by Aaron M. Renn
Chronicling life riding the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
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Anyone interested in discussing transportation in Chicago should check out the new Chicago Transportation BBS on chinet. You can access this via the web at:
http://www.chinet.com/transportation/
This conference is for the discussion of all aspects of transportation in Chicago, not just transit.
The CTA has announced a proposal to restructure fares. The cost of monthly pass would be lowered from $88 to $75 and would cover any 30 day period, not a specific calendar month. A seven day pass will also be instituted at a cost of $20. The one day unlimited ride visitor's pass is being renamed the Fun Pass. This setup is similar to how New York works. However, Chicago's monthy pass will still be $12 higher than New York's $63 price.
That's the good news. The bad news is that for people who use the CTA just to commute, it still makes no sense to buy a monthly pass. Only those who use transfers each way for commuting can even come close to breaking even. This means most people will still avoid the pass. Also, the fares for people who simply recharge their fare cards are going up. The new bonus structure awards $1 for each $10 put on the card instead of $1.50 for each $13.50. This reduces the bonus rate from 11.1% to 10%. The net effect of this is that the CTA will probably end up raising fares for most riders. Not one of the local newspapers caught onto this. Finally, the CTA is pulling the plug on tokens, which will no longer be sold or accepted. [ Source: Chicago Sun-Times 9/10/98, plus my commentary ]
The CTA has also unveiled a plan to rebuild the Randolph/Wabash station on the Loop L as a "superstation" that would replace State/Lake and Madison/Wabash stations. This is projected to cost $29 million and will be funded by a combination of North Loop TIF dollars and federal money left over from the cancelled Central Area Circulator project. The new station is projected to be the third busiest station on the L system. Transit Riders Authority president Adam Kerman isn't so sure. He is concerned about permanently losing riders during reconstruction (as was the case with other Loop station projects) and about poorer connections between the Loop L and the State Street Subway. [ Source: Chicago Tribune 9/11/98 ]
Kirsten Tautfe wrote a letter to the editor to the Tribune wondering why people are wringing their hands over the expense of parking in the Loop when the CTA will get you there for $1.50.
Mike Harris (nospam-mharris@enteract.com) wrote in to tell us:
I took the Red Line from Monroe today [9/8] at 5:50 pm, and there was a sizeable delay. Plus, from the number of people waiting on the platform, and judging from how quickly two trains followed afterwards, there must have been a longer delay even before I got there.
The Weekly Breakdown is a small Internet journal devoted to the trials and tribulations of being a regular rider of the Chicago Transit Authority. I would be happy to hear about and include your experiences. Just send mail to breakdown@urbanophile.com.
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