WBEZ | CTA

South Red Line closures just around the corner

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:04:00 -0500

The South branch of the Red Line closes Sunday for five months while it undergoes renovation. Chicago Transit Authority officials say nine stops, also known as the Dan Ryan branch, are in desperate need of repair. The CTA will provide a few backup solutions for the more than 80,000 people who ride each weekday. Other groups like PACE, Metra - even the White Sox franchise - are also lending a hand.

Starting Sunday, service will be shut down between 95th/Dan Ryan and Cermak-Chinatown. According to CTA spokesman Brian Steele, construction crews will rip everything up -- like ties, rails and ballasts - and rebuild the tracks and all but one of the train stations. Steele says the 95th/Dan Ryan stop is scheduled to receive a separate facelift beginning in the first half of 2014.

“Remember that the Red Line South opened in September of 1969, just two months after Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon,” Steele said. “It’s seen, literally, millions of train trips in that time, and has really served the CTA well.

Steele says the Red Line has been patched and fixed over the years, but it’s to the point where the only way to ensure effective operation of the line is to completely rebuild it.

That’s going to take some time - five months, to be exact. Steele says they looked at other options, like closing down only on the weekends, for example, but he says the five-month plan was the most efficient and cost-effective way to complete the project. Steele says once completed, the trackwork will provide faster and more reliable service.

To ease riders’ headaches, the CTA will provide a number of backup options. The CTA website has been upgraded with a trip planner that calculates rerouted directions for commuters. CTA is also offering express buses from four of the closed Red Line stations (95th/Dan Ryan, 87th, 79th and 69th) that will go directly to the Green Line Garfield station. Steele said Green Line service and local bus routes will also provide additional service during peak times.

For riders who think Metra or Pace might be the best option, the three transit agencies are offering a joint fare pass. Riders can buy the cards at stores like CVS or Walgreens. They provide five days of unlimited rides on CTA/Pace and 10 rides on the Metra. The cost of the pass depends on which Metra zone the rider travels to and from.

According to Metra spokesman Michael Gillis, the agency isn’t expecting an influx of riders during the Red Line closures, but says there will certainly be a “settling-in period” as riders figure out which new route works best.

Even the White Sox are chipping in to help potentially disgruntled commuters, as the Sox/35th stop is one of the stops getting a makeover. The team is offering fans discounts on some tickets to the May 20th, 21st and 22nd games against the Boston Red Sox.

Lauren Chooljian is WBEZ’s Morning Producer/Reporter. Follow her @laurenchooljian

Bus rapid transit to ‘maximize potential’ of Ashland Avenue

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:14:00 -0500

The first phase of a closely watched Chicago bus project would “maximize street potential” along more than five miles of Ashland Avenue for about $50 million, city officials announced Friday.

The project would establish bus rapid transit (BRT) along that congested artery from 31st Place to Cortland Avenue. The city will study possible extensions stretching as far south as 95th Street and as far north as Irving Park Road, according to a statement from the Chicago Transit Authority and the Chicago Department of Transportation.

“Bus rapid transit is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to expand and modernize our city’s transit network for the 21st century,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in the statement. “We will work with our local communities to best determine how to maximize the positive impacts BRT would provide to riders, while boosting local economic development and improving quality of life for all city residents.”

WBEZ revealed the Ashland route and the project’s key design elements in January. The buses would have a lane to themselves on both sides of a landscaped median. Traffic signals at some intersections would favor the buses. Passengers would board from platforms a half-mile apart. Parking would remain on both sides.

The statement says the design would “allow the potential” for off-board fare collection, a feature that averts delays from collecting fares in bus doorways. A new CTA video (above) shows that payment taking place at kiosks on station platforms.

Cars and trucks would have just one lane in each direction — a plan that has sparked opposition from some business groups along the route. City officials have responded that the project would slow automobiles and trucks just slightly and speed up bus service more than 80 percent during peak hours.

Transit experts say banning turns across bus lanes is the key BRT intersection treatment. The video renderings of reconfigured Ashland intersections do not show any left-turn lanes.

CTA spokeswoman Lambrini Lukidis confirmed Friday that the Ashland project will eliminate left turns from the avenue at some intersections. She said her agency is embarking on a study to help determine which ones.

The elimination of turns is another step that worries the business groups.

