What do you think would improve Chicago? (Joliet, Washington: city hall, condo)

[Avengerfire]

I am curious of your thoughts.

[dragoro]

If ya going to ask us, ya gotta give your opinion first.

[Steve-o]

What would improve Chicago? Revised highways, sheltered walkways (ala Minneapolis) for severe winter days, lower taxes, new politicians, etc.

[oakparkdude]

1. A less corrupt political system.
2. Better schools.
3. Better public transit.

My top three, in that order.

[NYrules]

Def. widen the roads first! 55 is the main in and out for over a million people from Joliet to the Loop and is only 3 lanes wide on each side??? Who are they trying to kid here? That thing should be at least 5 lanes wide on each side, and here is the best part... It is already paved! There is currently a shoulder on both sides of the Stevie that could easily house an additional 2 lanes on each side (in the center) but for some dumb ***** reason they won't do it. Years ago when the Stevenson was being repaved, I read in the Trib that it was supposed to be widened to 4 lanes on each side, but because people were speeding through there, the state decided to leave it at it's current 3 lane design to slow traffic.... HMMMMM heres a thought... PUT OUT MORE COPS THEN! Don't punish everyone and keep everyone in stop and go traffic because a few were speeding. STUPID! The EDENS... Now theres another complete joke! 3 piddily little lanes on each side and in many parts there isn't even a shoulder, just a wall! How safe is that! Now the Ryan and Borman I have to give the state credit where its due... Those both turned out really nice and it was nice to see IL play nicely with IN for a change to get 80/94 done as quickly as possible. 294??? Well that needs def. improvement and to be repaved badly as well as 290 another dinky little 3 laner.

Lastly, coordinate the signals with eachother already! I had the wonderful experience of driving north bound on State over the weekend. HOLY CRAP what a joke. You cannot make a single green light on that thing. When your light turns green, the next turns red. Talk about a way to just pi$$ everyone off and make everyone drive like a bunch of @sses. Take lessons from NY, Chicago. You want to be the next NY, that is obvious with the taxes and costs skyrocketing here like they are over there, but in order to be another NY, Chicago needs to do things to clean up how difficult it is to get around here. When I would drive through Manhattan years ago, I could make it from 34th to about 42nd going north on 8th Ave before being stopped by a red light and everyone would be doing about 35-40 MPH and this is right in Manhattan! Try doing that in the Loop. Its more like take State, get stopped at Monroe, to again stop at Madison, then Washington, so on and so on. Very frustrating.

Watch the difference for yourself

NY -
YouTube - Open top bus driving through new york
Chicago -
YouTube - Downtown Chicago (Wacker / Michigan) - November 23, 2007 (The best part is that the traffic is no where near as heavy and this person is in a car vs a bus but hits one red light after the next. VERY AGGRAVATING!)

Again NY (this time it is sped up, count how many signals you can make it through before being stopped)
YouTube - Fun Driving Through New York City! See a difference??? NOW THAT IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE!

THIS IS 2008 NOT 1968! Get some real computerized signals already Chicago.

[aragx6]

Schools, schools and schools again. Until the schools improve, the middle class often has little choice but to flee to the 'burbs once they have kids because while they can afford a condo in the city they can't afford private school tuition. This is a problem in a lot of major cities though, not just Chicago.

[j33]

1 - clean out city hall/corruption
2 - fix the schools
3 - address the poverty and blighted neighborhoods
4 - update public transit
5 - ... GIANT HEAT LAMP

sorry nyrules, fixing public transit should occur before one even thinks about widening the roads.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by j33

1 - clean out city hall/corruption
2 - fix the schools
3 - address the poverty and blighted neighborhoods
4 - update public transit
5 - ... GIANT HEAT LAMP

sorry nyrules, fixing public transit should occur before one even thinks about widening the roads.

Except the problem is, that most won't use it (mass transit) no matter if the trains were lined in gold. I for one will NEVER give up my car. I love my car as do most suburbanites. It is my freedom. If gas goes up to $6 a gallon, I will still drive, just cut back on other things which most will do bringing on a further collapse of the US economy because most of us now do live in the burbs... and can't fathom life without a car, so the higher the gas costs go, the less we all can spend at the mall causing stores to loose profits, causing lay offs, causing less spending so on and so on. As for driving and the burbs it is what Americans like, what we know, all we have ever known in most cases. I for one cannot imagine life without my car to be quite honest, apparently after looking at the roads around here neither can most other Chicagoans.

[rgb123]

I live in the suburbs, and I would definitley take public transit if it were available. I'm looking forward to the day, I'll probably be dead, when there is the metra connecting the suburbs. I would take a train to Barrington if I could, but as of I now that would mean I have to live along the corridor of the Chicago/Harvard line.....which may happen if I stay in the area, but it would be really cool if I could take it from Mchenry or Richmond or Fox lake.....

I love the Dutch train system, that is the kind of thing I'd like to see in Chicago. I love my car too but I love it more for road trips and driving then just getting to work and back.

I believe more people would use public transit if it didn't actually make their commute MORE difficult.

If it is easier to just take your car, then you will. This was true for me in a lot of cases when I lived in the city as well.

chicago is a lot better than most US cities, but could learn alot from european ones when it comes to transit.

oh well.....looks like there are bigger problems now though, like funding those things.

I like the covered walkways idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and the major heat lamp.

When I was idealist 18 year old I thought it would be cool to play cheerful music throughout the loop on a speaker system that would be present at street corners (pleasant and fun, not tooooo loud), and everyone could not help but be happy and break into dance!

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by NYrules

Except the problem is, that most won't use it (mass transit) no matter if the trains were lined in gold. I for one will NEVER give up my car. I love my car as do most suburbanites. It is my freedom. If gas goes up to $6 a gallon, I will still drive, just cut back on other things which most will do bringing on a further collapse of the US economy because most of us now do live in the burbs... and can't fathom life without a car, so the higher the gas costs go, the less we all can spend at the mall causing stores to loose profits, causing lay offs, causing less spending so on and so on. As for driving and the burbs it is what Americans like, what we know, all we have ever known in most cases. I for one cannot imagine life without my car to be quite honest, apparently after looking at the roads around here neither can most other Chicagoans.

If gas goes up to $6/gal, you better believe people (including suburbanites) will suddenly discover the virtues of public transit.

You are right though, that the end of cheap gasoline will cause wrenching, painful changes to the average American's lifestyle. However, just because something is extremely painful, does not mean it is impossible or even unlikely.