Destination Signs

[Busjack]

Why they started including Millenuim Park on the 20 destination signs, I do not know.

However, it is a 3 line flip....20 Madison (flip) 20 to Michigan (flip) Millenium Park.

Must be some influence from da mare...even though he claims not to influence anyone.

I guess if it is good enough for the 20, it should be the same for the 56...I agree.

Will they ever drop the "via Washington" for the 124. It's been going via Wacker

for over a year now (maybe longer).

Since the 20 isn't in front of Millennium Park, maybe it is a public service sign. Our drivers from C should let us know.

You have something similar on 3 where at least some buses say "3 King Dr./3 Mich-Chgo/3 NW Mem Hosp" (if I remember correctly). But, again, IIRC, there is a 3 before the NW Mem Hosp sign.

[Busjack]

Responses in brown

I will be glad to jump on the pet peeve bandwagon in regards to signage:

1 Indiana/Hyde Pk: This bus no longer runs on Hyde Pk Blvd. Drop it already. Definitely correct

3 King DR to Chicago/Michigan: This route actually goes via Chicago Ave to Fairbanks and Ontario. Can't this part be included. It could read 3 King Dr/flip/to Fairbanks and Ontario/flip via Chicago, or 3 King Dr to Northwestern Univ see above; also, I guess they assume that people don't know where Fairbanks is.

10 Museum of Science and Industry: Is this not an express bus?Yes. The signs on this seem really messed up, in that southbound is something like 10 MUSEUM OF/10 SCI & IND, and, of course, NB it isn't going to the museum, even though it is the route name. Technically, the north terminal is Chestnut, although I guess that is close enough to WATER TOWER on the sign.

100 Jeffery Manor Express: What's express about this route? Another anachronism, but not as old as 1. When it was just to Jeffery Manor (100-Yates) it had limited stops on 95th. I suppose it now still has limited stops on 95th, but it also picked up 106's local route east of there when 106 was cut back from Ave. B to 103 garage.

20 Madison to Millenium Park

56 Milwaukee to Washington/Michigan

Excuse me, but don't these buses terminate at the same place (rush hr service on 20 aside)? see above

144 Marine/Michigan Express

145 Wilson/Michigan Express

146 Inner Dr/Michigan Express

Why is Michigan in the name of these routes? Granted there use to be a 135 Wilson/LaSalle Express, since changed to Clarendon/LaSalle, but no reason for it now. Note the 147 does not read Outer Drive/Michigan Express.I would vote for making 147 Outer Dr. Mich Exp. Again, in the restructuring, they changed the names of the ones they reconfigured, but not the one they left alone.

[Busjack]

Like this? I love it because it provides crisper communication to the public.

...

If you are talking about a 2 line sign, it seemed to work better with the huge flip dots on the Pace Orion VIs. Doesn't seem to be too visible on the Pace NABIs, in the few places where they still remain (i.e. 272 Golf Mill to Hawthorne*).

Someone said that the smaller type was not ADA compliant, but the sign manufacturers claim it is.

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*If you want to really get into sign peeves, how about the ones in Pace North saying "Westfield," like there isn't more than one. It is also pandering to a private interest. BTW, 422 and 423 still say "Old Orchard," not "Westfield."

[jajuan]

No, the 74 signage is wrong, since Fullerton and Grand do actually intersect. The implication is

that the 74 terminates just west of Narragansett at Grand. The sign should read

74 to Grand/Nordica. This would be similar to what was programmed on the 84

stating the bus went to Caldwell..implying the bus went to Cicero and not Central.

Most (not quite all) have been changed since I went on the bandwagon on that

one awhile back.

We are seeing some of those famous LaSalle/Belmont route buses that end at Halsted,

as well as the Clark/Howard buses to the Red Line finding their ways onto the streets again.

I didn't say the 74 sign was right. I said it was more accurate than the 65 sign. That's two different things. I did note in my post that the 74 sign should say where on Grand it terminates. As for the Grand and Fullerton intersecting, the stretch that the 74 runs on both are merged.

[jajuan]

144 Marine/Michigan Express

145 Wilson/Michigan Express

146 Inner Dr/Michigan Express

Why is Michigan in the name of these routes? Granted there use to be a 135 Wilson/LaSalle Express, since changed to Clarendon/LaSalle, but no reason for it now. Note the 147 does not read Outer Drive/Michigan Express.