“Getting trucks around, where they might turn left into a loading dock now, they’ll have to obviously make three [right turns] to be able to do that,” said Benjamin Spies, a spokesman for the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago, which represents 430 member businesses in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor. “They’re concerned about what this would do to freight traffic.”

The Emanuel administration was also considering Western Avenue for the BRT line but has put that possibility on the back burner.

The initial Ashland phase, creating a 5.3-mile leg of the BRT route, would link several CTA and Metra lines. It would also improve transit service to the University of Illinois at Chicago, Malcolm X College, the United Center and a cluster of hospitals within the Illinois Medical District.

“One of the things that all of the hospitals talk to us about is a lack of parking,” Warren Ribley, the district’s executive director, said at a downtown roundtable promoting the BRT project. “They all have parking decks that are full. If you drive along Harrison or Congress on any given day, you can’t find a parking spot.”

“Public transportation is critical to the growth of the medical district,” Ribley said. “There is going to be growth. That’s why this is such an important proposal for us.”

Neighborhoods along the planned initial route include Bucktown, Noble Square, East Village, West Town, University Village and Pilsen. The CTA’s No. 9 bus, which runs on Ashland, in 2012 had 10 million boardings, the most of any Chicago route that year, according to the city.

The city’s statement says CHA and CDOT will “begin working with local stakeholders on developing a plan” for Ashland.

The project has potential to outshine a bus line in Cleveland, Ohio, that transit experts consider the most advanced BRT system in the United States. The Cleveland line includes 4.3 miles of dedicated bus lanes but also some features that slow down the service. Those include tightly spaced stations — about four per mile — and turns across the busway.

Ashland would not stack up to BRT lines in several other countries. The world’s most advanced bus system is TransMilenio in Bogotá, Colombia. That Andean city segregates 65 miles of busways from traffic using physical barriers and grade separations.

Chicago has studied BRT options in the Ashland and Western corridor using a $1.6 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Emanuel administration estimates that the project would cost about $10 million per mile. Lukidis, the CTA spokeswoman, said the city would count on further FTA funding for some of the Ashland construction.

Chicago is planning another BRT project in a 1.1-mile downtown corridor between Union Station and Millennium Park. The project, managed by CDOT, will include a new bus terminal next to the train station. A CDOT spokesman says the city is aiming to finalize the route design this December and finish construction by November 2014. The project’s funding includes $24.7 million from the FTA and $7.3 million in Chicago tax increment financing.

As the city unveiled the Ashland design elements, Emanuel prepared to join former President Bill Clinton at a Friday meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. Emanuel’s office described the topic as “innovative and cost-effective ways for cities to invest in local projects.”

Chip Mitchell is WBEZ’s West Side bureau reporter. Follow him on Twitter @ChipMitchell1 and @WBEZoutloud, and connect with him through Facebook and LinkedIn.

Illinois officials question new CTA payment system at a public hearing

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:03:00 -0500

The new CTA debit card system is causing a lot of concerns among riders.

Members of the Illinois House Mass Transit Committee called a public hearing Monday to hear public concerns about additional fees associated with the card, which will be introduced this summer.

Those fees include small charges for contacting customer service and statement requests.

The new system is part of a CTA plan to update its current fare cards payment method and move towards a more advanced and unified transportation system.

PACE has already joined the initiative but METRA officials said they are still evaluating some details.

Committee chairman, State Rep. Deborah Mell said the debit card aspect of the new system is creating additional confusion. She said CTA officials tout the debit card component is an incentive for people to get the new Ventra card but “there is no other option.”

In regards to the additional debit charges, CTA president Forrest Claypool said the basic use of the debit card won’t have additional costs.

“All the main functions that many individuals use the card for, the typical options, the ones that are more common are free: direct deposit, making purchases, getting cash back on purchases,” Claypool said.

Some local agencies are also concerned about the 75 cent increase of single ride train tickets for people who don’t use the debit card.

Liz Czarnecki is with Chicago Jobs Council, an organization that advocates on behalf of low income individuals seeking job opportunities.

She says this is a problem for organizations who buy single ride train tickets in bulk to give to their clients when they have job interviews.

“It’s going to be very logistically challenging for them to provide a Ventra card for all of its participants,” she said. “They have many job seekers to whom they are working, so the actual disposable ticket it’s more logistically feasible and that is going to have increased fees.”

