by Aaron M. Renn
Chronicling life riding the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
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The CTA is buying 100 used articulated buses from Seattle to replace its existing fleet. These are being purchased for $1500 apiece, including spare parts [ I should have bought one! - AMR ] This move could save the CTA $4 million over the next 2 1/2 years in reduced maintenance costs as the current CTA fleet requires extensive maintenance. The Seattle buses are 20 years old. [ Source: Chicago Sun-Times 7 Sept 2000 ]
Adam Kerman wrote in to say:
Three bits of news:The experiment on Clark Street in Andersonville is at an end. Those plastic columns (does anyone familiar with highway barriers know what those are called?) stuck into the pavement around crosswalks to demonstrate the effects on traffic calming have been pulled out, probably all done on Monday. As of Tuesday at 9 am, the traffic lights that had been flashing 4-way stop have been set back to normal cycles.
It was an effort at traffic calming. Truly, if the bulb-outs would work, there'd be no need for stop signs or traffic lights in this stretch. The purpose of the bulb-out is to visually choke an intersection (it does not physically narrow any traffic lanes) so that drivers drive more slowly and pay more attention to pedestrians attempting to cross the street. It's also meant to make it appear to be safer for pedestrians to cross, as there is less street to cross.
With respect to bus travel, the bulb outs include a bus boarding pad just ahead of the crosswalk. The city tested several shorter and longer pads, the longer ones long enough to read the rear door. The advantage to bus operations and passengers: the bus no longer pulls in and out of the curb lane, shortening travel time. The advantage to riders: Pulling into the curb lane is something of a joke, especially in that area, as cars often park in the bus stops. Furthermore, it may cut down on accidents between the bus and cars that illegally turn right after passing a bus that is loading, or more likely, as the bus is attempting to pull back into the main traffic lane.
With respect to parking, bulb-outs free up spaces the bus stop would have otherwise taken, so merchants like this.
With respect to traffic, that's controversial. Cars can no longer pass the bus at a stop. However, as buses rarely pull into the curb lane, on a relatively narrow arterial like Clark, a car would have to pull into the opposing traffic lane (whether or not the opposing traffic was using it!) to pass the bus.
In my opinion, a bus that's only partly into the curb lane is still causing congestion for the main lane, so if this speeds up boarding and exiting at bus stops and pulling in and out of traffic, it causes less congestion. I've never gotten a traffic engineer to agree with this.
The use of 4-way flashers at Bryn Mawr and other streets screwed up part of the test. If the bulb outs worked, there should be no need for stop signs, but the neighbors demanded them. Stop signs make it more difficult for cars to enter from side streets and driveways beyond them, as the breaks in traffic are too small. With traffic lights, you get longer breaks in traffic.
The city used an odd design, a 45 degree angle "merge" from the parking lane into the main lane. 90 degree angles are more common, or a gradual curve.
In any event, if you experienced Clark Street in Andersonville during this period and want to comment whether or not the city should install bulbouts permanently, send a note to the Mayor. The time to do it is now.
If you like 'em for improving bus operations, please send a copy of the note to me, and we'll keep in touch on the issue.
Second item:
On Monday, Crain's Chicago Business reported that the UofC and CTA worked out a deal (pending CTA board rubber stamp) for CTA to take over 4 of UofC's 10 contract bus routes. Laidlaw had been operating all 10, but will retain the other 6. UofC has had a contract bus network for decades.
Assuming board approval, service will begin on September 18.
Three of the routes will be neighborhood circulators in Hyde Park and Hyde Park and Kenwood, making circular trips during "rush hours" before and after day classes. The fourth will be a route between Hyde Park, the Loop, the UofC business school, and Lake View neighborhood. It'll run weekday evenings of school days, only.
UofC and UofC Hospitals students/faculty/staff flashing IDs will board free; all others pay usual CTA fares. UofC is providing a subsidy.
