Ideal new bus route

[ajcalcote1982]

Here's my idea for a new bus route:

#199 Loop-Medical District bus line. This line would operate daily - 7 days a week - from 4:30 a.m to 1:15 a.m. between the Jackson Blue line and the Polk Pink line stations. It would operate westbound via Dearborn, Adams, Clark, Harrison, Paulina, and Polk to the Polk Pink line station. It would then turn around via Polk, Damen, Harrison, Wood, and return to Polk for the eastbound trip via Polk, Paulina, Harrison, and Dearborn to the Jackson Blue line station. This bus line would be perfect for Pink line passengers who need direct trips to O'Hare, and also passengers who need to get on the Pink line going west.

[artthouwill]

Here's my idea for a new bus route:

#199 Loop-Medical District bus line. This line would operate daily - 7 days a week - from 4:30 a.m to 1:15 a.m. between the Jackson Blue line and the Polk Pink line stations. It would operate westbound via Dearborn, Adams, Clark, Harrison, Paulina, and Polk to the Polk Pink line station. It would then turn around via Polk, Damen, Harrison, Wood, and return to Polk for the eastbound trip via Polk, Paulina, Harrison, and Dearborn to the Jackson Blue line station. This bus line would be perfect for Pink line passengers who need direct trips to O'Hare, and also passengers who need to get on the Pink line going west.

I believe this is just a duplicate of service provided by the 7 Harrison.

[MetroShadow]

I believe this is just a duplicate of service provided by the 7 Harrison.

Almost a hybrid of the 7, 38, 126, and 60, in theory. In practice, however, seems like you can short turn a 38 beyond its normal operating hours between downtown and the medical center.

[cta5658]

Here's my idea for a new route:

#107 107th. it would operate everyday from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. between 104th/Pulaski and 107th/Cottage Grove.

[dann]

Here's another new route idea: X72 North Ave. Express. It would run on weekdays, terminate at Triton College instead of Harlem and would make limited stops between Clark and Triton College. It would also serve Gottlieb Hospital at North and 5th, and Lincoln Tech at North and 1st.

[Busjack]

Here's another new route idea: X72 North Ave. Express. It would run on weekdays, terminate at Triton College instead of Harlem and would make limited stops between Clark and Triton College. It would also serve Gottlieb Hospital at North and 5th, and Lincoln Tech at North and 1st.

Since the new stops are in the suburbs, either this gets coordinated with 318, or doesn't get my support.

[BusHunter]

Here's one. The other day I was thinking when there is #144 that leaves the drive at Irving, #146 that leaves the drive at Belmont and the #147 that leaves the drive at Foster, why there wouldn't be a similar service for the #130's in the Lasalle corridor. They have the #135 that leaves at Belmont and the #136 that leaves at Irving, but no bus that leaves at Foster, leaving the #136 to not only do the Marine drive service, but to do the North Sheridan too. Why not make a #137 travel the route of #147 at the North end maybe even extending it to Howard.

[Busjack]

Here's one. The other day I was thinking when there is #144 that leaves the drive at Irving, #146 that leaves the drive at Belmont and the #147 that leaves the drive at Foster, why there wouldn't be a similar service for the #130's in the Lasalle corridor. They have the #135 that leaves at Belmont and the #136 that leaves at Irving, but no bus that leaves at Foster, leaving the #136 to not only do the Marine drive service, but to do the North Sheridan too. Why not make a #137 travel the route of #147 at the North end maybe even extending it to Howard.

I guess that would depend on the demand.

For that matter, I never figured out why the 147 leaves LSD at Foster instead of staying on to Hollywood. You could bring back something like the 1970s Sheridan Express (then local Wilson to Devon) for the Foster part.

[redlinerider]

Here's one. The other day I was thinking when there is #144 that leaves the drive at Irving, #146 that leaves the drive at Belmont and the #147 that leaves the drive at Foster, why there wouldn't be a similar service for the #130's in the Lasalle corridor. They have the #135 that leaves at Belmont and the #136 that leaves at Irving, but no bus that leaves at Foster, leaving the #136 to not only do the Marine drive service, but to do the North Sheridan too. Why not make a #137 travel the route of #147 at the North end maybe even extending it to Howard.