Because they all operate on a stretch of Michigan Avenue, albeit in a few cases and depending on the direction, a small stretch. Soutbound the 145 of course is on Michigan from the Drive down to Van Buren.

[artthouwill]

Because they all operate on a stretch of Michigan Avenue, albeit in a few cases and depending on the direction, a small stretch. Soutbound the 145 of course is on Michigan from the Drive down to Van Buren.

The 3 operates on a much longer stretch than these routes, so based on your logic the 3 should be 3 King Drive/Michigan and X3 King DRive/Michign Express. Or maybe the 146 Inner Drive/Michigan/State/Roosevelt Express.

[jajuan]

The 3 operates on a much longer stretch than these routes, so based on your logic the 3 should be 3 King Drive/Michigan and X3 King DRive/Michign Express. Or maybe the 146 Inner Drive/Michigan/State/Roosevelt Express.

It's not my logic. I'm speaking from CTA's standpoint howevever crazy that might be. If you went into the history of some of those routes, that woutld likely be a part of the reasoning they used. Though the 3 and X3 are much longer routes than the N Lake Shore routes originally brought into question, so there could be a certain logic from their standpoint in not going that way in naming. Quite personally I don't care what they call the route as long as it goes where I need it to go when I use it. I'd say just be glad they don't do it like in Champaign-Urbana using color names for the routes that give you no quick clue of where the route operates without the signs flipping to the terminal point. At least we can say CTA route names give a general idea of where the route operates even if the naming logic through the different routes history isn't consistent.

[Busjack]

The 3 operates on a much longer stretch than these routes, so based on your logic the 3 should be 3 King Drive/Michigan and X3 King DRive/Michign Express. Or maybe the 146 Inner Drive/Michigan/State/Roosevelt Express.

I suppose that should be instituted when King Drive has branches on State, Clinton, and LaSalle (bit of exaggeration). But since it doesn't, it isn't necessary.

On the other hand, at least south of Irving Park, there are buses that go to either Michigan or LaSalle, some more express than others.

[Guest ctafan630]

65 reads "TO HARLEM"

74 reads "TO GRAND"

both are very broad and frankly not accurate.

Can someone verify if the 65 westbound bus reads 65 Grand To {flip} Harlem? At one time it did, but not sure if it still does.

[jajuan]

Route 82 NB signs updated. On the 6000s, of which there are many on the route today, the signs read '82 KIMBALL/HOMAN' flip to '82 TO LINCOLNWOOD TOWN CENTER' (on two lines). On the NFs I think there might be three flips. I couldn't tell because the one 1000 with a working sign was moving too fast in the opposite direction. The destination reads as on the 6000s, and the route name part may display '82 KIMBALL' flip '82 HOMAN'. All I saw was the destination then the flip to '82 KIMBALL'.

[jajuan]

Route 130 destination signs are still show the old 130 Grant Park Treasures route name.

[MCTSmke]

CTA needs to make up their minds on the 151 as it relates to signage. Some buses read:

151 SHERIDAN TO

151 UNION STATION (The way I think it should be)

And some read:

151 SHERIDAN TO

151 UNION STA (Should be eliminated)

Vice versa for Northbound to Devon/Clark. How are these programmed? Why would some read different than others? Someone help me understand.

I'm not sure if the CTA has any newer signs that can be wirelessly updated (or if that technology even exists yet) but in order to update most types of signs, each individual bus needs to be updated one at a time at the garage. Each bus has to physically have the program downloaded to it, so this would explain why some busses may show an older version of the same sign if the bus was missed when reprogramming.

[Busjack]

I'm not sure if the CTA has any newer signs that can be wirelessly updated (or if that technology even exists yet)....

The question is whether the Sprint wireless part of the Clever Device interacts with that part of the sign controller.

Any answer from our CTA drivers?

[rmadisonwi]

Clever Devices does not control the actual programming of the destination signs. It only controls what code the sign is displaying. Regardless of whether the code is entered via Clever Devices or manually using the ODK, the sign still needs the program, which, as indicated above, must be physically installed on each bus.

I'm told there was a test once with a wireless sign update, but it didn't work very well. I don't have any details on what was done, or how long ago that occurred. In any event, the technology hasn't been installed yet, and I don't know of any plans to do so.

[jacksone44]

Clever Devices does not control the actual programming of the destination signs. It only controls what code the sign is displaying. Regardless of whether the code is entered via Clever Devices or manually using the ODK, the sign still needs the program, which, as indicated above, must be physically installed on each bus.

