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Traffic in Lakeview is a breeze? Ha! |
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Unlike some jobs, I can't be 50 minutes late like I was that day. I'm a doctor. It just can't happen. I can't rely on the El, to put it bluntly, and it makes me angry. I have tried many many times which goes to show you I would like to use and support transit. BTW it takes you 40-50 minutes to get from Belmont to Davis. That's unacceptable. To give you an example, I drive from Belmont to *well past* Davis (to Central!) in Evanston every morning/afternoon during rush hour. I usually choose Ashland or Western, and it takes me a very reliable 25-35 minutes every single day. That is faster than the express train you take to a stop much closer to where I am driving and I don't have to go outside when it is 20 below zero. Quote:
If I had my way, I would take the El every day. I like transit. Don't you think I would rather just lay comatose or read on the train every morning and afternoon rather than be alert and drive? But it is slow and broken and worst, UNRELIABLE and could get me in big trouble from prior experiences--that is the point I'm trying to get across. I am sincerely happy transit is working for you guys. I really am. Just sharing my 2 cents because some people on here act like roads are the enemy when MOST PEOPLE that live here use them to get to work, and they have a reason. |
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"Really!? I take the "el" from Belmont and I don't live next to Belmont to Davis in Evanston then walk to Chicago and it takes me only 40-50 minutes or so door to door." My post said "DOOR TO DOOR" which includes walking to and from the stations. I should have also added as I walk from Broadway/Belmont to the Belmont station I notice a line of traffic gridlock. I walk faster than the drivers drive by far and think thank god those driving in non moving traffic days are over for me! |
Okay, so yes it seems silly in the midst of a funding disaster to discuss system expansion plans, but I think the best way for the CTA to survive is for it to grow into a fully interconnected system that people can use for daily life.
And anyway, it's just a thought exercize. I was looking at all the trafic on Western Ave, and thinking it would be really nice to have a CTA line. For fun, assume funding magically appears. What do you think community reaction would be to an elevated line above Western Ave, running right down the middle of the street? It would start at the north at the Brown line. There would be a stations at Irving Park, Belmont and Fullerton. A tie in to the Blue line at Western, then a station at Chicago. Then down to stations at the Green and southern Blue lines, maybe an Ogden Ave station, before ending at the Orange line at 35/Archer. Personally I would love to have the stations at Western/Belmont and Western/Chicago. That's what got me going on this thought exercize. But is this something that everyone else would want? If the city built it, would people ride it? |
^ The only rapid transit that can get built in this country these days is either subway or along freight ROW. Otherwise it will fail the Environmental Impact Study. LRT is feasible but impractically expensive for the relatively low capacity it gives you. More plausibly, keep developing the X49 as a BRT corridor: signal priority, improved stop facilities at the the half-mile streets where the X bus stops, bus lanes/no parking zones, and of course real-time bus information (estimates of arrival time and travel time).
Of course, the X49 is about to get cut on Sunday... |
Surprise!!!!
CTA slammed in federal report Mismanagement, poor maintenance cited in probe of 2006 derailment, fire By Jon Hilkevitch | Tribune transportation reporter 1:57 PM CDT, September 11, 2007 WASHINGTON - The Chicago Transit Authority's track-inspection process is "a case study in organizational accidents,'' marked by a management culture that allows falsification of records, deferred maintenance of bad rails and poor safety oversight, a federal report said Tuesday. The findings issued by the National Transportation Safety Board concluded a yearlong investigation into the CTA train derailment and fire in the Blue Line subway that injured more than 100 passengers July 11, 2006. Inadequate information about the eight-car train's location in the tunnel, between the Clark/Lake and Grand/Milwaukee stations in downtown Chicago, slowed the emergency response to evacuate the approximately 1,000 passengers aboard the evening rush-hour train, the safety board said. There were also problems with the 55-year-old tunnel's ventilation system in removing smoke caused by electrical arcing between the last car and the 600-volt third rail, the NTSB said. Investigators determined within days that some wheels on the last car lost contact with the running rails due to the gauge of the track being out of alignment. But a subsequent examination of documents, interviews with CTA workers and repeated walk-throughs with track inspectors in the Blue Line tunnel turned up severe systemic problems, the safety board said in a blistering report. More than 80 percent of inspection records were missing for the Blue Line, the board's report noted. CTA tracks are supposed to be inspected twice a week, but one track inspector told a safety board investigator that he had inspected his assigned area only once in five months, the report said. "We found hundreds of records missing, literally hundreds,'' said Cy Gura, an investigator who served as chairman of the safety board's track, signal