CTA vs. CWA: Home to Lincoln Square

After waiting for about 15 minutes and still no sign of a bus, I thought to myself, "I should have walked. Or cycled." I was trying to go a mere 3.2 miles from my house (near the Clark/Grandville bus stop) to Lincoln Square. Going fast, it's about a 15-minute bike ride. Driving is also about 15 minutes, plus the time required to find parking. I thought the bus would take about as long as driving/parking, so I decided to start a stopwatch as soon as I left my apartment. "Yeah, they raised the fare and don't offer transfers anymore, but it's still pretty reliable." Being anti-automobile, I'd like to have faith in public transportation.

Of course it took 25 minutes for the Clark bus to show up, with another right behind it. Then, a switch at Lawrence, another wait, and off towards Western. To sum up a long commute, it took exactly 50 minutes, 7 seconds to go door-to-door.

Going home I decided to see if I could beat that time on foot. I wouldn't run, just walk normally, and see if I could save four bucks and some time. So, the race was on: The Chicago Transit Authority versus Chicago Walking Andy.

As I walked, I thought about the pros and cons of each activity:

Pros
Bus: Stay dry
Walk: Stay fit
Bus: Meet interesting people
Walk: See interesting sites
Bus: Can read
Walk: Can think

Cons
Bus: Smell interesting people
Walk: Sweat and become one of the smelly people
Bus: Waste of money
Walk: Waste of time (possibly)
Bus: Waiting can be infuriating
Walk: Crossing streets can be dangerous

Anyway, as I walked into my apartment, I stopped the clock, and the result: 43 minutes, 39 seconds.
So ... walking wins in many ways.

Perhaps people who normally commute relatively short distances by bus could consider walking or cycling. It's healthier, cheaper, and unbelievably, faster. We could go from being one of the fattest to one of the fittest cities if we just stopped waiting around for that darned bus.