I captured a comprehensive example of Chicago’s growing intermodal transit system, at the intersection of Wilton & Belmont. Using these systems, I can get around the city without owning a car. It’s cheap, convenient, and low-impact.
As my picture shows, the intermodal system involves hubs throughout the city that connect several forms of public transit. I can travel great leaps with one form of transit (e.g. the ‘L’ train), then hop off at this station and close the gap to my final destination by using another form of transit (e.g. short-term bicycle rental).
- ‘L’ train: the tracks originate downtown and reach to the edges of Chicago like the spokes of a wheel
- City bus: criss-crosses the city to provide more local transit, and to close the gaps of where the ‘L’ reaches
- Taxi: On the rare occasion that the transit system can’t take me somewhere fast enough, I take a cab – and altogether it’s still cheaper than owning a car in Chicago
- Walking: duh
- Zipcar & iGo Cars: hourly car rentals that can easily be picked up throughout the city
- Divvy: 30-minute bicycle rentals that are just enough to close the gap between the bus/train and my destination – then, return the bike to a nearby station
- Personal vehicles: unnecessary
It’s beautiful to see the systems working together :)