25 Minute Commute From Clarendon Hills to the Loop (Chicago, Oak Park: elementary school, taxes)

[BriGuy23]

35 min. door to door. Quicker than 50 mins.

You must have had to walk pretty far to get on the green line. I am only 2 blocks north of the Oak Park stop. It would be less time if I got on at Ridgeland or Austin/

For full disclosure: When I lived in Oak Park I got on at Ridgeland then had to transfer to the blue line at Lake and Clark. Now that I am on the Metra, Union Station is close enough for me to walk to my office. Don't need to do the transfer (which added 10-15 min. onto my commute).

[Humboldt1]

Why is it on the way out to Oak Park in the evenings that the train goes so slow, particularly thru the bad parts like cicero? This causes the train to take 30-35 mins from clark/lake out to oak park avenue. Would be so much better if it ran express thru these rough areas, would speed up the ride and let less riff raff ride and make noise.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

Why is it on the way out to Oak Park in the evenings that the train goes so slow, particularly thru the bad parts like cicero? This causes the train to take 30-35 mins from clark/lake out to oak park avenue. Would be so much better if it ran express thru these rough areas, would speed up the ride and let less riff raff ride and make noise.

Its kind of a chicken/egg problem. Unless the west side has good transit options, there's no hope of gentrification. Until there's gentrification, you'll have the problems with the riff/raff. I'm sure the city of Chicago would never tolerate withdrawal of Green line stations on the west side for this very reason.

[Lookout Kid]

The city tends to shy away from such overt acts of classism these days... They removed the Cabrini Green Brown Line stations decades ago stating that ridership was the reason, but I think most of us know better. It certainly benefitted the rest of the North Side to not have the Cabrini stops.

[chet everett]

can we drift a bit farther...

Sheesh.

[pvande55]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

Its kind of a chicken/egg problem. Unless the west side has good transit options, there's no hope of gentrification. Until there's gentrification, you'll have the problems with the riff/raff. I'm sure the city of Chicago would never tolerate withdrawal of Green line stations on the west side for this very reason.

When you drive in on the Ike you can see three abandoned L stations in the median. I think when the line was built they expected more development but it never occurred.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by pvande55

When you drive in on the Ike you can see three abandoned L stations in the median. I think when the line was built they expected more development but it never occurred.

No. When it was built way more people lived in those areas and took the train. Now far less do so they got rid of the stops.

[oakparkdude]

Chicago ''L''.org: Stations - Western
Chicago ''L''.org: Stations - Kostner
Chicago ''L''.org: Stations - Central

[Humboldt1]

Call it classism if you like. Would make the commute much more tolerable and safe for those of us who pay taxes (net).

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

Call it classism if you like. Would make the commute much more tolerable and safe for those of us who pay taxes (net).

Sure. And if I lived in Oak Park, I would love the Green and Blue Lines to just express through most of the West Side. But I think we both know that this would be impossible politically. And it would be screwing over West Side residents who often don't own cars. In the days of Richard J. Daley, it was possible for the city to screw over poor minority neighborhoods without much consequence. Not any more.