How do you feel about the quality of public transit? (Chicago: employment, neighborhoods)

[Bucktownbabe]

Originally Posted by Aerio

I like the CTA, and it has gotten me where I needed for $2.25 with possible a transfer. But in general, how do you feel about it personally at times? When I go on the blue line, I really do feel like the train will just jump off the track at times. No, I am not a dramatic or caring people, but it does startle me at times. How do you feel about he quality of your public transportation system? What would you add or delete from it? Do you ever feel in danger, or is your ride without worries? How would you rate it?

Public transit in the U.S. is abysmal compared to Asia and Europe, in my experience. Within the U.S., though, the CTA is near the top. I would probably only rank the systems in NYC, SF, and maybe DC higher than Chicago's.

[rzzz]

SF's public transport system is terrible. CTA is much better. Even LA has a better public transport system than SF these days.

[oak317]

Funny story...

I arrived at the #151 bus stop on Lake St tonight and I saw this really dark-skinned kid from Barbados arguing with an older white lady wearing a neck brace. Ok, that's an unusual demographic for an altercation.

The older lady was lecturing the kid from Barbados (probably around 19 or 20) about how everyone ought to give each other basic human respect. I couldn't agree more but I stayed out of the conversation and I had no idea where it originated.

To add to that, there was a pretty young professional seated between them who was playing the role of peacemaker. I had no idea how she got involved, but she was mediating the tiff they had gotten in and the kid from Barbados clearly had a crush on her.

Ok... fast forward. The #151 arrived and I got on the bus and the pretty girl who had played mediator got on and sat next to me. She told me that the Barbados youngster thought the older lady had called him a racial slur and that's why they had gotten into an argument.

We started talking about other things, like the Midwest, Ann Arbor, etc.

Then at the next bus stop the black kid from Barbados got on! He must have ran along with the bus and caught up with us. He sat across from us and totally killed our conversation.

He asked me if I had a problem with him. I reassured him I didn't and then he said he felt a bad energy in the air and I reassured him there wasn't any.

I suppose I must have made him feel like the alpha male because he started hitting on the pretty girl next to me. She told him she was taken and he told her he had 7 wives. Maybe a not-so-subtle hint that he could take on another one.

After that he kept on glaring daggers at me and he kept on looking for excuses to get into a fight. I kept on reassuring him that he was in charge because I really didn't want to get into a fight with a smelly kid who may have had a knife in his pockets.

Finally he got off on Chicago Ave. Hopefully he'll be going back to Barbados soon. He managed to provoke a fight with a 50-year-old woman with a neck brace and then myself, all because I was talking to a girl he had his eyes on.

So when it comes to the quality of public transit, I'm not a fan. Sure the buses and trains are fast-moving enough and operational, but the quality of the passengers is what bugs me.

I remember taking the #6 once from Hyde Park when a black kid took out a five-inch switchblade and started showing it to his friends before putting it back into his pocket. This was in broad daylight and I was on my way to a musical at the Chicago Shakes.

Wtf is wrong with human beings.

[oak317]

Originally Posted by Bucktownbabe

Public transit in the U.S. is abysmal compared to Asia and Europe, in my experience. Within the U.S., though, the CTA is near the top. I would probably only rank the systems in NYC, SF, and maybe DC higher than Chicago's.

It's interesting that you rank SF's public transit so highly. I was actually under the impression that BART wasn't so great.

I wonder how easy it is to get from various parts of Oakland to SF? Because I think that's what would be the defining factor of their rapid transit system. That is, how easy it is to get from affordable places in the Bay Area to jobs in San Francisco.

To make an NYC analogy, it's easy to get from various parts of Brooklyn or Queens to Manhattan via the subway. But I don't know if that's the case in Oakland->SF commutes.

[SubconsciousMe]

While I've lived in NYC, Boston, and many other large, urban cities--Chicago is where we will be staying for awhile. Prior to Chicago, we lived in Phoenix. The public transit there is a nightmare. While there is a light rail system, it's 20 miles, one track, and goes along the traffic so it has to stop for lights.

Having that experience as my most recent, I am very pleased with Chicago. There will always be annoyances of some degree or another, but looking at the whole picture.. living in a city of this size and caliber, with public transit that can get you most anywhere and you can live without a car if planning right, I'm pleased.

[Aleking]

what does skin color have to do with any of those dumb stories?

ugh, classic chicago

[Ace Rothstein]

Originally Posted by rzzz

SF's public transport system is terrible. CTA is much better. Even LA has a better public transport system than SF these days.

This is the second person in this thread that has given a thumbs down to SF's public transport system. I was there a few months ago and thought the coverage was outstanding, seemed like we were never more than 2 blocks from some mode of public transit no matter where we were in the city. The trolleybuses were also pretty nice, much quieter and cleaner than our diesel buses.

[vmexkids]

Why do certain trains from the Midway Orange Line start as Orange Line trains than turn to Brown Line trains? It happens between 6-7 a.m.

[Longford]

Originally Posted by vmexkids

Why do certain trains from the Midway Orange Line start as Orange Line trains than turn to Brown Line trains? It happens between 6-7 a.m.

I don't know the answer. I haven't seen that. However, if it's happening it might just be a balancing of fleet. Both Kimball and Midway are terminal points - parking lots for equipment. It could be something as simple as moving equipment and not 'dead heading' from one end to the other.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by vmexkids

Why do certain trains from the Midway Orange Line start as Orange Line trains than turn to Brown Line trains? It happens between 6-7 a.m.

If it happens between 6 and 7 am I'm guessing because there's there's a greater rush hour demand on the Brown Line and they're shifting more trains onto the Brown Line to meet higher demand for rush hour.