Don’t Wait For New Light Rail Station, Take MetroBus To IKEA
While I’ve ridden many MetroBus routes in the region, one I don’t recall is the #42 (Sarah). However, I’m familiar with it because other routes I ride, like the #10 (Gravois-Lindell), intersect with it. With the opening of the new IKEA St, Louis I noticed the #42 route makes a loop East past Sarah to Vandeventer. A new bus stop got my attention.
I always assumed it went North/South on Sarah, connecting with the Central West End MetroBus/MetroLink station via Forest Park. It does — but rather than turning there it uses Laclede to go East one block to Vandeventer.
If you use public transit in St. Louis you can easily get to IKEA. I use the #10 and just go down Vandeventer or Sarah from Lindell, but I could transfer to the #42 at Lindell & Sarah. Another option is the #32 from Manchester/Chouteau & Vandeventer. Many other MetroBus lines meet up with the #42 at the Central West End MetroLink light rail station.
I especially encourage the proponents of the North-South light rail to use this as an opportunity to actually familiarize themselves with MetroBus. The humble bus carries more people more places daily.
— Steve Patterson
I visited IKEA Saturday. Took the #10 and walked the short distance from Lindell to IKEA. The traffic was a mess all around the IKEA complex, but I was able to walk right past with no problems. Returning, I caught the #42 going east. As I walked past the road entrance, the traffic men were flagging cars to turn. I had to walk up behind them and ask them to stop and let me walk down the sidewalk. There were so few pedestrians that they had forgotten that someone might be walking down the sidewalk and were only monitoring cars.
The grass should be replaced by paving stones here to make more space for passengers.