and engineering group. "The CTA said the work was done, but there was no record. The [track] gauge problem was not reported and the fixes were not reported.'' In many other instances, investigators found that inspection reports were falsified to indicate that track was inspected when in fact it was not, the report said. Gura, who accompanied CTA inspectors on their rounds, said they routinely marked off on their reports as having walked and measured track in the entire 6 miles of their territories, even though they actually came up about 1½ miles short by the time their shift ended. "It looks like a lot of people were looking the other way,'' said safety board member Steven Chealander, referring to CTA management. Problems uncovered included failures in setting up effective training, track inspection, maintenance and supervisory programs, leading to unsafe track conditions, the board said. Mud and standing water in the subway tunnel, wet and rotten rail ties, corrosion of rail fasteners and worn or broken screws and tie plates accelerated the track's failure, while CTA inspectors failed to identify the obvious problems, the investigation found. "The track had clearly been deteriorating for a long time. It did not happen overnight,'' said Bob Chipkevich, director of the safety board's office of railroad, pipeline and hazardous materials investigations. He said the conditions found at the CTA were the worst he has seen at any U.S. transit agency. CTA officials said they have replaced some top management personnel and initiated changes, including improved inspector training and the use of more sophisticated track-gauge measuring equipment. But Kitty Higgins, a NTSB board member who accompanied investigators to Chicago after the derailment, said the failures found at the CTA "should really be a wakeup call to transit agencies across the nation.'' "This accident is about the failure to understand and invest in a system of this age that carries thousands and thousands and thousands of people everyday,'' Higgins said. The investigation also found that CTA employees were required to pull double-duty--working as both track maintainers and track inspectors, creating a conflict of interest. "The maintainers are the same people doing the inspections. Where is the quality assurance there?'' said safety board member Robert Sumwalt. A human factors expert at the safety board said the CTA's corporate culture apparently allowed mistakes and other failures to take place and occur repeatedly. Referring to the management style at the transit agency, Gerald Weeks, chief of the board's human performance and survival factors division, said: "It sounds like a case study in organizational accidents.'' Sumwalt noted that budget pressures at the CTA often meant reduced staffing of maintenance personnel and inspectors. "The result was that inspectors were often called away from inspections to make repairs,'' Sumwalt said. The investigation also singled out the Regional Transportation Authority, which has rail safety oversight responsibilities, for failing to closely monitor the CTA, leading to unsafe track conditions continuing to exist, the safety board said. Lax monitoring by the Federal Transit Administration was also cited in the safety board report. "Clearly there was very minimal oversight going on between the FTA and the state program,'' Chipkevich said. |
Surprise!!!!
CTA slammed in federal report Mismanagement, poor maintenance cited in probe of 2006 derailment, fire By Jon Hilkevitch | Tribune transportation reporter 1:57 PM CDT, September 11, 2007 WASHINGTON - The Chicago Transit Authority's track-inspection process is "a case study in organizational accidents,'' marked by a management culture that allows falsification of records, deferred maintenance of bad rails and poor safety oversight, a federal report said Tuesday. The findings issued by the National Transportation Safety Board concluded a yearlong investigation into the CTA train derailment and fire in the Blue Line subway that injured more than 100 passengers July 11, 2006. Inadequate information about the eight-car train's location in the tunnel, between the Clark/Lake and Grand/Milwaukee stations in downtown Chicago, slowed the emergency response to evacuate the approximately 1,000 passengers aboard the evening rush-hour train, the safety board said. There were also problems with the 55-year-old tunnel's ventilation system in removing smoke caused by electrical arcing between the last car and the 600-volt third rail, the NTSB said. Investigators determined within days that some wheels on the last car lost contact with the running rails due to the gauge of the track being out of alignment. But a subsequent examination of documents, interviews with CTA workers and repeated walk-throughs with track inspectors in the Blue Line tunnel turned up severe systemic problems, the safety board said in a blistering report. More than 80 percent of inspection records were missing for the Blue Line, the board's report noted. CTA tracks are supposed to be inspected twice a week, but one track inspector told a safety board investigator that he had inspected his assigned area only once in five months, the report said. "We found hundreds of records missing, literally hundreds,'' said Cy Gura, an investigator who served as chairman of the safety board's track, signal and engineering group. "The CTA said the work was done, but there was no record. The [track] gauge problem was not reported and the fixes were not reported.'' In many other instances, investigators found that inspection reports were falsified to indicate that