Chicago-area commuters will travel into summer 2007 facing the highest gasoline prices in the nation, the threat of Chicago Transit Authority service cuts and cabdrivers demanding higher fares.
The challenges to mobility and the wallet leave workers making daily trips to downtown Chicago with few options. More people are expected to get around by walking longer distances, a transportation solution that is healthy for the body and the environment.
In addition, record numbers will queue up to ride Chicago’s free trolleys, which on Saturday began their seventh year of daily summer service, and Wendella Boats’ Chicago Water Taxi, scheduled to begin operating June 4.
The water taxi service will be offered free of charge through June 17, Wendella officials announced. The service is starting up almost two months later than usual this year due to construction at the Madison Street dock, where the taxis set off on their approximately 15-minute trips near Union Station and the Ogilvie Transportation Center.
The water taxis make stops at docks at 325 N. LaSalle St., Michigan Avenue at the Wrigley Building and 455 E. Illinois St. at River East Plaza, then reverse course to the Madison Street dock at 2 N. Riverside Plaza.
Water taxi tickets are $2 each way after the two weeks of free rides end. Discounts for frequent users and other information is available at www.chicagowatertaxi.com
River taxi ridership is projected to be especially strong if the CTA goes ahead with service cuts and fare increases to shore up a budget deficit of approximately $100 million. About a half-dozen CTA express bus routes that carry Metra and Amtrak riders to the train stations would be eliminated under the service cut plan.
Wendella’s two water taxis, Alpha and Bravo, will sport a new look this year to help new users identify the vessels from tour boats that also ply the river. The Wendella water taxis have been painted taxicab yellow, with a black-and-white checkerboard pattern across the roofline.
“We have a new image and a new Web site,” said Gregg Pupecki, director of sales and marketing at Wendella Boats. “It’s a great way to save gas money. The Chicago River is a valuable natural resource, like a green highway going through the city that can alleviate traffic congestion and vehicle emissions.”
Shoreline Sightseeing also operates water taxis, although they are more geared toward tourists than daily commuters. The Shoreline routes operate between Navy Pier and Sears Tower, and on Lake Michigan between Navy Pier and the Museum Campus. More information is available at www.shorelinesightseeing.com.
Meanwhile, about 2 million people hitch free rides on the city’s trolleys each year, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
“We are trying to encourage people — not just tourists — to use alternative forms of transportation. A lot of people don’t know that all the trolley routes connect to CTA, Metra or Amtrak stations,” said Maria Castaneda, CDOT spokeswoman.
Most of the downtown trolley routes are served daily through Labor Day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended service until 7 p.m. during the Taste of Chicago. The downtown trolleys run every 20 to 30 minutes. Free trolleys are marked with signs in the front windows and by “free trolley” signs at trolley stops, to help riders distinguish between privately run tour trolleys, which charge fees.
Among the stops on the Green (Triangle) free trolley line are Union and Ogilvie stations; 25 E. Washington St. near Macy’s department store and Millennium Park; the Orange and Green Line Roosevelt Road station; and the Museum Campus.
The Metra/Museums “L” free trolleys stop at Metra’s LaSalle Street station, 131 W. Van Buren St., and makes all other Museum Campus route stops. It does not serve Union or Ogilvie stations. But the Yellow (Star) free trolley line does stop at Union and Ogilvie.
The Red (Circle) free trolley route begins at Union and Ogilvie on its shopping route along State Street and Michigan Avenue.
The Navy Pier free trolleys, funded by the Pier and Exposition Authority, operate from 10 a.m. to one hour after the Pier closes, 11 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Lincoln Park free trolley runs on weekends and holidays only from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Maps and more information are available at www.cityofchicago.org/transportation.
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Contact Getting Around at jhilkevitch@tribune.com or c/o the Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Read recent columns at bancodeprofissionais.com/gettingaround
