encounter a lot of traffic myself in day to day life? I work at home and would not have a commute, but don't want to have to fight traffic in daily living. How does traffic in western suburbs compare to that in Dallas or Atlanta suburbs? Thanks!

Probably better than Atlanta. Due to the hills and how development progressed, there seem to be more arterial roads in our area than there were in Atlanta.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Probably better than Atlanta. Due to the hills and how development progressed, there seem to be more arterial roads in our area than there were in Atlanta.

University of Texas does a NATIONAL Urban Mobility Report and the headline grabbing stuff ranks as 3rd in total wasted time & gas (behind NYC & LA, duh), a pretty tolerable 7th in hourly delay per vehicle wel behind DC, LA, NYC, Boston, Dallas & Seattle, and a very modest 14th for "travel time index" which TIES us with Atlanta, just behind Houston and ahead of Philidelphia...

2012 Urban Mobility Report and Appendices

Whet Moser at Chicago Magazine have put out a really nice detailed break-out of some of the more interesting findings like the value of our public transit system and impact on truckers -- Chicago Commuting: Unpredictable and Bad for Truckers, But Otherwise Not Bad - The 312 - February 2013 - Chicago

[easherly]

You have to be more specific about where you are coming from and going to. Some of the fast roads get so congested that you may be better off taking a 30 mph road around the bad parts.

[pvande55]

I believe a TV news show tested alternate routes and found, with one exception, they are all slower than the expressway. The exception is Lake Shore Drive alternate to the Edens. Of course LSD is limited access.

[Vasily]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I suspect that Aleking is either being silly or attempting some troll type tactic.

I believe it's called sarcasm, and I have to say I've seen more of it in the Illinois forums than the forums for the other states I've lived in. What posters seem to forget (or not care about) is: people are different.

I commuted to Oak Brook from Naperville for two years full time, part time for another two years (my consulting company's offices were there but I was usually out at client sites). You're right, it's not as bad as my commute to Arlington Heights ... but frankly, I would have much preferred a job close to home. My current commute is to the city on Metra: I much prefer that to commuting by auto. It's ten minutes to and from the Metra station from home, then a walk across the street to work from Union Station.

Again, people are different ... and the OP stated that she "hated traffic" and doesn't "want to fight traffic in daily living". I responded the way I did, because I too "hate traffic". People from small towns will find suburban traffic in suburban Chicago (or I suspect, any larger metro area) horrifying. Those who don't understand this either are lacking empathy, or have never known anyone who moved to the city from a small town. And those who target someone with sarcasm for expressing a personal opinion meant to give an OP data to make her decision ... well, I'll leave that unsaid.

[chet everett]

I don't know whether I would call the tone of the comments about traffic "sarcastisic" or "hyperbolic" but I am going to stick with saying the content is factually inconsistent wth my experience. I live directly south of Oak Brook in another western suburb. Off peak I can be at Oakbrook Center mall in under 10 minutes and even during the VERY MOST CONGESTED peak of holiday shopping my own "garage to store" total trip does not even double.

I completely understand the perspective of Vasily and agree 100% that using Metra for a job in the Loop is a far more pleasant experience but the reality that the OP asked about, comparing how their during-the-day trips with kids might be living in the western burbs might be in contrast to Atlanta or other place is going to be generally NOT BAD AT ALL if they select a home wisely. If they can afford a spot like Hinsdale or Clarendon Hills the total travel time, home garage to one's desk, ought NEVER exceed 20 minutes. If they live someplace with a wider range of prices like Elmhurst they still could pull of similar work travel times. A little further in Downers Grove, Lagrange or Western Springs ought not exceed 30 minutes. The beauty of all those compact rail-centric towns is getting around with kids or household shopping is VERY EASY with plenty of grocery stores, pharmacies, and general merchandise stores in neighborhood-scale locations so one need not deal with "power centers / mega malls / super-strip malls" that are common in the bigger sprawlish car-oriented towns...
Would it take longer to get to Naperville? Of course. Would it be possible to get "more house for your money" in parts of Naperville farther from its higher cost northern edge? Probably, but then the OP / spouse would both have more traffic to deal on way to work AND more of the daytime traffic too. And that is a trade-off that they ought to know about. Frankly that works for LOTS of people but if avoiding traffic is the goal the "remedy" is to choose a more traditional / compactly laid out town / part of town.