Morning Commute South on 1-17? (Peoria: home, school, live)

[fromcotoaz]

We are considering moving to Peoria, and are curious about the commute. My husband works downtown on Central Avenue. His commute would consist of heading getting on the 101 loop at Union Hills, and then heading east to I-17. Then he would take I-17 Southbound, exiting at the Indian School exit. He would leave at 6:45 am, and head for home at 4:00 pm. I have looked at google maps, and they estimate it would be 32 minutes, or 45 minutes in traffic.

I am wondering if there are any of you out there who take the I-17 Southbound commute. Tell me your personal experience.

1. How would you rate this commute, compared to others you have driven to downtown?
2. Is it reasonable to think he would be traveling about 45-55 mph at that time of morning?
3. How long does it take you to get from the 101 and I-17 interchange to the Indian School exit?
4. Is there any public transportation available from this area? (and where can I find out about that?)
5. Any other helpful information would be great!

Thank you!

[Finger Laker]

public transport would take forever - it's been a while since i made that commute - the 101 moved pretty well until you got near the I-17 and then it was stop and go

from pretty much thunderbird all the way south it was a slow go

when I worked at central & thomas we had people take surface streets in

i think 45min to an hour would be your realistic best case normal scenario if you are commuting during rush hour

then again it's been almost 5 years since i've made that drive

[fromcotoaz]

That is what I was afraid of. It seems like the traffic would even be worse now than 5 years ago.

[Finger Laker]

honestly though, that's a fairly tough area to get to from any of the suburban locations ...... i've worked at 7th st & camelback and central & thomas and my coworkers who lived in the NW, SW, SE or NE valley all had good sized commutes

you could probably find some places that are pretty good within a consistent 20-30 minute commute from there

central & indian school is served by the light rail - but that won't do you much good in the NW valley

[observer53]

At 6:45, it might not be bad. I've actually been making a commute to and from I 17 and Thunderbird for quite a while now. I work at 7th Ave and Washington and I can do that, if I go in early, in as little as 20 minutes. (That's a few miles south of where you'd be starting from, I know)

The trip back, I usually make around 5, sometimes a little later or earlier, and it is always longer/heavier traffic. Not sure why. But, it's better both ways than my usual commute in from the east valley.

Public transportation... there are express buses, I believe from around Arrowhead Mall, (with park and ride lots) that would take him to Central Station, then up Central on the light rail.

Public transit info:

www.valleymetro.org

It might be worth trying some of the time, rather than driving every day.

[homlish560]

This is pretty much how commuting along I-17 is during most of the day.

[fromcotoaz]

Public transportation... there are express buses, I believe from around Arrowhead Mall, (with park and ride lots) that would take him to Central Station, then up Central on the light rail.

Public transit info:

www.valleymetro.org

It might be worth trying some of the time, rather than driving every day.

Thanks for that information. There are a lot of express bus routes that we didn't know about.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by fromcotoaz

Thanks for that information. There are a lot of express bus routes that we didn't know about.

There's also a park and ride (I just saw it this morning and remembered) just west of the I-17 at Bell. I know the RAPID buses stop there both ways, and probably express buses too. You can find the RAPID info on the same website.

[Finger Laker]

there is also a P&R at glendale off the 101 which has service to the same express bus that goes through the arrowhead mall

they started a P&R out here in goodyear even - if I worked downtown I would consider it and it does get good ridership - however, even when I was at central & thomas the schedule of the trip was just too much of a negative for me

slowly but slowly we're getting better at options to move people though

i used to commute on the local buses from the arrowhead mall to 7th st & camelback and 24th st & lincoln ....... painful

[observer53]

Local bus commutes are a whole other matter altogether, for sure! The express system to downtown, with the light rail to go north, is a much better method.