Honestly, there is very little demand for 136 service north of Foster. I took it frequently home during rush hour and the bus is very empty when it hits Foster. In the morning its a bit more full, but most of the passenger traffic, I think, happens south of Foster.

[chgofan78]

I like the way the North Lake Shore Drive routes operate, but I think some of the routes could be tweaked just a little to make better use of them. First, I don't think it's necessary to have both the 145 and 148 operate during rush hour. I think the CTA should go back to the original idea of having the 145 operate express to Irving Park and then continue to Wilson/Ravenswood or short turn at Wilson/Broadway or Wilson/Clarendon. This would eliminate their short runs at Grace/Lake Shore and the 148 altogether. Then, to make up for the lack of service between Belmont and Grace, I would extend the 134, 143, and some runs on the 156 (like the original plan) from Belmont/Sheridan to Grace/Lake Shore. These routes could utilize the runs previously held by the 148 for the extra equipment and more runs can be established on the 134, 143, and 146. Then I notice that since not too many people use the northern portion of the 136, the route could be shortened to operate as far north as Bryn Mawr and deadhead back south from Hollywood and Lake Shore Drive. Now, to help out with this change in service on Sheridan north of Bryn Mawr and to take some pressure off the 147, I propose a realignment and extension of an existing route- the 125 Water Tower Express. I know the 125 is designed to take individuals from the downtown terminals to the Water Tower area. The route I propose will serve the same purpose but would operate nonstop from Washington and Canal to Michigan and Ohio via Wacker with a courtesy stop at Wells and Wacker for individuals needing the Merchandise Mart. Then, it will make normal stops on Michigan to Delaware, then run express to Hollywood and Sheridan and make the old 136 stops north to Devon/Broadway. It'll definitely take some relief off the 147 because it will make stops at places currently served by the 136 and 147- plus operate in the West Loop not too far away from LaSalle. Now, if there isn't enough equipment for these changes, maybe more short runs could be established to free extra buses such as the 144 and 146 operating in the same fashion as the 145 and 148 operate now. All peak direction 146 runs could operate to/from Montrose and Marine Drive to the Museum Campus while the 144 runs operate Berwyn/Red Line to the Museum Campus.

[jajuan]

I like the way the North Lake Shore Drive routes operate, but I think some of the routes could be tweaked just a little to make better use of them. First, I don't think it's necessary to have both the 145 and 148 operate during rush hour. I think the CTA should go back to the original idea of having the 145 operate express to Irving Park and then continue to Wilson/Ravenswood or short turn at Wilson/Broadway or Wilson/Clarendon. This would eliminate their short runs at Grace/Lake Shore and the 148 altogether. Then, to make up for the lack of service between Belmont and Grace, I would extend the 134, 143, and some runs on the 156 (like the original plan) from Belmont/Sheridan to Grace/Lake Shore. These routes could utilize the runs previously held by the 148 for the extra equipment and more runs can be established on the 134, 143, and 146. Then I notice that since not too many people use the northern portion of the 136, the route could be shortened to operate as far north as Bryn Mawr and deadhead back south from Hollywood and Lake Shore Drive. Now, to help out with this change in service on Sheridan north of Bryn Mawr and to take some pressure off the 147, I propose a realignment and extension of an existing route- the 125 Water Tower Express. I know the 125 is designed to take individuals from the downtown terminals to the Water Tower area. The route I propose will serve the same purpose but would operate nonstop from Washington and Canal to Michigan and Ohio via Wacker with a courtesy stop at Wells and Wacker for individuals needing the Merchandise Mart. Then, it will make normal stops on Michigan to Delaware, then run express to Hollywood and Sheridan and make the old 136 stops north to Devon/Broadway. It'll definitely take some relief off the 147 because it will make stops at places currently served by the 136 and 147- plus operate in the West Loop not too far away from LaSalle. Now, if there isn't enough equipment for these changes, maybe more short runs could be established to free extra buses such as the 144 and 146 operating in the same fashion as the 145 and 148 operate now. All peak direction 146 runs could operate to/from Montrose and Marine Drive to the Museum Campus while the 144 runs operate Berwyn/Red Line to the Museum Campus.

