CTA Rant Thread (Chicago, Addison, Washington: fit in, hotel, live in)

[scarletneon]

Originally Posted by neonwattagelimit

Speaking of that seats thing, is it me, or shouldn't they design the cars with more standing room? Nothing like having to do some acrobatics to avoid hitting people while a third of an overcrowded red line car is trying to get off at Fullerton or Belmont at 6pm on a weekday.

dude, you have NO idea how much people complain about having more NYC-style cars. it makes sense to me, because i hate nothing more than being trapped in a window seat when i'm 500 feet from my stop, but a lot of people in Chicago think it's a horrible idea: chicago_el: Reaction to the New Car Design (http://community.livejournal.com/chicago_el/472834.html - broken link)

[eevee]

Originally Posted by supernerdgirl

dude, you have NO idea how much people complain about having more NYC-style cars. it makes sense to me, because i hate nothing more than being trapped in a window seat when i'm 500 feet from my stop, but a lot of people in Chicago think it's a horrible idea: chicago_el: Reaction to the New Car Design (http://community.livejournal.com/chicago_el/472834.html - broken link)

I personally HATE the seating arrangement on the CTA trains! all the trains on Boston's MBTA (w/ the exception of the old green line trolleys, but those are being replaced) have this type of NYC seating. it makes SOO much more sense because:

-no worries about inside/outside seating. I hate sitting on the inside (where 9 times out of 10, I'm squashed against the wall. then I almost miss my stop b/c the person sitting next to me doesn't feel like getting up and letting me pass. I sit on the outside and make sure not to squish my seat mate and actually stand up and move out of the way to let them pass) and a lot of the time will opt to sit in the seats closest to the door (and will most likely have to move when an older/disabled person comes on).

-more leg room on less crowded trains

-I take the blue line almost everyday and am sick of giant carry-on bags blocking the aisle. the folks w/ these bags tend to sit in the elderly/handicap seating area and end up blocking the doors to blocking or the aisle since they can't fit their bags in those 2-seaters

-it will reduce littering IMO. there are fewer nooks to hide trash in and it's harder to just toss the stuff onto the ground/under the seat (esp. in full view of disapproving people). plus, these trains will be easier to clean

-I'll take more standing room over seating any day. that article states that people will pass on a train in order to catch one w/ more seating. WHO are these people? I value getting to school/work on time more than sitting down, and w/ my luck, the train I pass up will be the last one to show up for another 20-45 minutes! and there's no guarantee that train will be any less crowded as well.

-it will help keep those Cadillac-sized strollers from blocking off access to a door. it is close to impossible to pass by any stroller, let alone those massive ones, in the current trains. the NYC-style seating will help a bit

-harder for homeless people to camp out. yes, I've seen some people fully stretch out on these seats (I've done it a few times myself after some late night bar hopping), but it's not as comfortable as lying down in a 2-seater because you are not only more exposed, but more likely to fall off the seats during sharp turns (and the CTA has far more sharp turns than the MBTA, esp. on the brown line)

-almost forgot to add, the folks that hate riding backwards due to motion sickness will have less to worry about

maybe it's just people resistant to change that are complaining, but once you actually experience riding in these cars (esp during rush hours), you learn to love them (my only major gripe w/ them is the amount of crotch staring you'll have to do, but that's why you bring a book/paper to read). I can't wait for these new cars to arrive (hope they start w/ the blue line first)

[j33]

Originally Posted by supernerdgirl

dude, you have NO idea how much people complain about having more NYC-style cars. it makes sense to me, because i hate nothing more than being trapped in a window seat when i'm 500 feet from my stop, but a lot of people in Chicago think it's a horrible idea: chicago_el: Reaction to the New Car Design (http://community.livejournal.com/chicago_el/472834.html - broken link)

Let them complain. I've ridden the chicago 'el' during rush hour and the nyc subway during rush hour. Their cars are better for handing crowds. Period.

[panthea]

Originally Posted by j33

Let them complain. I've ridden the chicago 'el' during rush hour and the nyc subway during rush hour. Their cars are better for handing crowds. Period.

Only thing better than NYC style? British style. The cars on the tube have standard seats against the wall, but also some fold down seats, so that we can make even more space during rush hour.

Nothing beats being just tall enough to stick your nose in the armpit of the seating businessman beside you. Yum.

[Lookout Kid]

If I get on the "L" near the beginning of a route and can choose whatever seat I want, I like the forward facing seats. But if I get on within a couple of miles of downtown and have to stand, I like the New York-Style seats. I do see benefits to each system, but crowded rush-hour trains definiltey work better with the New York-style subway seating.

[j33]

panthea - I've ridden subways in London, Moscow, Germany, Czech Republic, Toronto, and Brazil, and they all seemed to run better than US subways. The stations were certainly nicer.

[dragoro]

Hehe go check out the train stations in greece.

[aragx6]

Anyone know how many fewer seats the new cars have than the old ones?

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by aragx6

Anyone know how many fewer seats the new cars have than the old ones?

I thought they said it was no net loss of seats. That seems counter-intuitive, but that's what they say.

[aragx6]

That does seem counter intuitive, but if it's true then great.