Quote:
Originally Posted by denizen467
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if they inaugurated the color schemes 25 years ago to encourage usage and reduce confusion especially with visitors, the same impetus should dictate they rename one or both. This is not like forcing all the suburbs to change from the 312 area code like in the '80s, this is a simple gradual fix largely within the control and budget of the CTA.
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In my role as an active Airbnb host, I deal with a lot of out-of-towners. Most of them realize the distinction between stations even when the names are the same, although because I live nearest to the Chicago Brown Line stop, I emphasize in my arrival directions that it is on the Brown Line, and not the Red or Blue lines (although the Red Line station is only about 4 extra minutes walking compared to the Brown). I have had two guests, out of 500 bookings, accidentally get off at the Chicago Blue Line station and become lost. I've also had people ignore my warning to be sure they get on a Brown Line train at Clark/Lake and end up halfway to Oak Park before they realize their mistake. My directions are almost painfully detailed, so places that give shorter, more general directions probably see more instances of people arriving at the wrong station.
Then again there are people who simply don't understand the concept of shared transportation. Or maps, or numbers, for that matter. One guy was as dumb as a post about taking the bus from Union Station to my place. You can literally exit Union Station at the River and Jackson, hop on the 156 at the stop across the street, take it 15 minutes and it drops you on the corner of my block. It ended up taking him 75 minutes to make the 1.5 mile trip and in the end he ended up hailing a cab. I told him that I work by Union Station and can walk the distance in 25 minutes. He apparently thought that the 151 and the 156 must be the same route (!?!?!) and then from Michigan Avenue couldn't figure out how to walk west on Huron. He realized he had made some navigation mistakes, but when I asked where he was, he couldn't tell me even though I *know* the street signs on Michigan are well-marked. I mostly enjoy meeting my Airbnb guests, but it's outlandish how utterly stupid some of them are. My current guest actually stood in front of my neighbor's building, which has a well-marked number, and couldn't figure out that my building, numerically less than 10 points different, we right next to him, walked back to the corner and called me, claiming, "There is no <my address>," to which I laughed and said, "I guarantee you it exists," and went downstairs to point at the address on the door. So much idiocy.