Pace touts bus-only shoulders on I-55

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Gov. Pat Quinn stands near a Pace bus that can ride on the shoulder of highways after a news conference Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, at the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion. | Matt Marton~Sun-Times Media

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Updated: January 23, 2012 4:12AM

Imagine a commute to work in which it was OK to bypass traffic jams by driving on the shoulder of the expressway — one in which the cops would turn a blind eye to spotting you using the lane normally reserved for emergency vehicles.

Sound like a dream? If you take the Stevenson Expressway to get to work, it’ll be reality starting Monday, thanks to a new Pace program, Bus on Shoulder. The two-year pilot program allows Pace buses to fight rush hour traffic on Interstate 55 by driving on its shoulders.

“We do believe in public transportation in the state of Illinois. It’s important if we’re going to take on sky-high gas prices. We want to have alternatives for everyday people to get to work, to get to school, to get where they want to go for recreation,” Gov. Pat Quinn said Monday. “It’s important to have options, and that’s why this is such a great initiative.”

The bus routes start in Plainfield with stops in Romeoville, Bolingbrook and Burr Ridge and round-trip tickets cost $8 — about a third of what it costs to park in a downtown garage.

Representatives from Pace, the RTA and IDOT discussed the program with Quinn and other elected officials Monday during a news conference at the UIC Pavilion. State Sen. Maggie Crotty (D-Oak Forest) and state Rep. Robert Rita (D-Blue Island) sponsored the legislation that allows Pace buses to ride on expressway shoulders.

“There’s going to be great savings with the price of gas, wear and tear on your car, emissions, (and) parking. It’s really a win-win for the environmentalists, the commuters and for public transportation,” Crotty said.

The Illinois Department of Transportation literally smoothed the way for the buses by smoothing shoulder pavement. A brief test ride for the media Monday found that driving down the shoulder was as smooth as the normal lanes.

Bus driver Vicky Thomas, of Calumet City, said “it was comfortable” driving on the shoulder.

“The lane is wide enough. Actually, in some areas, it’s wider than the (normal) lanes,” Thomas said.

Commuters he has talked with “are very excited.”

“They’re tired of driving,” Thomas said.

Route 755 starts in Plainfield, near Village Hall, and stops in Bolingbrook en route to the CTA Pink Line station on Damen Avenue, the Illinois Medical District and the UIC campus. Route 855 also starts from the same lot in Plainfield with stops in Romeoville, Bolingbrook and Burr Ridge before hitting the Loop and North Michigan Avenue.

Each stop in the suburbs offers free parking, and the trip is $4 each way.

Richard Kwasneski, Pace chairman of the board, said the buses “are another option to get from the suburbs into the city.” He expects the commute to be trimmed by 15 minutes in each direction.

“There are a lot of people raising kids. Saving time and having more time for their family is one of the most important values in our society,” Quinn said.

If the program succeeds, it could expand to the Tri-State Tollway and other highways, Quinn said.

Buses will be allowed to ride on selected shoulders from 5 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Shoulders from Kedzie Avenue to Cicero Avenue, Central Avenue to Interstate 294, and County Line Road to Interstate 355 are designated for bus use. That’s a total of 14 miles. Snow and stalled vehicles may keep buses off the shoulders at times.

John Gates Jr., chairman of the RTA board, noted “we can utilize our existing infrastructure better and this is a terrific example of it.”

Oh, and if any motorists get the idea of shaving their commuting time by following buses, consider yourself warned.

State police will be looking for you, said Marva Boyd, IDOT chief of staff.