O'Hare vs. Midway

[Thepreacherswife]

Originally Posted by Drover

Yeah, they even did a big self-congratulatory marketing campaign and everything. That's part of what puzzles me, that they did this big "yay, we fixed it for you!" campaign when they knew they weren't finished and they'd have to do another round of repairs again this year. Which is something the general public didn't find out about until just now. Creeps.

I'm thinking they wouldn't have even started these repairs if there hadn't been stimulus funds available.

They took care of the biggest issues in 2007-2008 (track and ties from Addison to O'Hare and ties between Division and Grand) but when funds became available, decided to work on replacing more ties and track and some signals and switches in the Dearborn subway and near Damen. The majority of the previous work was from Addison to O'Hare to get ride of some horrendous slow zones and there's no new work really being done there now.

[surlycue]

While we are on the topic of the el, I've been wondering how they have gotten around the business of this pesky American Disabilities Act. It is a big PITA for me being a 5 foot tall weakling lifting my kid in her stroller to climb down or up various levels. Even the stations that claim to be fully accessible by elevator (like Clark and Lake) require one to enter on a particular side of the street to access the Kimball bound brown line though both the south and north entrances on Lake have signage for Kimball. By the time I take the elevator all the way to the platform I would rather just lift her, stroller and all, over the catwalk so as no to miss my train.

[Thepreacherswife]

Originally Posted by surlycue

While we are on the topic of the el, I've been wondering how they have gotten around the business of this pesky American Disabilities Act. It is a big PITA for me being a 5 foot tall weakling lifting my kid in her stroller to climb down or up various levels. Even the stations that claim to be fully accessible by elevator (like Clark and Lake) require one to enter on a particular side of the street to access the Kimball bound brown line though both the south and north entrances on Lake have signage for Kimball. By the time I take the elevator all the way to the platform I would rather just lift her, stroller and all, over the catwalk so as no to miss my train.

So, very interesting question. Basically, the law gives older mass transit companies a pass on accessibility for existing stations unless it's renovated (i.e., Brown Line) or designated as a "key station". The law requires mass transit agencies to decide which of its stations are "key" through a public participation process, taking into account:

• high usage stations (and their proximity to accessible stations if inaccessible)
• transfer stations
• stations with a major interface with other forms of transportation (bus, metra, amtrak, airport)
• end of the line stations
• stations serving major activity centers (government buildings, hospitals, education facilities) for individuals with disabilities
• whether the cost of adding accessibility to an existing station would be excessive

So there you are. I'm not sure if there's a link anywhere to the CTA's "key stations". I think the CTA has taken full advantage of the "excessive cost" excuse, especially for the loop, Red Line north of Belmont, and the Dearborn subway.

[skipcromer]

Originally Posted by Thepreacherswife

So, very interesting question. Basically, the law gives older mass transit companies a pass on accessibility for existing stations unless it's renovated (i.e., Brown Line) or designated as a "key station". The law requires mass transit agencies to decide which of its stations are "key" through a public participation process, taking into account:

• high usage stations (and their proximity to accessible stations if inaccessible)
• transfer stations
• stations with a major interface with other forms of transportation (bus, metra, amtrak, airport)
• end of the line stations
• stations serving major activity centers (government buildings, hospitals, education facilities) for individuals with disabilities
• whether the cost of adding accessibility to an existing station would be excessive

So there you are. I'm not sure if there's a link anywhere to the CTA's "key stations". I think the CTA has taken full advantage of the "excessive cost" excuse, especially for the loop, Red Line north of Belmont, and the Dearborn subway.

In fairness to the CTA, most areas of the red line North of Belmont are pretty accessible by bus as well.

[Thepreacherswife]

Originally Posted by skipcromer

In fairness to the CTA, most areas of the red line North of Belmont are pretty accessible by bus as well.

True, all of the CTA's buses are accessible. But if you're in a wheelchair, want to head downtown and live along the Red Line between Sheridan and Bryn Mawr, you're pretty much out of luck, given how full the 22 and 36 buses tend to be, unless you want to grab a bus west to one of the Brown Line stations. Ditto for between Belmont and Division, at least until they get the elevators installed at Fullerton and Belmont. Those stations are major weak links in the accessibility system right now, given their transfer point status.

[skipcromer]

Originally Posted by Thepreacherswife

True, all of the CTA's buses are accessible. But if you're in a wheelchair, want to head downtown and live along the Red Line between Sheridan and Bryn Mawr, you're pretty much out of luck, given how full the 22 and 36 buses tend to be, unless you want to grab a bus west to one of the Brown Line stations. Ditto for between Belmont and Division, at least until they get the elevators installed at Fullerton and Belmont. Those stations are major weak links in the accessibility system right now, given their transfer point status.

I'll have to take your word on that. However, if you live anywhere north of the Argyle stop you can take the 147 Express bus downtown.