What's being illuminated here is the constant battle between convenience for daily commuters and legibility to infrequent users. For CTA, this debate is usually between proponents of highly visible rail lines and proponents of fragmented bus service that picks up patrons closer to their homes and drops them closer to their offices. That's why actual everyday commuters in South Shore wouldn't really see any advantage from the Gray Line.

For daily commuters, the 120-series bus lines provide good, reliable rush hour service from West Loop rail terminals to Streeterville offices. But to infrequent visitors, that service is often irrelevant (not running when they arrive) and invisible (hard to show on the map; even harder to see on the street). Suppose tomorrow we had a subway line with stops at Union, Ogilvie, Michigan/Wacker, NWMH, and Hancock. Would the Monday commute be more or less convenient for people who now ride 120-series buses virtually to the door of their office buildings? Including walking time, would their door-to-door time actually be reduced?

^ I view this also being about making it a more convenient option for the millions of people living outside of city limits to conveniently get to River North/Streeterville/Mag Mile without having to drive.

Right now I basically visit Chicago by car even though I would love to take a train. Why? Because I don't work in the Loop, so when I visit the city (a few times per month) I'm usually headed north of the river, unless I'm in the mood to wander around and gaze at the Loop's architecture, or perhaps a trip to MP.

That's where most of the retail, entertainment, restaurants, and hotels are. That's where out of towners tend to be headed.

That's why the city had a free trolley system. Why would there be a free trolley if there weren't a demand? Those trolleys were absolutely filled to the brim every single time I saw them.

If I knew that I could take Amtrak to the Loop and then take a reliable train/BRT to the Mag Mile, that would be a game changer for me, because I sure as hell hate traffic and parking.

If now is not the time to really start implementing this, then when is the right time? Over the years/decades more and more towers are going to get built in River North/Streeterville, more hotels are on the way--thus more congestion, more demand... who are we trying to convince here?

Free CTA rides for seniors will continue

source: http://www.suntimes.com/news/transpo...103009.article
This is a little frustrating. The CTA is trying to shore up its annual deficit by reducing the subsidy to seniors that can afford to pay, yet Hendon is blocking the move while claiming it's the city of Chicago's responsibility to find funding for the budget gap.

Sure, I get that the State can make stipulations if it's going to provide additional funding to the CTA, but unless they plan on providing year-over-year revenues to cover the subsidy to the elderly in addition to their annual contribution, screw them.

^ He's right about one thing, though--if Daley can rally his troops around the Olympics and Millennium Park, maybe he should do something to really prioritize transit in Chicago.

I'm not saying the CTA's budget issues are his fault or in his hands. But if the guy....ugh, whatever. Daley's useful life as Mayor is spent, as far as I'm concerned. Chicago really needs some fresh blood.

I agree that Daley does not prioritize transit enough, but I am very worried about what sort of mayor Chicago will get when Daley steps down/has the office stripped from him by the icy hands of death. Perhaps we could get a more transit friendly major, but I'm worried they would not keep pushing the development of the loop, an epic disaster in my opinion.

Now, my dream is for Ron Huberman, former head of the CTA, to became mayor.

^ Yeah, Huberman doesn't seem too bad on the surface. I'd like to hear a little more about his views, etc

Why does the 124 bus not meet your needs? Or the 151? Just because you don't know about them?

While I think there are a number of things Daley's City Hall could do to better aid CTA (e.g. re-orienting CDOT to value pedestrians and buses above private vehicles, a more aggressive transit-oriented posture in the zoning code, going to bat against the aldermen when CTA wants to cut blatantly inefficient services, etc.), it's prudent to bring up that just in 2008, Daley supported both an additional .25% sales tax and a city-only real estate transfer tax.

^ They're bus routes.

I don't use buses unless I"m forced to. I learned my lesson in NY.

So upgrading that route to BRT/rail just isn't worth it in your mind? To each his own, but that's what I call second rate transit; kind of unbecoming for what we're supposed to be calling a first rate, world class city.

Lol, thats because the busses in NYC suck balls. In Chicago buses are usually faster and more reliable than the train. If you've only been using the El here, man are you wasting your time...

Yea, bus service here is arguably some of the best in the country, both in terms of the size of the network and the frequency of service. Bus Tracker is an amazing benefit, too, but it shouldn't be restricted to people with smart phones... busy stops should get screens like those in the L stations, with Bus Tracker info and advertising. JC Decaux might get pissed, but we're not here to make them happy.

:hell:

Effort to end free mass-transit rides for Illinois seniors gets derailed at state Capitol

^^^ They raise a good point in the article, the seniors are going to be hurt a hell of a lot more by having to wait 2x's as long in the freezing cold for a bus or a train than the younger generations. Not only will the trains and buses have to run less frequently, but older people as less likely to use new technology that would enable them to access bus tracker and know exactly when to head outside. Whatever, you can't have your cake and eat it too, the elderly will be hurt either way, I would just prefer the option that doesn't screw the rest of us as well...

Chicago isn't New York, all the moreso since Chicago now has by far the newest and most reliable bus fleet of any big city transit agency, along with, of course, Bus Tracker. The others have hinted at it, but the bus ain't what it used to be.

This touches on a pretty interesting and controversial topic of transit research, actually. Long story short, transit-dependent populations in general obtain maximum utility by keeping fares to a minimum even if that means reduced levels of service, in contrast to choice riders who get maximum benefit from having higher fares supporting higher levels of service. This phenomenon is apparent when you consider that "transit cities" like Chicago, New York, Philly, DC tend to have substantially higher fares and of course higher levels of service than cities where transit is almost exclusively for the transit-dependent - the latter cities where the bus costs $1.25 but doesn't actually get anyone out of their cars if they have one. I just bring this up to point out that it's very messy and complicated when talking about who is impacted and to what extent by fare levels versus service levels - most of us on SSP will fall in the camp that would much prefer maintaining service levels than low fares, but that's just one slice of the transit (and voting) constituency.

I don't understand how I'm expected to have more money in college than a senior is expected to have?

The free rides issue pisses me off more than any single issue in the Illinois general assembly. We all know what the real problem is...THERE"S AN ELECTION NEXT YEAR. Nobody wants to potentially piss off their largest voting demographic in an election year.

Dipshits like Quinn of course say that seniors just can't afford to pay for fares, yet the proposal would only have required seniors making more than $22k a year to pay a fare of less than a dollar. Over a third of seniors riding the CTA make in excess of $55k. But they vote, so they're safe.

And people wonder why this state is in such financial trouble.

Agree with your first point completely, as it is blatantly obvious.

but, I remember Quinn wanting to limit senior discount but backing down because he didn't have the votes to pass it.

and if those are real stats I'd love the source. Doing ridership and traffic flow studies on a project, and that sounds like an appropriate precedent.

So did I...and then he went and shit the bed and said it was an important program that he wanted to keep.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...cal&id=7093395

Populist pandering combined with needless entitlements. No wonder why debt holes keep getting bigger with such a mentality.

When's the City going to start talking more about the transit components of the Central Area Action Plan?