Is this public transit plan safe? Chicago edition.
August 22, 2013 7:04 PM   Subscribe

Is 4AM late at night or early in the morning?

So I recently decided I needed another part-time job to pad out my other, good, career-building part-time job that I love. And I was hired at Starbucks! Hooray! (Kind of.)

I live in Hyde Park (South Side) but I was hired at a location in the Loop. I applied for the morning shift, as I only work afternoons and evenings at my other job. I am fine with the idea of opening at 4:30AM on the regular, but I just realized that the usual, dependable express bus that I use to get downtown (the #6) doesn't run that early in the morning. As is, I couldn't get to work until 4:45AM at the earliest, if I were like the Flash and there were never any CTA delays. There is another bus (the #4: Cottage Grove) which is closer to my apartment and runs earlier, but it's further on to the west side of Hyde Park, which borders some sketchier neighborhoods.

So is it a super bad idea to get on a semi-sketchy 4AM bus two or three times a week to get to the Loop for work? Is 4AM still "late at night" vs. "early in the morning," in the sense that it's notably dangerous to be out alone? Is waiting for the bus gonna be particularly dangerous? Or is the bus mostly going to be people in uniform headed to their opening shift in the Loop as well?

Sorry guys, I'm dumb. I just wanted to know if it was worth it or if I will be taking unnecessary risks. Thanks!
posted by stoneandstar to Travel & Transportation around Chicago, IL (26 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I can't comment on your area specifically, but in general there's nothing especially dangerous about 4AM. If anything, from a circadian rhythm standpoint, people are at their lowest ebb between 3 and 5AM or so, so I'd imagine most of the people bent on criminal shenanigans earlier in the evening are probably going to be asleep by 4. I think most of your fellow-travelers at that hour will be others who have to work at zero-dark-thirty.

Stay alert and give it a try.
posted by killdevil at 7:09 PM on August 22, 2013 [3 favorites]


Everyone is going to have his/her own opinion about this and it really does boil down to comfort level — the odds of something happening to YOU probably aren't all that high — but if your question is something like "Have all the bad guys gone to bed by 4am?" the answer is most definitely no.

I say this from the perspective of someone who started a few jobs downtown for several years round about 5am, coming in from both the North Side and the South Loop. I also worked as an editor for one of the major newspapers in town and helped cover crime, which admittedly skews my opinion. But there you have it.
posted by veggieboy at 7:12 PM on August 22, 2013


Well, it's dark at 4am so I wouldn't feel totally comfortable. If I were doing it, I would keep all my valuables tucked away and would not crack a book on the ride.
posted by bibbit at 7:17 PM on August 22, 2013


Being on the bus would probably be totally fine, but I would worry about waiting for the bus. As you say, that's a sketchier area than Hyde Park proper, and it's out of the patrol area of the University police, which makes a big difference. I don't live in that neighborbood anymore and my sense is that it has improved since I left (~3 years ago), but it's not a bus I would want to take outside of daylight hours if I could avoid it, especially as a woman (even as a woman who is pretty cavalier about taking the CTA. I have been pulled over by cops who were worried that I might not be safe waiting at bus stops before.).

It might be worth giving it a try on a day when you don't have to work, so that you can feel it out and go home if it seems super sketchy.
posted by dizziest at 7:36 PM on August 22, 2013


4 am is more like early in the morning on weekdays. The UCPD does patrol on cottage grove. I would be okay with it myself but I have a high level of confidence in "sketchy" areas. Can you take the red line instead? Not sure if that's safer but it might be faster. I definitely think that most everyone you encounter will be on their way to work, regardless of your route.
posted by mai at 7:44 PM on August 22, 2013


I'm assuming you live north of the Midway - so since you're within the patrol area of the UofC police, you'll probably be fine. Like dizziest, I'd be a lot more worried about the walk to/wait for the bus than the bus ride itself.

(With that said, I took the Oak Park branch of the green line to work, often at odd hours, for a few years. I was never the victim of crime but I got to watch some crime happen right on the train. I think you're right, though, that most folks on the bus at 4 a.m. are just going to work.)

If it were me, I'd try it once before committing to that shift. If you find that there's no one around at 4 a.m., you might want to re-think it. My comfort level with walking around at weird times is pretty much proportional to the number of people who are out on the streets with me in whatever area.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 7:48 PM on August 22, 2013


It's possible that the city has statistics on crime, by time of day, as well as neighborhood. There are fewer people out, so fewer people who might help you, but also fewer people who want to rob you.
posted by theora55 at 8:00 PM on August 22, 2013


The safety bit is really just a judgment call based on your level of comfort. I will add, though, the #4 is an absolutely shitshow of a route. There's a ton of stops, it goes through some extremely rough neighborhoods, and in my very brief period taking it it was never anywhere close to on-schedule.
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 8:19 PM on August 22, 2013


Cottage Grove is within the UCPD-patrolled area, and some CFD EMTs once told me that they've basically never gotten assault calls at 4 a.m. I would be okay with this; you should give it a try before you make up your mind.

