Advice on cost-effective commute / Arlington H to Chicago

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

My brother and DW much prefer Metra to driving. Brother used to drive but he found that the inconvenience of being on their time table was far surpassed by being able to make use of the commuting time by reading relaxing or catching up on work. Impossible to do that while driving.

Exactly. Plus, parking in the loop and near north is very expensive. Driving is certainly going to cost more than public transit unless you are carpooling, and in that case, you lose a lot of the flexibility that makes driving seem like an attractive option because you have to consider the schedules of other people. For me, driving in heavy traffic is stressful and feels like a waste of time, the train is much easier to deal with in that regard.

[Lbjen]

There are also several buses you can take from Ogilvie/Union that take you to either State & Lake or Michigan & Lake, you can get a $55 bus card with your monthly Metra ticket if you think the walk might be too much.

[Aerio]

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

Chet: Yes, you are right. HWC is the workplace. And thanks for the suggested route, once I'm back in summer school teaching, I'll be able to see firsthand which route is easiest, fastest, or just most pleasant. As for the walkways, I was not aware of said things. Is it covered only from Riverside Plaza to Randolph? At first, I thought you meant the Pedways, but it seems they don't go west that far: http://www.cityofchicago.org/content...wayMap2013.pdf

JacksonPanther: I calculated the 12¢ with this calculation: amount paid at the pump ÷ total mileage on a full tank. For example, on a receipt that I took out of my car, my last fill up was $32.60. I drove 320.4 miles on a full tank of gas @ 35.66 mpg average. So, the calculation should be $32.6 ÷ 320.4 = .101747 (or 10¢); in this tank, it actually came out to be cheaper than twelve cents, so I must have gotten worse gas mileage beforehand in my original post.

Upon reading your question, I actually researched how to calculate your cost per mile to make sure I was even doing it correctly, and found another formula*: price per gallon ÷ your average mpg = cost per mile. From the same receipt, it was $3.629 ÷ 35.66 = .101766 (or again 10¢). At this point, I'm not sure which formula is more accurate but they both give the same answer; considering my car only has a 10 or so gallon tank and is fairly fuel efficient, I'm just going to go with 10¢ to 12¢ per mile. This number, times the mileage driven gives me the cost of my commute.

My round-trip commute was 30.8 miles. This, multiplied by 30 (because I teacher 30 classes in a semester, so I do this trip 30 times) comes to 924 miles, again multiplied by 12¢ is $110.9 for my commute during a semester of driving; adding the 4.5 round trip for CTA, the total comes around $240 or so. At 10¢ a mile, the cost goes to $227.4

If I were to drive to AH downtown, then my driving commute would be 7.4 miles (round trip) x 30 (classes) x 10¢ (mpg cost) which is $22.2. Add $45 for thirty days of parking (1.5 x 30) and two monthly passes for AH Metra [zone E] ($299) and the total of all this comes to $366.2.

If I were to drive to Mt. Prospect, then my driving costs would be 11.6 miles (round trip) x 30 (classes) x 10¢ (mpg cost) which is $34.8. Add $45 for thirty days of parking (1.5 x 30) and two monthly passes for Mt. Prospect Metra [zone D] (270.5) and the total of all this comes to $350.3. I save $16 driving to another zone, but spend an extra $12 in driving; moreover, I would drive 126 miles more going to Mt. Prospect in total than just AH downtown. The difference between AH downtown and AH Race Track in cost/mileage is negligible, so I won't even bother calculating that.

At any rate, sorry for the long reply JacksonPanther but I hope that helps. Please tell me if I made a mistake in my analysis and calculations, but that is what my impression is and that is what I based my thoughts on. After doing this, it seems that using Metra is actually more expensive; and I didn't even add the possible days I might use the CTA or bus from Ogilvie. I guess this all boils down to time vs. comfort vs. cost vs. car mileage; which is more important to me, I have no idea. I already racked up 5000 miles in my new car in the last three months due to long distances in my commutes for part-time teaching, so I really don't want to keep driving like this. I'll have to see this a try a mock run I suppose?

Also, I wanted to mention I only work MWF, so the Metra circumstance may not be as good until I work the fall semester, where I will be working MTWTH (or MTWR, however you may abbreviate it) so the monthly Metra pass may be better at that point; the ten-day pass will be slightly under what I need in a month, since June I work 11x that month, and July also 11x. Mind you though, this is minimal, since most likely I'll have to come in for ceremonies, extra meetings, and god knows what!