track was inspected when in fact it was not, the report said. Gura, who accompanied CTA inspectors on their rounds, said they routinely marked off on their reports as having walked and measured track in the entire 6 miles of their territories, even though they actually came up about 1½ miles short by the time their shift ended. "It looks like a lot of people were looking the other way,'' said safety board member Steven Chealander, referring to CTA management. Problems uncovered included failures in setting up effective training, track inspection, maintenance and supervisory programs, leading to unsafe track conditions, the board said. Mud and standing water in the subway tunnel, wet and rotten rail ties, corrosion of rail fasteners and worn or broken screws and tie plates accelerated the track's failure, while CTA inspectors failed to identify the obvious problems, the investigation found. "The track had clearly been deteriorating for a long time. It did not happen overnight,'' said Bob Chipkevich, director of the safety board's office of railroad, pipeline and hazardous materials investigations. He said the conditions found at the CTA were the worst he has seen at any U.S. transit agency. CTA officials said they have replaced some top management personnel and initiated changes, including improved inspector training and the use of more sophisticated track-gauge measuring equipment. But Kitty Higgins, a NTSB board member who accompanied investigators to Chicago after the derailment, said the failures found at the CTA "should really be a wakeup call to transit agencies across the nation.'' "This accident is about the failure to understand and invest in a system of this age that carries thousands and thousands and thousands of people everyday,'' Higgins said. The investigation also found that CTA employees were required to pull double-duty--working as both track maintainers and track inspectors, creating a conflict of interest. "The maintainers are the same people doing the inspections. Where is the quality assurance there?'' said safety board member Robert Sumwalt. A human factors expert at the safety board said the CTA's corporate culture apparently allowed mistakes and other failures to take place and occur repeatedly. Referring to the management style at the transit agency, Gerald Weeks, chief of the board's human performance and survival factors division, said: "It sounds like a case study in organizational accidents.'' Sumwalt noted that budget pressures at the CTA often meant reduced staffing of maintenance personnel and inspectors. "The result was that inspectors were often called away from inspections to make repairs,'' Sumwalt said. The investigation also singled out the Regional Transportation Authority, which has rail safety oversight responsibilities, for failing to closely monitor the CTA, leading to unsafe track conditions continuing to exist, the safety board said. Lax monitoring by the Federal Transit Administration was also cited in the safety board report. "Clearly there was very minimal oversight going on between the FTA and the state program,'' Chipkevich said. |
Well now that the CTA will have less bus routes less things can go wrong due to a combination of mismanagement/lack of funds/incompotence.
And I guess this is why the CTA pushed so hard to get the transit bill through the legislature before this week. There's no way anything is happening now until there is a major shakedown at the CTA (yes another one). The fact that 80% of the records were "missing" is simply appauling. |
so at this point will the state step in and provide the funding?
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Yeah I know what you were saying my response should have been more clear. 50 minutes getting from your place on Broadway/Belmont to Davis/Chicago is unacceptable when it would take you half that time to drive. This goes to show you how broken the CTA has become especially given that most of your travel is dedicated right of way with no stop lights and NO STOPS from Belmont all the way to the very northern border of the city. You can poke fun at local traffic all you want, but it is local traffic. With the density of the surrounding neighorhoods there is no reason to drive long distances. As far as commuting, I live a few blocks from you and to give you some perspective, with the horrible traffic that you are glad you don't have to deal with anymore, it takes me 25-35 minutes max during peak rush hour, door-to-door, from Racine/Belmont all the way to Central/Ridge (considerably farther north than your destination). That's a savings of almost one hour each day because I drive. That's unacceptable. |
50 minutes getting from your place on Broadway/Belmont to Davis/Chicago is unacceptable when it would take you half that time to drive.
Well let me see, hmmmmm. First off I don't live on Broadway/Belmont. I commented on my walk from that point and funny how you only quote the max time. Geez. My friend has no parking and I don't. Street parking is just soooooooo easy to find and so quick!!! lol. Yup parking can be found in seconds and always right in front of my destination- hehe. Still smirking! I guess I could get paid parking at 160/month for my place then also pay for a spot at my friend's place too and then pay again for spots at all my other friends places as we all know parking is so plentiful and traffic is just so light- HAH. Nah, I will take the easy quick cheap way. The Train. Still can't get over how I walk faster than cars drive in Lakeview many time unless it is 3am. Oh and I hear parking is especially cheap in downtown! |
Just In!!!!
