New Bus Route Proposal

[geneking7320]

:)

Hi All;

I've noticed some crowded southbound buses [after 7PM] on route 3 King Dr when boarding between the Chicago River and Roosevelt Road. When the bus gets south of 26th St therer are many fewer passengers. This leads me to think that many of those riders are tourists or conventioners going between McCormick Place and the Michigan Avenue stores and hotels. Also, the 21 Cermak bus which serves McCormick Place directly does not connect with the Orange Line. To get many stones with one bird how about this for a route [roughly from south to north]:

Leave Halsted/Orange Line northeast on Archer to Cermak,

East on Cermak to McCormick Place

West on Cermak to Michigan Ave

North on Michigan to Water Tower [looping counter clockwise around Water Tower]

Return south via Michigan Ave, Cermak and Archer.

This would provide additional service for those traveling from McCormick Place and the North Michigan shopping area,plus provide a two seat ride to Midway Airport for conventioners staying at or around McCormick Place. What brought this to mind was an article in today's Tribune about a possible new hotel at Cermak and Indiana [across from the latest McCormick Place building].

What do you folks think?

[qwantae]

Hi All;

I've noticed some crowded southbound buses [after 7PM] on route 3 King Dr when boarding between the Chicago River and Roosevelt Road. When the bus gets south of 26th St therer are many fewer passengers. This leads me to think that many of those riders are tourists or conventioners going between McCormick Place and the Michigan Avenue stores and hotels. Also, the 21 Cermak bus which serves McCormick Place directly does not connect with the Orange Line. To get many stones with one bird how about this for a route [roughly from south to north]:

Leave Halsted/Orange Line northeast on Archer to Cermak,

East on Cermak to McCormick Place

West on Cermak to Michigan Ave

North on Michigan to Water Tower [looping counter clockwise around Water Tower]

Return south via Michigan Ave, Cermak and Archer.

This would provide additional service for those traveling from McCormick Place and the North Michigan shopping area,plus provide a two seat ride to Midway Airport for conventioners staying at or around McCormick Place. What brought this to mind was an article in today's Tribune about a possible new hotel at Cermak and Indiana [across from the latest McCormick Place building].

What do you folks think?

Good Idea

[ArcherRider]

This is a Good Idea because sometime go to Michigan Ave from the Cermak & Archer mean taking the red line and walk to Michigan Ave or #62 Archer and Get off the bus and Waiting for a Northbound bus to Michigan Avenue and is time wasting and this new route I don't have to transfer and one seat I get me there faster.

[Buslover88]

This is a very good idea, but with the service cuts and fair increases, we'll be lucky if we get service at all.

[Busjack]

This is a very good idea, but with the service cuts and fair increases, we'll be lucky if we get service at all.

I agree (doesn't that kill you?) While service to McCormick Place is not good (even during the Auto Show, where there are supplemental buses that can't handle the load), it seems like the convention trade would be better handled by faux "trolleys" run by McPier, when needed by demand, rather than public transit buses. Also, McPier could do something with the busway along the IC, and even to boost Metra service to the 23rd Street station. However, I would expect convention funds and hotel taxes to pay for that, not the CTA subsidy.

I also note from the #3 schedule that service frequency is doubled south of Michael Reese Hospital through about 9 p.m. Maybe Gene's post indicates that that is backwards.

[trainman8119]

Also, McPier could do something with the busway along the IC, and even to boost Metra service to the 23rd Street station. However, I would expect convention funds and hotel taxes to pay for that, not the CTA subsidy.

Actually, the busway is used by coach buses that run back and forth from hotels, during major trade shows. Also, during major conventions and the auto show, added trains stop at Mc Cormick Place during hours of the show. Extras are assigned during the auto show. If a convention requests added train service, trains that do not normally stop at Mc Cormick will stop (including empty deadhead equipment trains). Also, if requested, weekeend shuttles (usually on Sundays) are operated. Of course, this is all paid for by the group running the convention, as they provide the attendees with special show passes that allow transportation between Mc Cormick and downtown (and I am sure there is some sort of kickback to Metra included too !!!)

[geneking7320]

I agree (doesn't that kill you?) While service to McCormick Place is not good (even during the Auto Show, where there are supplemental buses that can't handle the load), it seems like the convention trade would be better handled by faux "trolleys" run by McPier, when needed by demand, rather than public transit buses. Also, McPier could do something with the busway along the IC, and even to boost Metra service to the 23rd Street station. However, I would expect convention funds and hotel taxes to pay for that, not the CTA subsidy.

I also note from the #3 schedule that service frequency is doubled south of Michael Reese Hospital through about 9 p.m. Maybe Gene's post indicates that that is backwards.

I'm aware my proposal is a pipe dream in these days of cutbacks and fare increases. Also my route proposal addresses two issues, firstly crowding on #3 King Dr between Michigan/Chicago and the South Loop/McCormick Place area and secondly the lack of a two seat connection between McCormick and MDW (without going into the Loop) on CTA. I think the faux trolleys would be rather small for the job. The busway buses are OK but if they only go to specific hotels they might miss the riders around Water Tower. Also, I think that there may be vacationers and business people staying near McCormick but have destinations further north.

Just before beginning this posting I thought of another alternative:

1) change the routing of alternate #21 Cermak buses to serve the Halsted Orange Line Station

2) increase service to Michigan/Chicago on route #3 King Dr [by having all buses go to Michigan and Chicago]

[trainman8119]

Can you say transfer!!! The idea in principal is a good one. But if there were transfers like the old days, there would not be a need for such a route. 21 would connect to red, to 3 to 4 to 29...and all of that would get you downtown, and to Water Tower if you wish. The route you propose is outstanding with todays route situation...however, would be unnecesary if there would be transfers as in the "old days". I contend that if transfers were applicable, routes such as 124, 125,157 would be almost unnecesay, since you would be able to connect to 29 or 66 or 65 which would get you through the loop or to Navy Pier(for example)...althought 124 replaced 56 as a east-west link to Navy Pier

So what I am saying is that, if yoiu were to institute some sort of transfer, you could eliminate routes and use transfers to a select few routes that would serve what is current duplicate routes the downtown area.

That all said....lets face it...the system under the current mentality, right or wrong, is in a state of chaos...political or not...and until there are those with some some serious transportation background put in place, it will continue to be chaos...and the little guy (or gal) will continue to be shafted !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Busjack]

I mentioned the transfer issue before with regard to CTA overruning Pace, RIPTA42 then indicated that the issue was people not wanting to wait at the transfer point.

As part of the doomsday plan, CTA intends to waive the Chicago Card fee again (page 12 of the pdf), enabling transfers if you use that method of payment. The contingency fare schedule also maintains visitor passes. Hence, what the real issue may be, as identified by the Auditor General, is whether the transit systems should have an alternative method for occasional riders to pay, instead of $2.00 or $2.50 for each unlinked bus trip if you are not near a transit card machine.

The service reduction plan would eliminate overlapping routes such as 127 within the city (and now also X80). However, it does not address poorly performing segments of routes or the west side Pace overlaps.

If there are enough passengers to pay for one seat service on a new route such as proposed, fine. But, since as buslover88 noted, with the service cuts and fair increases, we'll be lucky if we get service at all, saving people from having to make connections is less of a priority than preserving some availability of service. And many connections will be lost with CTA and Pace both making cuts in some of the same communities, CTA not accepting Pace transfers, and Pace not accepting CTA passes. The alternative seems to be waiting on a do-nothing legislature to impose $550 million in tax and budget increases to purportedly fill a $200 million hole, in an bill with undisclosed language, and probably meaningless "reforms."