I don't know or remember the details, but there were some agreements CTA signed in regards to certain elements of the station being "historic" in nature, such as the shepherd's crook light standards and some of the railing designs. There were a few contentious Lincoln Park community meetings regarding both the original designs for these stations (at first CTA was pitching something rather modern for Armitage) and again after all station designs were revised, standardized, and utilitarianized after the initial bids came in drastically over budget. The original stationhouses themselves are landmarked I believe, hence the non-optional restoration of their exteriors.

All in all, I've actually been relieved by the general quality and feel of the new stationhouses along the line, but the platforms sure are stark and lame - widespread use of plain galvanized steel makes many of them feel permanently "unfinished," to boot (I know that for every raw material painted, AdrianXSands cries, but really, many of these stations cry out for a can of paint). Even the stations rebuilt in the Green Line rehab of the 90s had substantially more attractive and thoughtful design in the canopies, railings, and placement of stairwells/lighting/other amenities. And then there's the new Pink Line stations between Damen and Pulaski, with platforms of surprisingly striking/expensive design.

I sure wouldn't have minded if some of the extra expense put into those Pink Line stations had instead gone into extending the canopies to cover more of the platform. It's kind of cool that they reused some of the old canopies, even though it's bizarre to see canopies that used to be across from each other put together on an island platform.

But yeah, the new and refurbished Pink stations are way better than the Brown stations.

Wouldn't surprise me. You can definitely see who has the pull. No Lincoln Park stations were closed during construction, and they got some paint at Armitage too.

I think the station house interiors are hit or miss, but agree completely on the platforms.

http://www.wibc.com/news/Story.aspx?ID=1079911

Proposed Tax Increase Could Extend South Shore Railroad

By Eric Berman
4/7/2009

A proposed new income tax could extend the reach of the South Bend-to-Chicago South Shore Railroad.

The Senate will vote next week on a proposed local income tax of up to a quarter-percent for Saint Joseph, Porter, LaPorte and Lake Counties to help pay for a billion-dollar extension of the railroad to Valparaiso, Lowell and Cedar Lake.

Representative Chet Dobis (D-Merrillville) notes the region is home to thousands of people who work in Chicago....

CTA Alternatives Analysis Meetings
 

Looks like they have set up further meetings for CTA's four Alternatives Analysis projects. Circle Line is scheduled for "Fall 2009" (postponed from Spring 2009) and Red Line Extension is scheduled for June sometime.

The Yellow Line and Orange Line extensions have definite dates and sites, later this month.

Orange Line Extension
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (presentation will begin at 6:15 PM)
Richard J. Daley College
Lobby adjacent to auditorium
7500 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, Illinois 60652

Yellow Line Extension
Thursday, April 30, 2009
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (presentation will begin at 6:15 PM)
Niles North High School - Auditorium
9800 North Lawler Avenue
Skokie, Illinois

CTA - Red line stinks!
 

Has anyone else who rides the Red Line noticed that ever since Ron Huberman left the CTA, the train cars are back to their old stinky, dirty, urine smelling selves? It might be just me, but Huberman always took the Red line to work and I think now that he is not in charge, things are slipping.

I've actually noticed that all the trains, not just the red line, are filthy. The stainless exteriors are brown with filth, and the interior floors are grimey. Take some pride, CTA!

^You don't think this might have to do with us coming out of winter with the slush, salt and snow associated with it that makes everything look dirty?

in my opinion, the red line has never struck me as terrible. the only time i was appalled is when the homeless man across from me peed on the floor of a nearly full train and the cta driver just told him not to cause trouble. but yeah, other than sunflower seeds on the floor and the occasional mcdonalds cup, i don't feel like the trains are that bad, but maybe i just have low standards

I get that we are coming out of winter, etc... I just think it is interesting, because all winter long the Red Line cars were pretty clean, Ron Huberman was also still riding and running the CTA at that point.:shrug:

Its just you...are you not the guy who only about a week ago stated that you you see altercations or incidents on the L on nearly a daily basis

Are you hypersensitve to the point of obsession or are you just uncomfortable in an urban setting? Me thinks one or the other or both

Sure. But they were cleaned prior to mid April last year, and generally were cleaner during the winter.