Hot off the press:
Sept. 12, 2007 CTA, gov's office to meet: station (AP) — Chicago Transit Authority President Ron Huberman told WFLD-TV that CTA officials plan a morning meeting with representatives from Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office to discuss the funding situation. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=26342 |
doomsday moved:
link to the trib just fyi, this is an email i received from my state senator on monday: September 10, 2007 Dear Neighbor, Over the past several days, many of you have contacted me to express your concerns and frustration with the failure of the Illinois House to pass the mass transit funding bill, SB 572. SB 572 failed in the House mainly because the House Republicans who voted against it, want a broader capital program, including more funding for roads, to be part of the transit legislation. To address this issue, the Senate is scheduled to meet next Monday and Tuesday to introduce and vote on a new transit funding bill, similar to SB572, in conjunction with a capital project spending plan which will deal with other transportation and construction projects across the State, including funding for roads. With the inclusion of the capital spending plan, my hope is we will have the requisite number of votes to pass a mass transit legislation and send it to the House for a vote. I understand and share your concerns and frustrations with the current state of mass transit and the impending service cuts and rate hikes. I fully support mass transit and will do my best in the coming days to find a solution to the crisis. I hope you find this update informative. Please feel free to contact me should you have further questions on this legislation. It is my honor to be your voice and represent your values. Warm regards, Carol Ronen State Senator District 7 |
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The closest location you gave of where you live was Broadway/Belmont and I'm sorry I couldn't get more specific than that because you didn't provide the details. Would it make all the difference if you are a few blocks from there and I was more specific? I doubt it. I only quoted 50 minutes because 50 minutes from Lakeview to anywhere in Evanston is unacceptable relative to driving--I don't appreciate that you insinuate I was trying to spin the numbers or misquote you (which, BTW, if you look back at our exchanges you have done multiple times, including misquoting me that I would be happy dismantling the CTA when I said I wanted to fix it and have more accountability, de-funding our education system when I said the opposite, and that traffic in lakeview is a "breeze" when I merely said it was adequate). Let's just say that I live very close to you if you live anywhere near Broadway and Belmont and it takes me 25 minutes in the morning and 30-35 minutes in the afternoons to commute to a much farther destination than you. And I never have to deal with standing around in 20 degree below zero weather and I will probably never get fired for being literally 50 minutes late the last time I stood at the Belmont stop for 35-40 minutes while an out of service train just stood there blocking northbound traffic. I have taken the CTA to/from Evanston many times in the past. It is very convenient but it is much slower and much less convenient during inclimate weather. And there are times that it is unreliable like I mentioned earlier. With my job I have to be at the hospital at either 9 or 7AM depending on the day, no later. I have driven and taken the CTA enough times to know which is faster and more reliable. I literally save about an entire hour everyday I choose to drive rather than take the CTA. I work Mon-Sat so that's a good extra 6 hours every week I get because I drive. Why do I even mention this? Because it is unacceptable, especially given that most of my CTA trip is dedicated express right-of-way. Some people need to admit that the CTA is slow, broken, and mismanaged, which should come as no surprise given recent federal inquiries. Luckily it seems most people in here realize this and that something needs to be done about it (and is hopefully being done). This is what it means to be a transit advocate! The federal official who probed the CTA said, and I quote, "the conditions found at the CTA were the worst he has seen at any U.S. transit agency." That should tick you off if you are a true transit advocate. This is our system. And people are screwing it up with YOUR money. The solution to this problem is to fix the CTA and get new people in there who are accountable to each other and to us, not to demonize the automobile. |
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I live in RP and for me to drive to DT Evanston is 15 minutes easy including finding parking, I also take the redline and it takes about 30 min which includes walk to Morse stop. Metra is best...3 min walk to station and literally 5-6 minutes to davis...I hav e gone from door to DT evanston in 10 minutes actually i think it was 9 |
...I'm surprised CTA wasn't ready for the Fed report with the fact that basically everyone in the chain of command responsibly for track maintenance was fired after the derailment incident.
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3rd Rail Safety????
I know this is not PERFECTLY on topic.... but I am working on a new transit station for CDOT. CDOT will finance the "L" station and build it for the CTA... obviously the CTA willl be the operator. Once this is cleared by the Alderman and the Mayor... then I'll tell you guys about it. It's nothing terribly fancy.
Anyway... so I have to surpervise my survey crew when they conduct their Track Level (up on the "L") survey. I have to undergo the CTA safety training course and I have a few questions. 1. How dangerous is the 600Volt 3rd rail? If one trips and lands their hand (or any exposed skin... face, etc.) on the 3rd rail... does it have the potential to kill? 2. I know I have to wear rubber work boots (obviously no steel toe) to the training and any other time. Does anyone recommend any specific brand or type of boot that's electrically isolated for increased safety? Thanks, TransitEngr |
I'm no expert of electric heavy rail power supplies, but i always thought that you had to slip part of your body underneath it, either touching the underside or the back of the third-rail "hood." I've always thought this because I've seen pictures of people walking and resting on the third-rail. Is there an expert out there? Maybe Viva knows, or drop an email to the fella that runs Chicago-L.org
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