CTA is trying to address customer concerns before the card becomes available for use.

PACE and METRA officials were also invited to give updates on a new unified transportation payment system expected to take effect by 2015.

A look at the CTA's million dollar rip-off (and it's not Ventra, either)

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0500

Here is another blast from Chicago's cinematic past: The Million Dollar Rip Off, a 1976 made-for-television movie about an ex-con who plans a heist $1.5 million from the Chicago Transit Authority.

Comic Freddie Prinze plays the improbably-named Muff Kovak, the aforementioned con and mastermind. He leads an all-girl crew of four 1970s hotties to steal the CTA's loot. And, of course, a detective is on his trail. The movie was filmed in Chicago--but I'm guessing not entirely--and features a fair amount of downtown architecture and lots of scenes of CTA stations and trains rolling about. It's kind of cool to see the city set to a 1970s score.

(As I think of it, $1.5 million split five ways, only means they'd have to re-rob the CTA sometime in 1983--or get jobs--when their cash ran out. But still...)

Does Prinze get away with it? Watch and see. The entire movie, courtesy of Hulu, is above.

Tuesday's Chart: What your Ventra fees are paying for

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:21:00 -0500

Follow Claire Zulkey @Zulkey.

The magic motor bus

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0500

A strange new vehicle appeared on the streets of Chicago for the first time on March 25, 1917. It was called a “bus.”

Since 1859 public transit in Chicago had been–literally–street railways. The first railcars had been pulled by teams of horses. Then came cable cars, and finally electric streetcars. For moving large numbers of people, streetcars seemed to be the ultimate form of surface transportation.

Meanwhile, the automobile had been invented, and was evolving. Though early gasoline engines were small, they soon became bigger and more powerful. By 1910 full-size gasoline buses were a reality. Since buses weren’t tied to rails, they had more flexibility than streetcars.

The City of Chicago had granted a transit franchise to the Chicago Surface Lines company. But the boulevards and parks were controlled by three separate park district boards. In 1916 the new Chicago Motor Bus Company was awarded a franchise by the Lincolon Park District. Now, on March 25, 1917, their new vehicles were ready to roll.

Mayor William Hale Thompson and a collection of dignitaries boarded the first bus at Sheridan and Devon. The ceremonial trip moved off over the regular route, down Sheridan to Lincoln Park, through the park and over various streets, until reaching its south terminal at Adams and State. Then, while the invited guests were brought back to the Edgewater Beach Hotel for a luncheon, revenue service began.

The buses operated from 6 in the morning until 1:30 a.m. Each double-deck vehicle had a two-man crew, with a conductor to collect fares and a “chauffeur” to drive. Passengers could board at any intersection. Though only 11 buses ran the first day, another 39 were on order.

The buses were popular from the start. True, the 10-cent fare was higher than the 7 cents paid on the streetcars. But the ride was usually faster–and prettier, too.

During the next few years, the three park districts gave franchises to other companies. As the advantages of buses became more apparent, even Chicago Surface Lines began replacing their streetcars with the rubber-tire vehicles.

All the different park district bus operators were later combined into the Chicago Motor Coach. That company continued in business until 1952, when it was bought out by the CTA.

CTA's new card comes with expensive options

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0500

NEW CTA CARDS: TAKING YOU FOR A RIDE? An analysis of the huge contract with the company responsible for the forthcoming Ventra passes reveals potentially costly surprises if you opt for the debit-card version -- including $2 for a call to customer service. The Tribune's Jon Hilkevitch reports.

SPINELESS IN CHICAGO. In Chicago magazine, Steve Rhodes explores how the mayor always gets his way with the City Council: "When disastrous ideas come around ... they pass with flying colors."
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'WORSE THAN NIXON.' The First Amendment advocate who represented The New York Times when the government sued over publication of the Pentagon Papers says the Obama administration "is worse for press freedom than former President Richard Nixon."
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WILL CNN APOLOGIZE? More than 220,000 people have signed that online petition demanding the network take back its sympathetic coverage of the sentencing of two men convicted of rape in Steubenville, Ohio. The Atlantic says "it's hard to understand why CNN wouldn't feel compelled to address the backlash."
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Meyerson + Kogan, 2 p.m. today on WBEZ's "Afternoon Shift."
What should we discuss? Your suggestions welcome.

