Random CTA

[NewFlyerMCI]

5 hours ago, Sam92 said:

Even if there’s no tourists the name itself tend to be a reminder of “where the bus is gonna put you” if you recently moved. Jeffery Local in this case emphasizes that you take thag Jeffery bus if you want to stay locally in the area. Just lane up north; 130 Lasalle emphasize business district, 140 Michigan express emphasizes magnificent mile. I did a map with a google maps screenshot but that was for a “push the L into streeterville” discussion. 

I thought the local was to differentiate btwn the formerly known Jeffery Express

Also didn’t know Michigan Express was to emphasize the mag mile, just that the bus ran down Michigan Ave. Especially considering 1/2 of the bus routes that provide consistent service to the mag mile doesn’t even have Michigan exp in the name

[NewFlyerMCI]

5 hours ago, Sam92 said:

Another wild thought. Combine 43 with the extended 30. Reroute 44 to  39th and Lake park via Halsted, Pershing to Lake Park and eliminate 39 east of red line, redesignate as 39W West Pershing. Current 44 duplicates the 8 and ends up at Halsted orange line like the 8 so it’s redundant. 
redesignate 44 as 39 East Pershing-Racine and 30 as Kenwood-Hedgewish 

 

1 hour ago, artthouwill said:

I always thought about either combining the Racineportionofthe. 44 with the 43  or combine the Wallace portion of the 44 with the 43 with the 44 running along Halsted between 47th and Archer.

I also had once thought about extending the 28 Local to combine with the 43 or the 39, but if the 39, only to the 35th Red Line. 

To be honest,  there's no need for the 30 north of 92nd.  Perhaps the 95 can be extended to  Hegewisch and the 30 can be eliminated. 

• I'm hesitant to change anything about the 39. This route just got full weekend service within the last ~3 years. I don't imagine a lot of people would be receptive to route changes, even if all service along the corridor is preserved somehow. Lot of seniors rely on this route, especially for the Mariano's at Pershing/King.
• As I've said before, 44 should either go to Union Station, or merge with the 43 from the Red Line on east.
  • I wondered where the 44 ended before the Orange Line opening (1993), turns out that used to be Merchandise Mart via Cermak, State & Wacker. Even after the Orange Line, the 44 would continue to do this until sometime between 1997-1999
• I'd also be in favor of the 28 replacing the 43 and once again ending at 47th Red Line. Since it would be coming from the north, it shouldn't compete with layover space with the 15/51.
• 30 isn't necessary past 92nd, but extending the 95 makes the route way too long. 87th to 134th is already almost 50 blocks, but Western to Ewing is sort of a slog too.
  • I've floated this before, but imo, best thing to do with the 30 is merge it with the "express" 100.
    • Jeffery Manor now gets all-day, 7 day a week service to the Red Line (something I'm actually surprised doesn't exist already). If you're at 100th/Yates and the 100 is running? Less than 20 min ride. If it isn't? 30 min ride w/ transfer at 103rd/Stony or Jeffery/93rd
    • Hegewisch riders get a faster trip to the Red Line
    • You can even preserve the "limited" stops from Cottage to 95th (or extend it to Stony). Reroute the 30 from 112th to 106th along Avenues B & C and then send it along the current 100 route. Both routes have the same peak frequency (every 15-20 mins) and have school trips to the same high school (Washington)

[NewFlyerMCI]

Why does the 147 no longer say "to Congress Plaza"? Just realized it's been Michigan/Ida B Wells for a minute. I know some buses used to say Michigan/Congress if they were no longer returning as a 147 or otherwise not using the loop, but they seem to have transitioned from that. As I type this, the question comes to me, is Congress Plaza no longer Congress Plaza? Is it Ida B Wells Plaza? If the 7 or 126 didn't just say "to Michigan" this wouldn't be as frustrating lol.

[Anthony Devera]

23 minutes ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

 

• I'm hesitant to change anything about the 39. This route just got full weekend service within the last ~3 years. I don't imagine a lot of people would be receptive to route changes, even if all service along the corridor is preserved somehow. Lot of seniors rely on this route, especially for the Mariano's at Pershing/King.
• As I've said before, 44 should either go to Union Station, or merge with the 43 from the Red Line on east.
  • I wondered where the 44 ended before the Orange Line opening (1993), turns out that used to be Merchandise Mart via Cermak, State & Wacker. Even after the Orange Line, the 44 would continue to do this until sometime between 1997-1999
• I'd also be in favor of the 28 replacing the 43 and once again ending at 47th Red Line. Since it would be coming from the north, it shouldn't compete with layover space with the 15/51.
• 30 isn't necessary past 92nd, but extending the 95 makes the route way too long. 87th to 134th is already almost 50 blocks, but Western to Ewing is sort of a slog too.
  • I've floated this before, but imo, best thing to do with the 30 is merge it with the "express" 100.
    • Jeffery Manor now gets all-day, 7 day a week service to the Red Line (something I'm actually surprised doesn't exist already). If you're at 100th/Yates and the 100 is running? Less than 20 min ride. If it isn't? 30 min ride w/ transfer at 103rd/Stony or Jeffery/93rd
    • Hegewisch riders get a faster trip to the Red Line
    • You can even preserve the "limited" stops from Cottage to 95th (or extend it to Stony). Reroute the 30 from 112th to 106th along Avenues B & C and then send it along the current 100 route. Both routes have the same peak frequency (every 15-20 mins) and have school trips to the same high school (Washington)

