Green Line/Garfield disaster zone (Chicago, Cicero: crime, how much, neighborhoods)

[TBideon]

It is simply unbelievable and unacceptable how bad the Green Line/Garfield stop is, especially at night. Outside of taking the 6, which only runs north until 12:30, or a cab, which is $15 or so, there are really no viable ways for U of C and Hyde Park students to go downtown without a car (Or maybe the 55 hits the red line, I haven't gone that route) And yet the Green Line/Garfield particular spot is DEPLORABLE!!

Taking the Green Line from downtown to Garfield was no big deal. I've heard stories but, at least when I was there, it was just people going home. No biggy. But after reaching Garfield, getting out, crossing that huge boulevard and waiting for the number 55 to go to Hyde Park in the dark was very unnerving, with two "gentlemen" selling drugs openly, at least when they weren't staring at me angrily. I felt better with the crackhead behind me yelling the whole time, much much better. Nothing beats having cars pass me by the curb, then reverse slowly, with me getting ready to run as fast as possible should a window open, towards the two scumbags. Nothing beats them sticking their bodies into the window and conducting such transactions without a care in the world.

If you've been there, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I understand you can't fix every street on the city, but this is a unique case where U of C/Hyde Park is practically right there, right on that damn street, right by the Greenline. You want to encourage tourists and continued growth there, you have to encourage safe public transportation with the rails and safe waiting areas, neither of which this particular location had.

Just a little rant; I was almost mugged in Evanston 7 or 8 years ago, yet found this to be much scarier. Also, I always call it as is; none of this is exagerration - it was very very very bad.

[JacksonPanther]

There's a thread on the Chicago board titled "How to reduce crime in Bad Neighborhoods." Your thoughts and proposals would be welcome.

A warning though. Since you are technically a resident of that area, and the 55/Garfield stop is "your" stop, some people believe that it is your responsibility to address crime in your neighborhood. Stop waiting for CPD/UoC Police to do something - history has shown that they won't, at least not without prodding by the residents (you) of that area.

In the mean time, the Red Line stop at 55 is usually a better bet than the Green.

[RiverRise]

This is how some people live 24/7. If you want the privilege of being a U of C student and living in Hyde Park, it's something you have to deal with. Welcome to the real world.

[snoylekim]

These observations could have been written about the 55th Green Line ( at the time called the Howard/Jackson Park) stop 35 years ago ..not much changes..except that it was a safer stop than the alternatives that were closer to U of C on 63rd street .. Comes with the territory ..It's not now and never has been ideal for those traveling alone, or those not sufficiently urbanized .. Not sure how much 'safer' the Red Line is, either ..
I thought U of C was running downtown/North Side 'shuttles' recently ??

[TBideon]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

There's a thread on the Chicago board titled "How to reduce crime in Bad Neighborhoods." Your thoughts and proposals would be welcome.

A warning though. Since you are technically a resident of that area, and the 55/Garfield stop is "your" stop, some people believe that it is your responsibility to address crime in your neighborhood. Stop waiting for CPD/UoC Police to do something - history has shown that they won't, at least not without prodding by the residents (you) of that area.

In the mean time, the Red Line stop at 55 is usually a better bet than the Green.

Well, I'm a resident of Lincoln Park but that's not the point. I just was shocked at how terrible an area so close to the Hyde Park is. I knew it was bad around there, but this was deplorable. If Chicago wants to attract more tourists, more residents, more families to the South side, then it should ensure their safety on at least a minimal level. This was farrrrrr beyond the minimal level.

Also, tourists are more apt to take trains than buses, right? Well, perhaps they'd like to see U of C/Hyde Park but may not be aware of just how bad that area is. And you can blame them for not being street smart or aware of their surroundings - lord knows it's easier to blame the victim in these cases - but even with that this is unacceptable and irresponsible.

It would benefit the city greatly to do ANYTHING there. Christ, just give us some lighting at the very least. God forbid there's some security out there.