I think one of the bus stops (don't know if it's the 4) is right next to a blue call box. Maybe it would settle your mind some to wait at that stop?

FWIW, I was mugged at 3 p.m. on a weekday on Blackstone and 54th once. The statistics aren't worthless, but don't forget that one person is going to collect a small enough sample for variance to be a real problem.
posted by d. z. wang at 8:19 PM on August 22, 2013


I would be inclined to check one of the publicly available crime maps for Chicago (say, this one) for the specific blocks you're talking about, and check out when crime seems to be happening on those blocks (usually the times of the incidents are included).
posted by carrienation at 8:26 PM on August 22, 2013


I can't speak for your particular neighborhood, but 4am is close to the lowest time for robberies in Chicago. (Interestingly, d. z. wang's mugging happened at a peak time for robberies.)

Here's some more data from the government, including sexual assault. Yet more data from the government.
posted by Renegade Duck at 8:33 PM on August 22, 2013 [2 favorites]


USELESS ANECDATA but:

I used to take the El about an hour to work pre-dawn, leaving about 4:30 or 5, but back in the 1980s. (WHEN WE USED TO SMOKE IN THE TRAIN STATIONS UNDERGROUND. Man. Blech! And things were dodgier.)

Once I was falling asleep and this kindly older woman asked me what my stop was so she could wake me up when I got there. That was the sole unusual event in my commuting. (And I was pretty young and helpless and hapless.)

I think you should get up early and do it once before you commit. You'll feel better, and know more. And I would encourage you to find ways to make yourself feel more secure on the streets and whatnot. I had to; it was really helpful.

(Also sometimes I used to smoke with the train conductor on the train! Isn't that nuts???)
posted by RJ Reynolds at 9:16 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


Fellow Chicagoan here, totally CTA dependent/carless since 2001, and I probably wouldn't hesitate to take a bus anywhere at 4:00 am, although there are some neighborhoods I would avoid for a few hours either side of midnight.

You might be able to reduce the time spent waiting for the bus by using bus tracker, which provides real time info regarding bus locations. (I've never used this and know nothing about its reliability.)

Also, since the express bus isn't running, it might be worth the trouble to take the red or green line downtown. Note: the CTA trip planner doesn't always return the best/fastest route.
posted by she's not there at 9:25 PM on August 22, 2013


Just chiming in to say that the CTA bus tracker for the 60 is extreamly reliable and has saved me a lot of time. Can't comment on the #4 though.
posted by rip at 10:09 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


Seconding the 55th St. bus to the Red Line. I took that bus/train combination at all hours of the day and night when Dr. TM and I lived and/or worked in Hyde Park, and I never felt unsafe. Use common sense, and you'll be absolutely fine.
posted by tully_monster at 10:33 PM on August 22, 2013


Cottage grove bus at 4AM is right on the edge of my comfort level, and I tend to not be super nervous about such things. I'd take the 55 bus to red line; little longer, but the red line stop is on the overpass. It *feels* weird, but my experience is it's actually fairly low-drama; presumably for lack of other attractions to cause people to congregate.
posted by PMdixon at 11:10 PM on August 22, 2013


Resisting urge to abuse edit window: Also depends where you'd be catching the 4. I'd feel a lot better at 55th than 47th, say.
Forgot about the construction; red line is the green line for now. That's a much sketchier street corner.
posted by PMdixon at 11:16 PM on August 22, 2013


Response by poster: Thank you so much, everyone!

I am torn. I've only taken the #4 once (at night, around 2:30 AM), and it felt sketchy at the time, but I was with a friend. But all I've ever heard about the #55/Garfield Red Line is tales of woe, people getting mugged there 24/7, &c. Is this just kind of an exaggeration? (I mean, people have also told me not to take the CTA after 7pm, so people are indeed crazy.)

I can ineptly look up some more crime stats but is it really pretty normal for people in Hyde Park to take the Red Line whenever they feel like it? I have always played by the University Safety Guidelines and it blew my mind the first time a fellow student told me they took the Green Line into the city, to be honest. So while I'm usually pretty adventurous I have certain prejudices (that I'd like to disabuse if appropriate), and the common wisdom that buses are safer than trains has been bouncing around my head too.

Upon seeing edit: Yes, I'd be taking it somewhere closer to 55th than 47th for sure, pretty deep in the "University-patrolled" area. (Which I believe is bordered on the west by Cottage Grove itself.)
posted by stoneandstar at 11:19 PM on August 22, 2013


I travel throughout the city for work, and while I don't travel the city at that time of day, I've never felt unsafe in that area of the city. Further south and west are a little scarier. I would definitely choose the green line over the (normal) red line.

I too would advise letting statistics be your guide. People who are out looking to mug people don't want to be up at 4am either. There may be people out partying and having fun, but they have their own shit going on.

