Eola Transportation Costs/Traffic Impact

[twhl]

The Adm stated that the transportation costs and overall avg. travel times will stay the same. My question is how can Laidlaw make this claim unless they have already been given the boundaries ?

What is the impact on that section of Eola?
What about future plans for an on/off exit for 88?
What will the impact on Eola be then?

I have been on Eola many times during non rush hour(not going to mention rush hour) and delays are significant.

[jwh]

Significant delays on Eola during non rush hour? Are you kidding? Eola is very light, especially in that area during non rush hours. It's just as crowded during rush hour as 75th street, 59, etc.

[d204mom]

I drove up there to see the site at 3:00 on a weekday afternoon and had to sit through 2 lights headed south on Eola at Indian Trail.

[dpc]

twhl said:

I have been on Eola many times during non rush hour(not going to mention rush hour) and delays are significant.

I believe this statement is not true. I live off of North Eola Rd and travel on Eola (up north to Butterfield and down south to 34) several times a day during various rush and non-rush hours. Certainly there is no significant traffic during non rush hours and, while there is a fair amount of traffic during rush hours, it moves at a steady pace. The only major back up is making a west turn on North Aurora Rd. That I will admit can be time consuming.

There is currently a lot of school traffic on Eola given the location of Granger MS and Brooks Elem. Sure you have buses and cars driving from the Steck, Young and Butterfield areas but I haven't heard of any complaints from parents or students driving to/from these schools.

[jwh]

Plus, they just completed the 4 lane improvement on Diehl.

[sleeplessinnpvl]

I think when you look at the map, you realize that the top half of Naperville is a big chunk of land and the schools are all spread out in the eastern part of both north and central Naperville compared to the schools in the south. This makes for someone needing a long commute unfortunately. Watts and Owen are just so east and the two high schools are west. Owen or Watts will just be replacing Brookdale's long commute. Some people's commute will be shortened and some will lengthen, just like with the old boundaries. When is rush hour worse....during the high school times (early) or during the elementary school times (later in the morning)? Also, does anyone know the timeline for that Eola/88 interchange?

[gumby]

sleeplessinnpvl said:

I think when you look at the map, you realize that the top half of Naperville is a big chunk of land and the schools are all spread out in the eastern part of both north and central Naperville compared to the schools in the south. This makes for someone needing a long commute unfortunately. Watts and Owen are just so east and the two high schools are west. Owen or Watts will just be replacing Brookdale's long commute. Some people's commute will be shortened and some will lengthen, just like with the old boundaries. When is rush hour worse....during the high school times (early) or during the elementary school times (later in the morning)? Also, does anyone know the timeline for that Eola/88 interchange?

Look at the direction of travel that BD makes to WV, versus what Watts (and especially Owens) will make to MV. Distances may be close, but times are different.

[sleeplessinnpvl]

Yes, I agree that Watts and Owen drives will stink and I wish there was a good solution. There is no diagonal road. However, I used to live by Watts and it took me 10 minutes to get up to Brookdale area (granted not usually in rush hour traffic). I don't see it taking 40 minutes and I thought I heard somewhere that 40 minutes is the limit.

[doctorwho]

sleeplessinnpvl said:

Yes, I agree that Watts and Owen drives will stink and I wish there was a good solution. There is no diagonal road. However, I used to live by Watts and it took me 10 minutes to get up to Brookdale area (granted not usually in rush hour traffic). I don't see it taking 40 minutes and I thought I heard somewhere that 40 minutes is the limit.

The school bus ride was quoted as 40 minutes by the asst super. The school bus ride is 25-30 minutes ( depending what end of Watts you are in) today to Hill. SO 40 minutes is definitely accurate if not slightly longer.


School buses are not cars and they make stops and go around RR grade crossings, and unfortunately do have to travel in busier times.

The 40 minute bus ride- the longest in the district will reside here.

And really a diagonal road is not the issue

the issue is that the closest HS is NV -- the next closest is WV, and the furthest - by far, is MV @ AME- and that is where we are going. No one else in the district except Watts and Cowlishaw will attend the furhest school from their home. So much for sense of community

We have to trade a 15 minute bus ride for a 40 minute plus bus ride - and extra 50 minutes per day x 200 days , 167 hours per school year for this privilege. ( and that's not counting all the multiple trip days due to sports and activities).

[doctorwho]

gumby said:

sleeplessinnpvl said:

I think when you look at the map, you realize that the top half of Naperville is a big chunk of land and the schools are all spread out in the eastern part of both north and central Naperville compared to the schools in the south. This makes for someone needing a long commute unfortunately. Watts and Owen are just so east and the two high schools are west. Owen or Watts will just be replacing Brookdale's long commute. Some people's commute will be shortened and some will lengthen, just like with the old boundaries. When is rush hour worse....during the high school times (early) or during the elementary school times (later in the morning)? Also, does anyone know the timeline for that Eola/88 interchange?