Political implications are intriguing. The campus has been an impediment to transit from the start. CTA bus routes (and formerly Surface Lines and Motor Coach routes) have always skirted the campus, leaving a major gap in north-south service between Stony and Cottage. Woodlawn Avenue should have had bus service. The east-west routes avoid directly serving major traffic generators on campus. We won't even discuss UofC's support of demolishing the "L" in Woodlawn and telling students for years not to ride it.
Has UofC suddenly embraced the CTA?
Third item:
On Thursday, August 24th, the city advertised a legal notice for a proposed TIF for the proposed Wilson Yard Redevelopment Project Area. The boundaries would be Lawrence on the north, Malden on the west, Graceland Cemetary and Buena on the south, and Clarendon on the east. Actually, I thought that Uptown was already TIF'ed, but perhaps not.
The purpose of the Notice is to give interested parties a chance to register and receive notice of hearings. They can register on line at the Planning Department Web site, or obtain the form from Rm. 1000, City Hall, or from Washington Library 5th floor Government Documents section or 6th floor Business, Science, and Technology section. Must register by the 15th.
An individual must prove residency to receive notice! with a copy of a utility bill, verification of voter registration, lease, driver's license, etc. How obnoxious. An organization need only make a one-page statement concerning operations in the City.
The public meeting would be held on the 25th, and apparently, the only way to receive notice is to go through this rigamarole. The time and location of the meeting wasn't in the legal notice! Idiots.
There's a TIF Registry Hotline on 312 742-1783 for more information.
Ray Gleason wrote in with an interesting Metra tale. Note that this was two weeks ago:
Monday morning riders, who board the first car of the Metra UP North train # 312 into Chicago, were greeted by a new conductor, the "Train Nazi." There are usually standees in the car after the train picks up at Ravenswood, but the "Train Nazi" got tired of having to negotiate a path through the passengers standing in the aisles in order to collect the tickets. He announced to the entire car, "I shouldn't have to excuse myself. There's (sic) plenty of seats in the rear of the train. Tomorrow they'll be no standing in the aisles." Good to his word, the next day after pulling put of Ravenswood, the "Train Nazi" herded all standing passangers to the rear of the train -- while it was moving -- even threatening one passanger with arrest at the Chicago terminal if he didn't comply. Then the "Train Nazi" wasn't forced to say "excuse me" to a single passenger as he marched down the train aisle punching his tickets. He wasn't much on courtesy, but he certainly was efficient. By Wednesday, the "Train Nazi" was gone from the first car of UP North Train # 312. "My work here is done! I'm off to cleanse another train of standees!"
Robert A. Smith wrote some addition info on our Blue Line situation:
My wife and I went down to the Tall Ships on Thursday, 8/31/00. We parked at the Forest Park lot of the Blue Line. Took the Blue Line downtown, transferred to the #29 bus and went to Navy Pier. Neither the "L" or the bus had any working A.C.Had a great time.
Okay. Time to go back. Got on the #29 to go back to the Loop. Again, no A.C. Went into the Blue Line station at Washington. Big crowds. Plenty of people but no trains in either direction. Everyone waited for an hour. No announcements. We went upstairs to find out what was up. We were told via the grapevine that a motor started on fire and the whole line in both directions was shut down.
This information did NOT come from the CTA person who was in the dark and had to call up (THIS AFTER AN HOUR) . He was told that this was true and that shuttle buses would take us to Forest Park or O'Hare. We forfeited our fares and went upstair to find NO buses. We decided to take the Green Like to Oak Park and to catch a cab from there to get back to our car In Forest Park. The person that I feel the sorriest for in this incident in the CTA guy at the Washington. He had to deal with a mob and had no help, much less understanding.
Can we get our fares from the CTA? I doubt it. Can we get an apology from the CTA? I doubt that too. I would like to see if anyone else writes about this snafu.
I believe this was the same problem reported a week ago.
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