Also, YMMV with this, but I've found that I feel much more comfortable in scary-seeming areas by trying to maintain a connection to the people around me. Following the standard dad-advice of "keep your head down and don't look at anyone" advice makes me feel instantly and acutely out of place. As does hiding behind sunglasses and earbuds. Whereas if I maintain an attitude that we are all sharing an experience and than no area belongs to one person (or group) than another, and greet/nod/look at people with whom I cross paths, I have almost never had problems. The worst that I've had happen is that the occasional weirdo decides I'm a good person to talk to. It's a little uncomfortable talking to someone who wants to tell you their sob story, but 99% of the time, they just want to talk out loud to someone who doesn't ignore their existence.

Finally, don't look like an easy or profitable target. If I were a mugger, I'd be looking for victims who would seem to have money and/or good stuff to take. The drunk person on their way home from the bar, for example. If I saw someone obviously on their way to work, I would probably ignore them.
posted by gjc at 2:12 AM on August 23, 2013


More almost-useless anecdata -- I commuted via CTA a little bit later/earlier than that (started ~5 AM) , and had a few scary incidents in both Wicker Park and Albany Park, which are both normally not-bad neighborhoods. Most of them were drunk people being jerks. The worst part is that there was nobody else around to help if something did go wrong. Not even many, if any cars going by.
posted by Fig at 2:41 AM on August 23, 2013


In my experience, yes, it is notmal for people from Hyde Park take the 55 to the Red Line whenever they feel like it. I did so for four years without incident, though be advised the 55 doesn't run that frequently late at night. Bus Tracker is your friend.
posted by coppermoss at 4:04 AM on August 23, 2013


I live on the Northside and commuted to U of C for grad school. Most of the people I know, including myself, took the 55 to the Red Line if they couldn't grab a Loop-bound bus like the 6. Your comfort level will vary but as a non-driver who's crisscrossed the city for school and work for the past few years, I've seen shady, unreliable, and weird on every train line and many buses at various times. You just have to kinda play it by ear.
posted by sm1tten at 8:39 AM on August 23, 2013


Yes, 55-to-Red-Line whenever is normal... it gets hyped as sketchy but isn't really. I don't know anything about the #4 but would not be nervous waiting for a bus at 55th & Cottage esp. since on 55th it's so close to the University's police coverage, active buildings, and general halo of de-sketchification.

I also agree with those who suggest a trial run at that time of day before you start the job just to see if you feel comfortable!
posted by anotherthink at 8:46 AM on August 23, 2013


the common wisdom that buses are safer than trains has been bouncing around my head too.

Whenever I took the train somewhere late at night, I made sure to board the first car, where the driver sits. During normal and peak hours, this would mean going out to the end of the platform, but the OWL service trains are only one or two cars, so you wouldn't have to walk out very far.

For what it's worth, the only crime I ever witnessed on the Red Line was during evening rush hour, when the car was packed. We were stopped at one of the downtown subway stations, and someone snatched a purse from a woman (who was probably tired and distracted) and ran out through the still-open doors. A grad-school friend fell asleep on a daytime train, and when he woke, the front pocket of his khakis had been slit and his wallet (which, ironically, he kept there for security) had been removed. Other than that, there are the usual soliciting homeless and guys playing shell games. If someone creates a disturbance, it may be a ploy to distract bystanders and pick their pockets/grab their belongings, but again, that generally happens when the train is crowded and people aren't paying attention.

I am very sure that the kind of people you're likely to encounter on the bus and the train that early in the morning are other people like you, commuting to early job shifts, and that there will be a lot more of them than you might expect. Just use your common street sense. Look like you belong there. Bring a paperback to read and just keep the other passengers in your peripheral vision (it becomes automatic after a while). Don't wear earbuds or bring out expensive electronics.

After about a week or so of this, I predict that your comfort level will increase surprisingly quickly. One thing that always drives me nuts about a lot of people who live in areas like Lakeview, Lincoln Park, and the suburbs is just how generally fearful they are, especially with regard to both the CTA and the South Side. It really limits the way they experience the city, which is sad and frustrating to me. But you won't be one of those people.
posted by tully_monster at 10:34 AM on August 23, 2013 [1 favorite]


tully_monster's point worth emphasizing: Yeah, people do get robbed and beat up on the CTA sometimes. But most don't ever come close. In four years of varyingly regular riding pretty much throughout the day and throughout the city, worst I've ever seen was a girl get her iThing snatched out of her hand and the kid run off. The most likely unpleasantnesses, in order of frequency I've experienced them:

1) Fucked up and/or homeless person with questionable hygiene wants to be your best friend and tell life story and by the way do you have just like $1.37 (always some very specific amount) so I can put money on my CTA card.

2) Vomit. (Red line after midnight, hello!)

3) Fucked up and/or homeless person loudly makes threats to the air.

4) Two or more dudes starting shit with each other.

So yes, consider safety. But really this is about managing your comfort levels.
posted by PMdixon at 2:36 PM on August 23, 2013 [2 favorites]


i am not super familiar with transit in HP, but I am shocked that anyone would find buses safer than the el! you wait in a well lit staffed area for the el and there are usually lots of people on it!

I've taken the red line at all hours, usually from Howard, by myself and never felt threatened. Most people are half asleep/drunkenly nodding off at that time!
posted by jennybento at 11:14 PM on August 23, 2013


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