* What is the formula used to calculate cost per mile based on fuel usage only.

Ophidian14: Parking downtown will be very expensive, but apparently I get a discount at the rate of $14 per day at Macy's due to my work? I haven't even checked this, nor do I even know where this parking garage is. $14 x 30 classes is $420 just for parking during the summer semester, let alone the cost per mile of driving. This would be by far the most comfortable commute, though! However, I've realized the benefits of being able to just relax commuting--read a book, grade papers, read mobile news, anything. I never knew or realized just how stressful (outright or subtly) driving really is.

Lbjen: The walk seems OK, but it is kind of long only because I know for a fact I will be sweating in the sweltering humid Chicago heat in summer in my dress shirt and dress pants so I'll look gross coming into the class and school. My body has absolutely no AC, which is why I long for a dry climate! The bus might be better, but ugh, in the end...I just kind of dread driving, Metra-ing, then busing to work. What a PITA this all is. I should quit my complaining, but it is a bit of a drag... At least I feel productive.

[Lbjen]

I used to do pretty much the same commute (AH to Michigan & Lake) and did the drive/Metra/bus thing. It's really not that bad, at least you can relax on the Metra and the bus to Michigan is really quick. There used to be a Pace bus to the AH Metra too, not sure if that still runs.

[cubssoxfan]

Calculating the cost of ONLY fuel is an incomplete way to calculate your true driving costs:
Cost of Owning and Operating Vehicle in U.S. Increases Nearly Two Percent According to AAA
I usually use $0.50 per mile since it is an easy number to work with.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Calculating the cost of ONLY fuel is an incomplete way to calculate your true driving costs:
Cost of Owning and Operating Vehicle in U.S. Increases Nearly Two Percent According to AAA
I usually use $0.50 per mile since it is an easy number to work with.

Yeah, I thought of this issue. But I think the OP may be doing it the right way - she's calculating only the incremental costs of driving this particular commute, instead of trying to calculate total cost of car ownership. Think of it this way - if she never drives a single mile, she will still have certain fixed costs of ownership, such as monthly payment, insurance, and registration. Unless the OP is contemplating completely giving up car ownership (she's not, since she lives in AH) then pulling these fixed costs into this discussion doesn't help, and makes the incremental commute costs seem worse than they really are.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Yeah, I thought of this issue. But I think the OP may be doing it the right way - she's calculating only the incremental costs of driving this particular commute, instead of trying to calculate total cost of car ownership. Think of it this way - if she never drives a single mile, she will still have certain fixed costs of ownership, such as monthly payment, insurance, and registration. Unless the OP is contemplating completely giving up car ownership (she's not, since she lives in AH) then pulling these fixed costs into this discussion doesn't help, and makes the incremental commute costs seem worse than they really are.

True, but when you drive you are closer to needing the next oil change, the next set of tires, the next brake job and you are using useful miles oof your car's lifetime. Similar to opportunity cost.

[Aerio]

The total cost of car ownership is something I cannot avoid, so I do not take it into account: things happen, and must be fixed or replaced anyway. For now, I am simply seeing which commute is more efficient from several variables. While it may cost more to use Metra, there is less wear and tear on the car and fuel usage; on the other hand, CTA is still cheapest in the long-run (for two months) but risks added wear and tear. Both cannot preclude accidents, though, which would eliminate any savings.

[pvande55]

Originally Posted by Aerio

The total cost of car ownership is something I cannot avoid, so I do not take it into account: things happen, and must be fixed or replaced anyway. For now, I am simply seeing which commute is more efficient from several variables. While it may cost more to use Metra, there is less wear and tear on the car and fuel usage; on the other hand, CTA is still cheapest in the long-run (for two months) but risks added wear and tear. Both cannot preclude accidents, though, which would eliminate any savings.

Cost of driving is a never ending debate. AAA puts out a book on it, calculates numbers higher than the IRS allows for business (55 cents). Ignoring depreciation, financing and insurance, AAA estimates about 20 cents per mile for gas, tires, and maintenance, based on $3.50 a gallon. Tolls and parking, if applicable, are extra.

[ToriaT]

I would say metra is the way to go. Its peace of mind and safer than the CTA. Walk or take buses to where you need to go back and forth in the city. There are many feeder buses you can catch to ogilvie station.