I'm not hypersensitive, I just expect a little more I guess. I'm not complaining about trash here, paper and garbage on the CTA floors is one thing, but urine, and other bodily fluids is completely unacceptable. If I'm paying for the fare to ride the train, I have a legit beef if things are not at least sanitary to an extent.:shrug:

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/chicago....2.981795.html

Drivers Who Don't Stop For Pedestrians Face Fines

CHICAGO (STNG) ―

Chicago motorists who barrel through intersections and fail to yield for pedestrians had better be prepared to pay up. They might get stopped by an undercover police officer posing as a pedestrian -- and playing for keeps.

One year after a pair of Northwest Side stings triggered 179 warning citations, City Hall is gearing up for "at least 50" undercover operations -- only this time with real tickets. Fines will range from $50 to $500, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

Last year, there were more than 3,000 pedestrian-related accidents on Chicago streets. More than 50 of them resulted in pedestrian fatalities, an average of one a week...

More Chicago B/S
 

This is such a load of CRAP!

If someone can find this information, I would love to know what the statistics behind these numbers are, how many of the 3,000+ accidents were a result of moron pedestrians? I'm not saying that drivers are 100% innocent, but I see people trying to cross the street against signals, in the middle of the street all the time. That's not to mention the number of pedestrians that are completely clueless to their surroundings because they are either listening to their IPOD, texting/emailing someone, or on their cell phone.

"It's all part of a nearly three-year-old campaign known as "Safe Streets for Chicago," designed to improve pedestrian and traffic safety through: technology, such as countdown signals; infrastructure investment, such as marked crosswalks, and education. "

How does placing an undercover cop in a sting, relate to any of the quoted methods to improve safety? This is just another B/S way to collect more money. Why doesn't the city start writing tickets for jaywalking?

I think you have it backwards.

Whenever I cross against a light or in the middle of the street, I'm extremely careful to make sure there are no cars coming. But when I have the signal, I'm less careful. As a result, every time I've had a close encounter as a pedestrian, it has been when I have the signal.

Also, many Chicago drivers don't understand or don't care that pedestrians have the right of way in the crosswalk. Crossing the street is a nightmare in this city because drivers ignore stop signs and ALWAYS ignore crosswalks that aren't at intersections.

Whenever I drive I have no trouble avoiding unscrupulous pedestrians, because I am a careful driver. I would bet there are very few collisions that cause pedestrian fatalities that couldn't have been avoided by the driver.

:previous:

The stings are not going to take place in areas that have pedestrian signals. They are going to take place near crosswalks that do not have a light or stop sign. I think it’s a great idea. Drivers need to be more aware of people in this city. Hell, I bet most drivers don’t even know that pedestrians have the right-of-way at a crosswalk with no stop sign or light.

I agree that most drivers probably don't know all the rules. If I remember correctly (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong), but doesn't the particular rule/law stating that peds have the right-of-way at cross walks apply only to those that are marked with both a sign and have the large white striping across the cross walk? I know that is the case in Missouri, but doesn't the same apply here in IL?

^^^ No, not at all. In the City of Chicago traffic laws are heavily in favor of pedestrians. If you are in a crosswalk the driver must yield to you unless there is a signal and it is orange telling you not to cross. So if there is a mid-block crossing cars are supposed to stop when a pedestrian is standing there waiting to cross.

They are dirtier on the inside than they were 9 months ago but that is only because they did their complete rehab thing on most of the Red line cars last spring. Every couple years they completely rehab the interiors of each train car re-waxing the floors, scraping all of the gunk out of any cracks, and replacing the little fabric squares on all of the streets and fixing whatever else is in disrepair. That is why things seem dirtier on the inside now than 9 months ago since every car had been recently refurbished. That has nothing to do with Huberman, it has to do with periodic maintenance.

As far as the outside of the cars goes I have no idea what you are talking about, the cars have always been dirty and always will be dirty, I see no difference...

A law that 99% of drivers don't adhere to, and when I learned that pedestrians have the ROW in such situations and started stopping, I created hazardous traffic situations (including irate people behind me swinging out to the other side of the yellow line to pass me while gunning it). As much as I am for ped-friendly streets, this is another stupid (or rather, revenue-driven) idea like the red light cameras. Either it has to be enforced universally so all drivers adhere to it, or not at all, because the selective enforcement leads to even more dangerous traffic conditions.