Sounds a bit overly complicated. You're proposing changing too many routes to restore the original experimental change to one.

[artthouwill]

Sounds a bit overly complicated. You're proposing changing too many routes to restore the original experimental change to one.

I'll simply his idea. Return the 145s to operate via Irving Pk at all times (thus replacing the 148) and make the current 145 short turns at Grace into 146s and short turn some of them at Congress.

As to why the 147 exits at Foster instead of Hollywood. One reason could be that garage straight down Foster at Kedzie. Another could be the ease of having bus stops along Foster where none would be possible on Hollywood (though Bryn Mawr might be an option, but see reason 1).

[Busjack]

...Another could be the ease of having bus stops along Foster where none would be possible on Hollywood (though Bryn Mawr might be an option, but see reason 1).

The only relevant one would be at Marine Drive & Foster. Since Marine Drive ends there, there would be no need to stop on Bryn Mawr between LSD and Sheridan.

[chgofan78]

The main thing I'm proposing is creating another zone or two within the existing. A 40ft or 60ft bus can fill very quickly between Belmont and Grace or between Wilson and Irving Park. I feel if the zones are expanded with a route a route or two overlapping into a second zone, it may ease a little of the overcrowding. Plus, it makes better use of some routes that could use a boost in ridership.

[BusHunter]

In the rush hour too the #135 only goes to Clarendon/Wilson instead of going to Damen/Lawrence. There's no #130's/Lasalle service any further than Clarendon. How about a #138 to Damen/Lawrence. It could be ran up LSD to Wilson and go straight down Wilson. BTW, didn't some older service in the 60's and 70's enter the drive at Wilson?

[Busjack]

In the rush hour too the #135 only goes to Clarendon/Wilson instead of going to Damen/Lawrence. There's no #130's/Lasalle service any further than Clarendon. How about a #138 to Damen/Lawrence. It could be ran up LSD to Wilson and go straight down Wilson. BTW, didn't some older service in the 60's and 70's enter the drive at Wilson?

As far as the 1970s, there was the Sheridan Express (probably #146 for a short time) that ran local between Devon and Wilson (previously mentioned), and a Wilson-Michigan Outer Drive Express, that I believed ran directly from Wilson.

The real question is how much service Wilson needs, given it is not a half-mile street and is also served by the L, and given the present demographics, I doubt that there are that many living on Wilson commuting to LaSalle Street. After all, the equivalent local runs (153 merged into 151, and 156) were cut back to Belmont. Apparently, the area to be served is on Clarendon.

[jajuan]

The main thing I'm proposing is creating another zone or two within the existing. A 40ft or 60ft bus can fill very quickly between Belmont and Grace or between Wilson and Irving Park. I feel if the zones are expanded with a route a route or two overlapping into a second zone, it may ease a little of the overcrowding. Plus, it makes better use of some routes that could use a boost in ridership.

I don't see what more overlap you're looking for. As is there are nine N Lake Shore express routes. You have the 134 and 143, which enter/exit at Fullerton. You have the 135, 145, and 146 which enter/exit at Belmont. The 136, 144 and 148 enter/exit at Irving Park and the 147 enter/exit at Foster. The whole purpose of cutting the 145 back to Belmont and creating the 148 is because the 146 couldn't do it alone even when the number of buses were stepped up on the route while at the same time a lot of people on Wilson had grown to dig that Irving to Delaware express zone as evidenced by the full buses I see on the 148. The fact of the matter is there just are a lot of people between Belmont and Grace who travel to Michigan Avenue over LaSalle, which also part of the reason Wilson is now handled by the 145/148 and the 135 only operates to/from Clarendon/Wilson as noted by Busjack. Whenever I've ridden a 135 in the AM rush Belmont is packed with a good min 20-30 people a good number of whom are waiting to squeeze on a 145 or 146. Another thing to consider is transit agencies across the country are seeing increased ridership including the CTA. Even before the ridership increase, the N Lake Shore expresses comprised a busy corridor. Even the artics, past and present, get packed working this corridor, which made me question the logic of putting all nine routes on the chop block during the Doomsday scares even with the financial issues.