[Golden Camel]

Originally Posted by TBideon

It is simply unbelievable and unacceptable how bad the Green Line/Garfield stop is, especially at night. Outside of taking the 6, which only runs north until 12:30, or a cab, which is $15 or so, there are really no viable ways for U of C and Hyde Park students to go downtown without a car (Or maybe the 55 hits the red line, I haven't gone that route) And yet the Green Line/Garfield particular spot is DEPLORABLE!!

I'm not sure I understand your concern. You're worried about U of C students being able to go downtown?

Going downtown, the last Green line train leaves at 1:04 am
The last 6 Jackson Park Express bus leaves at 12:03 am.
The last Metra train leaves at 12:31 am.

Coming from downtown, the last Green Line train arrives at 1:41 am.
The last 6 Jackson Park Express bus arrives at 12:59 am.
The last Metra train arrives at 1:04 am.

The 4 Cottage Grove bus runs downtown 24/7.
The 55 Garfield bus and the Red Line run 24/7.

Are you really that worried about U of C students who can't get downtown between 1:00 am and 4:00 am? Hyde Park has more late night and 24 hour transit options than most of the city. Yes, some of it goes through scary neighborhoods. But that is because the U of C is surrounded by scary neighborhoods. You gotta pass through them to get in or out.
I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that U of C students can't go downtown just because there is reduced service between 1:00 and 4:00 am.

Late night transit is a bear. Chicago used to have a great 24 hour system. But the factories that had late night shifts moved out. The buses were running empty and the CTA was running out of money. They really slashed the late night transit. The Red and Blue lines survived, some lake front areas survived and a few token bus lines in the interior of the city survived.

Nobody is picking on the night owls in Hyde Park. As I said, they have more 24 hour service than most of the rest of the city away from the lake front. Heck, at the opposite end of the city north of Lawrence and West of Cicero there is no bus service after 11:00 pm (except for a couple of 85 buses pulling into the Forest Glen garage until 12:30).

It's just not financially feasible to run extensive 24/7 service. The U of C already subsidizes several bus routes. If there are enough students who need to go downtown between 1:00 and 4:00, then maybe they should try to work something out to subsidize service or they could share cabs. (If four students share a cab, that only comes out to about $4.)

As for tourists, if they insist on taking a train, I would tell them to take Metra, otherwise it'd tell them to take the 6 bus. If they really wanted to visit Hyde Park in the middle of the night, I would tell them to take a cab. There is no way I would tell a tourist to take the Green Line at any hour of the day.

[trainfan87]

nobody said that hyde park was a recommended area for tourists. Its basically a ****hole except for the campus. Has been for a long time and might continue to be for a while. No unescorted girls should be walking around that area late at night.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by trainfan87

nobody said that hyde park was a recommended area for tourists. Its basically a ****hole except for the campus. Has been for a long time and might continue to be for a while. No unescorted girls should be walking around that area late at night.

Where's this coming from. Hyde Park is far from a sh*thole, so I can assume you've never actually set foot down there.

And the Green Line station that started this thread is not in Hyde Park, it's actually in the Washington Park neighborhood. Which might very well be a sh*thole...

[TBideon]

I was just ranting about my experiences in that area, and how easy it is to get in a bad situation out there. Thanks for the info on the various transport times, I'll try the 4 next time (never heart of that line).

Also, Hyde Park should be a tourist mecca (if it's not already). Beautiful architecture, amazing history, of course the schools, proximity to the lake. But people like to take trains, and it's like the city is almost encouraging trouble by allowing the greenline/garfield stop, which is really the best way to Hyde Park via train, to continue to operate, to EXIST in its current form. Hell, shut the damn stop down if that's what it take - lord knows how many muggings occur with nervous people unaware of the area waiting for the 55.

That or extend the trainlines to Hyde Park. Make this whole topic moot

[RiverRise]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Where's this coming from. Hyde Park is far from a sh*thole, so I can assume you've never actually set foot down there.

And the Green Line station that started this thread is not in Hyde Park, it's actually in the Washington Park neighborhood. Which might very well be a sh*thole...

I knew someone who lived right in this area and it's Hyde Park. Maybe some consider it Washington Park because of its condition, but it IS Hyde Park.