Hopefully Skokie will keep the zoning dense around the new (renewed) station and build some TOD like many suburbs have done around their Metra Stations.

Well, to some extent, Skokie's already had quite a bit of dense infill - basically the same stuff that went up on every major street on the North Side, 3-4 story walkups. No towers yet, but the area immediately around the station is an office/R&D park, a 1-story commercial district, and a park.

The Crafty Beaver lumber yard next to the site is an ideal site for TOD, but I love Crafty Beaver, so I hope they don't go anywhere.

The next few years should be decent for CTA. Stops at Oakton and Morgan will be rebuilt after they were removed decades ago. Grand/State will open fully, and Wilson and North/Clybourn will have most of the major problems solved in their respective renovations. The South Loop infill station project will go into design, and we'll see some progress on renovating Clark/Division.

We have a strong chance of receiving a BRT grant I think, and the implementation of that should be only a matter of months (posting signage, installing signal priority/boarding shelters, dealing with the inevitable lawsuits from shopkeepers, ordering buses). There's no major construction. If I'm not mistaken, the R-O-Y projects should also be submitted to the FTA for New Starts funding, which would be awesome.

Has there been any decision regarding where this new infill station will be? I heard about a Green line stop at 18th street or 22nd/Cermak being kicked around a long time ago, but haven't seen any news in a while.

Getting Around discusses rider's review with CTA

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Why is it that Bombardier/CTA have trouble with voltage fluctuations in LED lighting, but Europe and Asia have figured it out? I swear, it's almost as if they purposely try to do things the antiquated way.

Absolutely feels that way sometimes. Like some kind of inertia.

I think there is, in fact, a huge institutional bias against unproven technology. Conservativism in railcar design has served CTA very well over the years. Unlike in other cities, no CTA railcars have ever been retired or rebuilt early because of technological glitches or unforeseen problems. Instead, the various car series have soldiered on long after their expected lifespan, happily operating with older series cars, on any line they are assigned to.

No, that's why I wasn't specific. A station at 18th would be centrally-located to serve the existing development in the South Loop, since it's within a short walking distance of many newer developments, but a station at Cermak would lay the groundwork for the dense skyscraper corridor that the city plans along Cermak from Clark to Calumet, and would be good for bus transfers on the 21.

Both stations would probably be overkill, although if the Cermak station was built between Cermak/23rd and the 18th station was centered over 18th, they might be far enough apart to attract distinct groups of riders.

was there ever any thought about placing the station at 16th? it seems more natural and could theoretically also leaves enough space for a cermak station in the distant future. It seems like it would be more expensive due to the track configuration and existing structures though I could also see significantly increased benefit. In addition to the better spacing it could be a stop on both the orange and green lines as well as cover the bulk of the residential in the south loop. Also it could possibly directly connect into the future linear air line park (I won't argue for or against, just stating it may exist) which would provide direct access to the lakefront and soldier field. If I could choose a spot in the south loop cost excluded, that would be it.

We aren't talking about cutting edge stuff here. Most of the technology CTA is dismissing has been around long enough to see 3rd and 4th generation technology on it.

Does anyone know if CTA releases the raw data from "Bus Tracker" and whether that same data will be available for a train tracker?

Other city transit authorities have released this data, and private enterprise has taken it to new levels, enabling train time displays in coffee shops, 3rd party iphone apps, etc.

http://www.transitchicago.com/developers/

http://www.transitchicago.com/apps/

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chic...kbucktown.html

I agree. I think this goes beyond midwestern pragmatism. Smells more like good old fashion lack of vision and my oft stated failure to understand the user impact of good, smart design—system wide.

Umm, Holy Cow!

Anyone interested in making some money? We could put a train/bus tracker monitor in virtually every Starbucks in Chicago. And charge a monthly fee to monitor it.

You're a little late to the game on this one.

There are third-party apps for just about every smart phone out there, plus I think there are third-party desktop widgets for just about every computer OS out there. The front page of the CTA website has had a link for developers who want to interface with CTA data for over a year now, for crying out loud.

The CTA has made enormous strides over the past 10 years in how and what they communicate to the public, enough that at this point I honestly feel sorry for the agency because they still get criticized for problems they've fixed because people are simply too lazy (or maybe jaded) to see what's available. At any rate, while their new cars may not be so modern-looking, in many other ways this is a long way from your father's CTA. :)

^^^
No need to be a dick.

I've yet to see any type of tracker in any business here in Chicago, so while some may have in fact thought it up, they haven't yet made it viable.

And for those of us that wonder every single day if they have enough time to squeeze in a cup of coffee between trains, it would be a welcome addition to my daily routine.

He isn't really being a dick...he's just telling you the facts.

I would also appreciate a bus tracker in my local shops. As viva tried to point out a few posts back, people are working on this and it is currently available at a couple places in wicker park:

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chic...kbucktown.html

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not sure the huge gap in service you are describing is real. Though I will say: if you could give me system wide train tracking right now, I'd happily give you money in return.

Do you mean putting a laptop next to the cash register with bustracker on it? Suggest it to your local indie coffeeshop.

Yeah, I put a Bus Tracker screen in my condo building lobby last year. All you need is a computer that can run a reasonably modern browser.

Because I show both northbound and southbound buses, I just keep two browser windows open (be sure to install the Firefox extension Refresh Every). But CTA has recently made available a do-it-yourself web page exactly for such local installations.

Train Tracker will be here soon. It's already working a number of places around the system.

http://www.securityinfowatch.com/node/1316233

New security cams to be in place by the end of month

BY FRAN SPIELMAN
The Chicago Sun-Times
Updated: 05-24-2010 11:47 am

All 144 CTA rapid transit stations will be equipped with surveillance cameras by the end of this month, expanding the Big Brother reach of the nation's most extensive and integrated camera network.

By the end of this year, CTA buses and rail stations will have nearly 3,000 high-definition surveillance cameras -- up from 1,800 currently. Initially, cameras will be positioned at station entrances.

Ultimately, each station will have a "full complement" of 20 cameras. And later this year, the CTA will launch a pilot program so see "whether it's feasible to retrofit" older CTA rail cars with cameras. New 5000-series cars come equipped with cameras.

The cameras are being bankrolled, in part, by the $22.6 million in federal Homeland Security funds the CTA has received since 2006. The CTA is investing $19 million.



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