[artthouwill]

I don't see what more overlap you're looking for. As is there are nine N Lake Shore express routes. You have the 134 and 143, which enter/exit at Fullerton. You have the 135, 145, and 146 which enter/exit at Belmont. The 136, 144 and 148 enter/exit at Irving Park and the 147 enter/exit at Foster. The whole purpose of cutting the 145 back to Belmont and creating the 148 is because the 146 couldn't do it alone even when the number of buses were stepped up on the route while at the same time a lot of people on Wilson had grown to dig that Irving to Delaware express zone as evidenced by the full buses I see on the 148. The fact of the matter is there just are a lot of people between Belmont and Grace who travel to Michigan Avenue over LaSalle, which also part of the reason Wilson is now handled by the 145/148 and the 135 only operates to/from Clarendon/Wilson as noted by Busjack. Whenever I've ridden a 135 in the AM rush Belmont is packed with a good min 20-30 people a good number of whom are waiting to squeeze on a 145 or 146. Another thing to consider is transit agencies across the country are seeing increased ridership including the CTA. Even before the ridership increase, the N Lake Shore expresses comprised a busy corridor. Even the artics, past and present, get packed working this corridor, which made me question the logic of putting all nine routes on the chop block during the Doomsday scares even with the financial issues.

I agree with most of your post. However, what is the difference with the 148 being named the 145, and the current 145 (from Grace) being named and rerouted to the 146? You are not losing any buses.

[Busjack]

I agree with most of your post. However, what is the difference with the 148 being named the 145, and the current 145 (from Grace) being named and rerouted to the 146? You are not losing any buses.

In the real world, none. However, it may have to do with revenue accounting and the crazy rider factor. I remember that at the time of the restructuring, the main complaints were from people just north of Belmont, and they claimed that they lost one of their routes, even though the frequency on 146 had been increased. Apparently they have been placated. However, at the time I thought it was no different than merging 27 with 71, even though half the trips ended at 73rd. They could have just kept the 112th trips as 27 and said that the terminal was changed from 63rd and Indiana to 69th and Dan Ryan.

Someone else pointed out that the other difference is that inbound 146 goes down State and 145 goes down Michigan. In the last year, you also have the question that 145-148 were moved to Kedzie, although that shouldn't drive any decision.

We discussed before that calling 145 Wilson Michigan didn't make much sense with the rush hour trips ending at Grace,* but no one could come up with a better name for it.

_____

*Also, why was a street named for a Cubs player who now is more associated with the Diamondbacks? :P

[jajuan]

I agree with most of your post. However, what is the difference with the 148 being named the 145, and the current 145 (from Grace) being named and rerouted to the 146? You are not losing any buses.

I didn't say there was anything wrong with the original way the restructuring was done. In fact, I liked how it was before and couldn't understand the fuss about the 145 exiting at Irving Park. The current way just happen to seem to work too. You're still going to get crowded buses because that whole corridor is a busy one, especially now with the national increase in the use of public transit. I didn't have issue with the restructurings before the 148 was created. I happened to be responding to chgofan's proposal of going beyond a restoration of the original restructurings and extending the 125, changing 134, 143, 156 among some other things. That was making it more complicated than simply returning to the 145 exiting/entering the Drive at Irving Park. That's unnecessarily a bit too complicated to get a simple result. In response to his mention of overlapping express zones to ease crowding, I point out that there are already four in existence on the N Drive used by the current nine express routes on that corridor, the same four that came about under the original restructurings. Might as well leave well enough alone in light of this. In addition the crazy rider factor I alluded to in the creation of the 148 and explicitly pointed out by Busjack, the demographics along the corridor along with traffic issues on and near the Drive make it a challenge to get around the crowding that's bound to happen on buses serving that corridor.

[Busjack]

In addition the crazy rider factor I alluded to in the creation of the 148 and explicitly pointed out by Busjack...

To clarify, I made that reference with regard to needing both 145 and 146 between Irving Park and Belmont, instead of a more frequent 146. IIRC, 145 originally (at the time of the restructuring experiment) hit LSD at Irving Park, and thus the 148 assumed what the 145 once was, except only during the rush hour in the rush direction.