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CNN's Ohio rape trial coverage ridiculed

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0500

'ANYONE WOULD FIND THEMSELVES ON THE SIDE OF ... THESE POOR YOUNG MEN, WHO WERE VERY GOOD AT TAKING TESTS AND PLAYING SPORTS WHEN THEY WERE NOT RAPING ...' Gawker ridicules CNN's coverage of the Steubenville, Ohio, trial of "star football players."
* The Atlantic: "CNN's not the only one peddling sympathy" for rapists.
* HyperVocal.com: Onion parody perfectly anticipated CNN's coverage -- two years ago.
* Former porn star Traci Lords says she and her mother were also raped in Steubenville.

SPEAKING OF OHIO ... Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has reversed his opposition to gay marriage after his own son came out; but Speaker John Boehner, also from Ohio, says he "can't imagine" ever changing his position.
* Satire from Andy Borowitz: Other Republicans inspired "to stop speaking to their children."
* U. of C. law school prof: "Those who think that the marriage of same-sex couples is incompatible with their religious beliefs ... cannot legitimately or with a proper respect for the American system of law and justice attempt to impose those beliefs on those who disagree."

CTA FARES CONFUSING? HERE'S HELP. With even some board members seemingly bewildered by the plan they approved last week, the Tribune serves up a chart translating how you pay now to how you'll pay under the incoming Ventra system.

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Looking for Friday's WBEZ Meyerson News Quiz? Here you go.

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QUESTIONS MOST OFTEN ANSWERED WRONG IN FRIDAY'S NEWS QUIZ.

A national survey finds that, over the last 40 years, in all regions of the country, the percentage of U.S. homes with guns is _____ (up, down, unchanged).
Which of these events now holds the record for most tweets per minute? (Pope Francis' 2013 election, Barack Obama's 2012 reelection, Barack Obama's 2008 election, The Britney-Madonna kiss at the VMAs.)

Now it's your turn to avenge those who guessed incorrectly.

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CTA's Ventra fare scheme suffers riders' blowback

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0500

'THIS IS NO MORE THAN A DOG AND PONY SHOW.' That's one CTA rider's protest, as quoted in the Tribune, at last night's hearing on a new fare payment system set to take effect this summer, if the CTA board OKs it in a vote Wednesday.
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* "Ward Room" blog: "Durbin is so popular he’ll win even if he’s caught robbing Lincoln’s Tomb."

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VATICAM. Watch live video from the Vatican for a sign the new pope has been chosen.
* Eric Zorn: "Who might be the next Pope? I don't care!"

'MY 9-YEAR-OLD SAID: "WHERE, BACK TO THE SLAMMER?"' Ex-Cub Mark Grace says that, when he has to leave early to return to his work-release sentence at an Arizona jail, his son gets it.

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* Simpler test on Web diagnoses personality with a single click. (Approach with caution: It found this blogger "shy and reserved." Also -- snicker if you will -- "well organized.")

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Single ride fare increase under new CTA payment system

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:56:00 -0500

Starting this summer the price for single ride bus and train tickets in Chicago will jump from $2.25 to $3. That’s under Ventra, the Chicago Transit Authority’s new fare payment system. Riders who use the new reloadable Ventra card would still pay the regular fare of $2.25.

There will be four payment options. One will allow customers to use their own bank-issued debit cards to pay for transit. The Ventra Card will function the way the Chicago Card Plus does.

Ventra single ride ticket will cost $3. That cost includes the original fare, a 25 cent fee for transfer, and a 50 cent charge for convenience.

The Ventra card will initially cost five dollars. But CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase says that money would count toward fares.

“All you have to do is call or go online or come in person and register the card,” Chase said. “That five dollar fee is converted to stored value, and you never have to pay that fee again.”

Customers will still be able to pay with cash to board buses.

As the system is rolled out, CTA said there will be simultaneous acceptance of both Chicago Cards and Chicago Card Plus alongside the Ventra system. The new Ventra system is scheduled to be launched this summer. In the first half of 2014, there will be a full switchover to Ventra.

The CTA is holding a public hearing Monday to talk about the single ride fare hike.

Elliot Ramos contributed to this report.