3 hours v. 30 minutes: Suburb-to-suburb transit time-consuming

The RTA's directions tool Goroo had it right the first time. When asked to plot a course from Downers Grove to Arlington Heights, the first option it suggested was — driving.

However, the point was not to drive to work on Chicagoland Car-Free Day Thursday but to embrace public transit.

That's how I ended up — for the third year in a row — spending three hours on a suburb-to-suburb odyssey.

Usually, it takes about half an hour to get to the office using I-355 and I-290.

With transit, I took a combination of four Pace buses on a circuitous route through Lombard, Villa Park, Elmhurst, Bensenville, O'Hare International Airport, Schiller Park, Rosemont and Des Plaines. Total travel time — nearly three hours.

There were compensations. Fresh air during a 45-minute wait to transfer from Bus 834 to Bus 313 in Lombard. A scenic tour through O'Hare's back yard cargo area while relaxing on Bus 332. And, with high gas prices plus tolls, the $3.75 ticket tab couldn't be beat.

But six hours a day for a 48-mile round trip? And that's just between DuPage and northwest Cook County. Imagine a transit trek from Lake to Kane County. Or northern McHenry to southern DuPage. Riding a horse might be faster.

Transportation experts agree the region offers an efficient transit system for commuters between the city and suburbs.

But “it's challenging to travel from suburb to suburb using transit. Clearly, we need better transit options,” Active Transportation Alliance Executive Director Ron Burke said.

The nonprofit group that advocates for cyclists and pedestrians has launched a campaign — Riders for Better Transit. It aims to organize transit riders to lobby for cleaner, safer and more efficient transit, as well as system expansions.

“The reason we don't have a better transit system in the region is lack of funding and the result of inadequate political will,” Burke said.

Pace bus officials echoed the funding lament.

“There has always been a lack of regional investment in suburb-to-suburb commuting,” spokesman Patrick Wilmot said. “For every dollar that our region invests in transit, about 10 cents comes to Pace. The challenge of serving a six-county service area that's roughly the size of the state of Connecticut is a monumental challenge hampered further by this level of investment.”

And each community has its own needs, he added. “Transit solutions that work well in Des Plaines may not work in Bloomingdale. Our service model for Elgin is vastly different from that of Naperville.”

The agency has invested in suburb-to-suburb commuting, and where bus service is impractical it offers a Vanpool program in which up to 13 people share a ride to work in a Pace-provided vehicle, Wilmot explained.

What about enhanced bus service along major roadways, such as Route 83?

It's complicated because some arterial roads are hardly pedestrian-friendly, Wilmot responded.

“Much of the (Route 83) corridor lacks sidewalks or crosswalks, and many of the shopping centers and businesses are set far from the road, making them difficult to access,” he said.

But there is hope. “Kane County has been a great partner to develop pedestrian infrastructure along Randall Road to make the use of transit more feasible and safe.”

Got a suburb-to-suburb tale of horror to share? Send it to mpyke@dailyherald.com.

And for more info on Vanpool, check out Pacebus.com. To learn more about Riders for Better Transit, go to activetrans.org/ridersforbettertransit.

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