Driving the Kennedy (My Rideshare adventure.)

 

As everyone in Chicago knows by now there is a reconstruction going on with the reversible lanes on the Kennedy Expressway. Which is phase 2 of the project. Well, I drove it today going from Addison to downtown as I was taking a passenger to her destination. 

When I started out Waze was directing me down Oak Park Ave to Addison and then to the Kennedy. On the way, Waze had an alternate route. It was so twisty and still ended up on the Kennedy at Diversey I just decided to go to the Kennedy and get on. 

It was really slow going, creeping up the ramp to the expressway. When I got on it was just too jammed packed and I decided to get off at Kimball. Of course, there wasn't an easy way to get somewhere to take me south. I worked around and realized very quickly that every course I could take would end up crossing the Kennedy at some point and getting us back into a traffic jam. So after going to the streets, I got back on the Kennedy at Diversey. Got on, it was better than back where I originally got on at Avondale. So I worked my way to the third lane where traffic was starting to go faster. After about more minutes I made it to her destination. Thanked her for riding with me through the adventure. She thanked me for getting her to her destination.

I left this post in draft. Since that ride, I've been on the Kennedy several more times. I just can't understand how there isn't an effective alternate. It shows how dependent people are on this expressway. If you're going to O'hare from the city, you have to take the expressway in because it's the single access point.  I hope that in the future planners and transit activists can come together to make a better plan for the city. While the activists want a plan with better transit, bike paths, and walkable commercial areas that are easy to get to without the use of a car which could help ease traffic issues in this city. Making it easier to restructure traffic to stop the increase in vehicle use. It makes any industry connected with car use richer but does nothing for the people who have to use it. It leads to this very issue I'm speaking about above which no one wants.