I agree extending the 95 would make too long of a route, and wouldn't make much sense given their different frequencies. I also think extending the 30 anywhere further north or west than Hyde Park would make too long of a route. However, I don't think combining the 30 and 100 is the best option, as it would leave a stretch of Ewing without off-peak service and would cut off Hegewisch riders from the commercial district at 91st/Commercial. What I would do is have the 30 duplicate the 71 north of 91st. Both routes can operate at 20-minute frequencies, providing 10-minute frequency between 69th Red Line and 91st/Commercial.

I have also considered combining the 28 and 43, but the problem is how to connect the two routes. It could easily go northbound along Lake Park, but southbound it might need to take Greenwood or Ellis, as Oakenwald would be difficult for buses. I still think combining the 43 and 44 is the best option.

[YoungBusLover]

3 hours ago, Mr Downtown said:

Can insiders offer some insight into how CTA could better manage service given its current shortage of trained operators? 

I assume that the extra boards are down to almost nothing, so when an operator doesn’t report for work, CTA has to simply annul that run. And they can move the departure time for a run a few minutes, but much more than that and it’s no longer the run the operator bid for.

Riders are complaining, with some justification, that CTA should adjust its scheduling rather than continuing to schedule trains or buses that will never even depart.  But just what can they do?  Would more frequent (monthly or weekly) picks help in matching service to available operators?  Help me to understand just how picks work, how service gets onto the street, and what could be done in the current situation.

I hate to break it to you but all the garage clerks can do with runs held in is try and get priority runs filled in the form of the extra board and OT from operators willing to do it. The whole point of the winter pick was to rectify many issues that arose from the Fall pick. I've seen more trainees in the last several weeks but with so many spots to fill its hard to keep up with and manage. CTA has 4 picks a year that can last up to 3 months each. The winter pick is usually the longest where as the summer pick is the shortest. Usually the pick is based on data from the previous pick which then dictates the runs made for operators to choose from. Usually that data consists of avg passneger counts in the form of pick up and drop offs, arrival and departure times from key points of the route along woth terminals and last but not least individual times being the operators avg time they get up and down the street for the particular run they're working. Not every operator can work the same run across a 5 day like they use to so the result of that creates a system that is a bit flawed though when you have numerous operators not following the schedule. So what happens in return is either more runs are added or taken away from certain streets. Hell they'll even get shorter which means less pay for us. Everything though has to be approved and finalized by a number of individuals at the garage and downtown headquarters before the picking stage can move forward. One small hiccup though can delay or in this case derail the entire pick. Such as the 2021 Winter Pick.  The best the passengers can do is have alternative travel plans in place and also look at the CTA bus map and not the scheduled arrival times because those aren't always accurate. The map on the other hand gives a better sense of where the buses are at before you the customers start heading out and standing 30-40 minutes plus for a bus thats on the other end of the route. 

[YoungBusLover]

2 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

 

• I'm hesitant to change anything about the 39. This route just got full weekend service within the last ~3 years. I don't imagine a lot of people would be receptive to route changes, even if all service along the corridor is preserved somehow. Lot of seniors rely on this route, especially for the Mariano's at Pershing/King.
• As I've said before, 44 should either go to Union Station, or merge with the 43 from the Red Line on east.
  • I wondered where the 44 ended before the Orange Line opening (1993), turns out that used to be Merchandise Mart via Cermak, State & Wacker. Even after the Orange Line, the 44 would continue to do this until sometime between 1997-1999
• I'd also be in favor of the 28 replacing the 43 and once again ending at 47th Red Line. Since it would be coming from the north, it shouldn't compete with layover space with the 15/51.
• 30 isn't necessary past 92nd, but extending the 95 makes the route way too long. 87th to 134th is already almost 50 blocks, but Western to Ewing is sort of a slog too.
  • I've floated this before, but imo, best thing to do with the 30 is merge it with the "express" 100.
    • Jeffery Manor now gets all-day, 7 day a week service to the Red Line (something I'm actually surprised doesn't exist already). If you're at 100th/Yates and the 100 is running? Less than 20 min ride. If it isn't? 30 min ride w/ transfer at 103rd/Stony or Jeffery/93rd
    • Hegewisch riders get a faster trip to the Red Line
    • You can even preserve the "limited" stops from Cottage to 95th (or extend it to Stony). Reroute the 30 from 112th to 106th along Avenues B & C and then send it along the current 100 route. Both routes have the same peak frequency (every 15-20 mins) and have school trips to the same high school (Washington)