I'm told there was a test once with a wireless sign update, but it didn't work very well. I don't have any details on what was done, or how long ago that occurred. In any event, the technology hasn't been installed yet, and I don't know of any plans to do so.

If each bus has to physically be updated, then why isnt each bus updated when they are serviced?

[artthouwill]

Route 130 destination signs are still show the old 130 Grant Park Treasures route name.

Yesterday I spotted a 38 Ogden/Taylor sign on a 6000 Flx. Isn't this route now combined with the 157 to form tha new 157 Streeterville/Taylor? Since both routes originate from K, I thought reprogramming the signs would be easy.

[Busjack]

Yesterday I spotted a 38 Ogden/Taylor sign on a 6000 Flx. Isn't this route now combined with the 157 to form tha new 157 Streeterville/Taylor? Since both routes originate from K, I thought reprogramming the signs would be easy.

That isn't until September.* Press Release. I noted my previous confusion about that.

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* If ever.

[artthouwill]

That isn't until September.* Press Release. I noted my previous confusion about that.

_____________

* If ever.

My bad.

[Guest]

The #68 Northwest Hwy finally changed from "Pk Ridge CNW" to "Pk Ridge Metra" I liked it when it was "CNW".

[redlinerider]

The #68 Northwest Hwy finally changed from "Pk Ridge CNW" to "Pk Ridge Metra" I liked it when it was "CNW".

It's said the Metra part for sometime now, at least for over a year when I took it last.

[pudgym29]

The #68 Northwest Hwy finally changed from "Pk Ridge CNW" to "Pk Ridge Metra" I liked it when it was "CNW".

And it is the only route which I have seen displayed in mixed case.

I submit that the variance in the destination signs is entwined with the program which computes the distance of the route. By this, I tell you to check Bus Tracker for [e.g.] #151 Sheridan northbound. Not the Kedzie trippers to Belmont | Halsted; but the runs to Clark | Devon. Sometimes the bus progress screen shows a drop-down box for "Clark | Arthur". (In some cases, I have seen the same destination in the drop-down box. And of course; I still can't figure out how a specific run without any buses on it appears in the drop-down box.)

[cta5658]

quick question, since 103rd has 6000's again i was wondering how the #29 signs look like on the 6000's headed to navy pier or 95th?

[redlinerider]

And it is the only route which I have seen displayed in mixed case.

I submit that the variance in the destination signs is entwined with the program which computes the distance of the route. By this, I tell you to check Bus Tracker for [e.g.] #151 Sheridan northbound. Not the Kedzie trippers to Belmont | Halsted; but the runs to Clark | Devon. Sometimes the bus progress screen shows a drop-down box for "Clark | Arthur". (In some cases, I have seen the same destination in the drop-down box. And of course; I still can't figure out how a specific run without any buses on it appears in the drop-down box.)

Technically the bus ends at Clark and Arthur, as the turn around is located at Clark and Arthur between Ashland and Clark.

[nflyer22]

quick question, since 103rd has 6000's again i was wondering how the #29 signs look like on the 6000's headed to navy pier or 95th?

I've seen both, but it's been about a month since I last saw a Flxible on the 29.

Northbound: "29 STATE" flip "29 TO NAVY PIER"

Southbound: "29 STATE-95TH"

Other than the northbound one, they look almost the same as the LED signs on the New Flyers. (Since the New Flyers have the "TO" part on the 1st part of the signage. (29 STATE TO -flip- 29 NAVY PIER)

[OSUITS]

Clever Devices does not control the actual programming of the destination signs. It only controls what code the sign is displaying. Regardless of whether the code is entered via Clever Devices or manually using the ODK, the sign still needs the program, which, as indicated above, must be physically installed on each bus.

I'm told there was a test once with a wireless sign update, but it didn't work very well. I don't have any details on what was done, or how long ago that occurred. In any event, the technology hasn't been installed yet, and I don't know of any plans to do so.

The Clever Devices system "does" wirelessly update the .mtu file, but not as well as one would hope. I have had a success rate of 50% or so uploading to the destination signs. Luminator tech support says that only the newest ODKs can support regular uploads. The IVNs must stream data to the older ODKs and if the file transfer is interrupted then tough luck, newer ODK have an area to store the .mtu file and then "flashes" the unit at once.