Look at the direction of travel that BD makes to WV, versus what Watts (and especially Owens) will make to MV. Distances may be close, but times are different.

and let's not compare the MS difference - walkers vs another long trip.

[sleeplessinnpvl]

Yes, that is terrible. I forgot the bus has to travel on major roads with stoplights too and can't take the shortcuts like I can in my car. I feel for you guys. I have a neighbor who lives in Sugar Grove and it's a 40 minute bus ride to their school but it is super far away. Can't believe the traffic problems in this city. We're just going across town to our schools and it takes as long as the "country folk"!

[doctorwho]

sleeplessinnpvl said:

Yes, that is terrible. I forgot the bus has to travel on major roads with stoplights too and can't take the shortcuts like I can in my car. I feel for you guys. I have a neighbor who lives in Sugar Grove and it's a 40 minute bus ride to their school but it is super far away. Can't believe the traffic problems in this city. We're just going across town to our schools and it takes as long as the "country folk"!

thanks, I can't believe some got their commute issues fixed (and understandably overjoyed by it ) but the fix was move them to us. Not seeing how that is a solution..


and as far as average times -- well averages mean little. If the average salary is the US is $55K, but one makes $15K - that 55 means very little. Means are a way to mask issues in statistics - median even worse.
the fact is we likely will do nothing to improve the commutes top to bottom even though we are adding a 3rd high school. Still hopeful but fading.

[sleeplessinnpvl]

I know guessing boundaries is futile but it's what I like to do when I can't sleep at night because my ulcers keep me awake from all of this mess! Plus, I'd like to help the Watts and Owen folks out. Does McCarty and Steck walk to WV? If not could they go to MV, and Watts and Owen get swapped for them? I know the achievement gap would probably be worst with the new school and WV in the middle but so what? Also, with Young having the best test scores, maybe it wouldn't be so bad? I'm sure some people from McCarty will squawk about their drive significantly lengthened but when I was in junior high, my school was right across the street, yet I got a 20 minute bus ride to the junior high on the other side of town.....If you aren't a walker, you are fair game to go anywhere. I personally think 4 schools making a 20 minute drive is better than 2 schools making a 40 minute drive.

[d204mom]

sleeplessinnpvl said:

I know guessing boundaries is futile but it's what I like to do when I can't sleep at night because my ulcers keep me awake from all of this mess! Plus, I'd like to help the Watts and Owen folks out. Do Mc Carty and Steck walk to WV? If not, could they go to MV, and Watts and Owen get swapped for them? I know the achievement gap would probably be worst with the new school and WV in the middle but so what? Also, with Young having the best test scores, maybe it wouldn't be so bad? I'm sure some people from McCarty will squawk about their drive significantly lengthened but when I was in junior high, my school was right across the street, yet I got a 20 minute bus ride to the junior high on the other side of town.....If you aren't a walker, you are fair game to go anywhere. I personally think 4 schools making a 20 minute drive is better than 2 schools making a 40 minute drive.

I thought the acheivement gap calc'd on 'informant's" boundaries with Watts going north had WV at quite a disadvantage. Watts to WV would even up the scores between the high schools better. The way I see it - Steck absolutely has to go north or it's Owen going.

[204parent]

doctorwho said:

sleeplessinnpvl said:

Yes, I agree that Watts and Owen drives will stink and I wish there was a good solution. There is no diagonal road. However, I used to live by Watts and it took me 10 minutes to get up to Brookdale area (granted not usually in rush hour traffic). I don't see it taking 40 minutes and I thought I heard somewhere that 40 minutes is the limit.

The school bus ride was quoted as 40 minutes by the asst super. The school bus ride is 25-30 minutes ( depending what end of Watts you are in) today to Hill. SO 40 minutes is definitely accurate if not slightly longer.


School buses are not cars and they make stops and go around RR grade crossings, and unfortunately do have to travel in busier times.

The 40 minute bus ride- the longest in the district will reside here.

And really a diagonal road is not the issue

the issue is that the closest HS is NV -- the next closest is WV, and the furthest - by far, is MV @ AME- and that is where we are going. No one else in the district except Watts and Cowlishaw will attend the furhest school from their home. So much for sense of community

We have to trade a 15 minute bus ride for a 40 minute plus bus ride - and extra 50 minutes per day x 200 days , 167 hours per school year for this privilege. ( and that's not counting all the multiple trip days due to sports and activities).

There is no way to get from WE, TG, Tamarack, Ashwood, etc. without going over a grade crossing. That's going to be a lot of cars and buses crossing the RR tracks. I can't even imagine the traffic backups after they increase the freight trains to 40 per day.

Remember, every bus has to stop at the RR tracks every time they cross, so that should make for some nice traffic jams.