Official Chicago Public Transportation Question Thread (2009, purchase, living in)

[icebergsyndrome]

Originally Posted by advocatusdiavoli

She already does, every time she rides the L she gives them her money.

it's a little more complicated than that.

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

If it's asthetics you're worried about, there are efforts to spruce things up here and there. Ever ride the Brown Line? The trains are almost always clean. The stations are "new and improved". I rode on a car a few days ago that was reconfigured for max capacity (with fewer seats, but more grab bars and strap handles in the center of the car).

I know the Brown Line isn't the WHOLE cta system, but it's pretty nice.

Now, I will also assert that as a CTA rider, I could care less if the whole system were the ugliest junk heap on the planet. If it was fast, efficient, functional, and widespread, I'd set my car on fire. It is capable of being the first three at times.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by CarolinaBredChicagoan

Now, I will also assert that as a CTA rider, I could care less if the whole system were the ugliest junk heap on the planet.

Ditto

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by advocatusdiavoli

I get it but if I was to think about one aspect Chicago I would like to see an improvement it is definetely the public transportation. I strongly believe good transportation system helps the economy and quality of life of the entire city. Buidling more highways will not help as LA has proved to the world so I hope any money Chicago gets will be spend on public transportation infrastrcute and not just adding more buses or some tourist attraction.

Very true. CTA funding and oversite would be one of my top priorities if I were in charge. In fact, I'm quite bewildered by the lack of public transportation funding in Obama's new infrastructure program. The emphasis on "shovel ready" projects may be a quicker burst of economic punch, but we need to fund more forward-minded projects.

[ajolotl]

The D.C. Metro? There is absolutely no comparison at all. It is 100x nicer than the El.

Originally Posted by hank0604

I'm pretty sure I remember the subway in D.C. being a lot grimier than the El. But yeah, there are a lot of stops that are pretty bad. Especially the red line stops in the loop.

[ajolotl]

I think it's a valid question. Forget about Europe -- I've lived in Caracas and Mexico City, both major Third World cities -- and both have metro systems that are so much spiffier. I don't doubt it's easy to explain why but the level of grit and dilapidation is a little striking and defies expectation when coming to Chicago from elsewhere.

[Drover]

They're functioning commuter trains, not first-class travel berths or rolling works of art. Whaddayawant?

You think our trains are unappealing now, you should have seen them 20 years ago when they were wall-to-wall graffiti and nobody did anything about it.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by ajolotl

I think it's a valid question. Forget about Europe -- I've lived in Caracas and Mexico City, both major Third World cities -- and both have metro systems that are so much spiffier. I don't doubt it's easy to explain why but the level of grit and dilapidation is a little striking and defies expectation when coming to Chicago from elsewhere.

It's easy to explain because most of our system is a lot older and making it "spiffier" involves spending, say, $800,000,000 per line like they did on the Brown Line. A lot of systems in third-world countries were built much more recently.

[advocatusdiavoli]

Originally Posted by Drover

It's easy to explain because most of our system is a lot older and making it "spiffier" involves spending, say, $800,000,000 per line like they did on the Brown Line. A lot of systems in third-world countries were built much more recently.

Excuses, excuses. You do not really want to compare the cost of upkeep of an undergorund systems with the L?

Let's face it is underfounded because the dumb local government never saw it as priority.

[Drover]

Blah blah blah. Troll elsewhere, troll.