In regards to the 44 the best thing you could do for it is have become the step cousin to what the 24 does already. Maintain its original routing up to archer then traveling back towards canal and the west loop to Union Station. Merging it with the 43 doesn't do it any good since most of the seniors aren't going that far north unless it's to the Cermak Produce on 31st and Halsted. A mass majority usually just head to Fairplay on 47th and head right back to either 43rd or 47th EB. I wouldn't touch the 39 just because of how light service already is now on that route to begin. The 100 serves its purpose well and for the most part I don't think all day service from Hegewish to the Red line would boost ridership. All that route would become is an express version of the 34. I like the idea of it but the south Chicago Ave corridor still has a decent amount of ridership that would be forgotten to some degree. The 30 is pretty quick in terms of time when it comes down to it. I like the idea proposed yesterday though about the 28 becoming an all day service to and from downtown.

[Sam92]

1 hour ago, YoungBusLover said:

In regards to the 44 the best thing you could do for it is have become the step cousin to what the 24 does already. Maintain its original routing up to archer then traveling back towards canal and the west loop to Union Station. Merging it with the 43 doesn't do it any good since most of the seniors aren't going that far north unless it's to the Cermak Produce on 31st and Halsted. A mass majority usually just head to Fairplay on 47th and head right back to either 43rd or 47th EB. I wouldn't touch the 39 just because of how light service already is now on that route to begin. The 100 serves its purpose well and for the most part I don't think all day service from Hegewish to the Red line would boost ridership. All that route would become is an express version of the 34. I like the idea of it but the south Chicago Ave corridor still has a decent amount of ridership that would be forgotten to some degree. The 30 is pretty quick in terms of time when it comes down to it. I like the idea proposed yesterday though about the 28 becoming an all day service to and from downtown.

 

 

2 hours ago, Anthony Devera said:

I agree extending the 95 would make too long of a route, and wouldn't make much sense given their different frequencies. I also think extending the 30 anywhere further north or west than Hyde Park would make too long of a route. However, I don't think combining the 30 and 100 is the best option, as it would leave a stretch of Ewing without off-peak service and would cut off Hegewisch riders from the commercial district at 91st/Commercial. What I would do is have the 30 duplicate the 71 north of 91st. Both routes can operate at 20-minute frequencies, providing 10-minute frequency between 69th Red Line and 91st/Commercial.

I have also considered combining the 28 and 43, but the problem is how to connect the two routes. It could easily go northbound along Lake Park, but southbound it might need to take Greenwood or Ellis, as Oakenwald would be difficult for buses. I still think combining the 43 and 44 is the best option.

 

4 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

 

• I'm hesitant to change anything about the 39. This route just got full weekend service within the last ~3 years. I don't imagine a lot of people would be receptive to route changes, even if all service along the corridor is preserved somehow. Lot of seniors rely on this route, especially for the Mariano's at Pershing/King.
• As I've said before, 44 should either go to Union Station, or merge with the 43 from the Red Line on east.
  • I wondered where the 44 ended before the Orange Line opening (1993), turns out that used to be Merchandise Mart via Cermak, State & Wacker. Even after the Orange Line, the 44 would continue to do this until sometime between 1997-1999
• I'd also be in favor of the 28 replacing the 43 and once again ending at 47th Red Line. Since it would be coming from the north, it shouldn't compete with layover space with the 15/51.
• 30 isn't necessary past 92nd, but extending the 95 makes the route way too long. 87th to 134th is already almost 50 blocks, but Western to Ewing is sort of a slog too.
  • I've floated this before, but imo, best thing to do with the 30 is merge it with the "express" 100.
    • Jeffery Manor now gets all-day, 7 day a week service to the Red Line (something I'm actually surprised doesn't exist already). If you're at 100th/Yates and the 100 is running? Less than 20 min ride. If it isn't? 30 min ride w/ transfer at 103rd/Stony or Jeffery/93rd
    • Hegewisch riders get a faster trip to the Red Line
    • You can even preserve the "limited" stops from Cottage to 95th (or extend it to Stony). Reroute the 30 from 112th to 106th along Avenues B & C and then send it along the current 100 route. Both routes have the same peak frequency (every 15-20 mins) and have school trips to the same high school (Washington)

If 44 was merging it would pretty much keep what you are asking for. What I suggested was via it’s current routing up to halsted where it would either assume 43’s routing or head to Pershing and replace the 39 therefore retaining the main source of riders on the 39 for weekends. That way 43rd stays in tact but still gets merged with the 30 which would put more riders on the bus instead of the waste of routing via south chicago. New routing for the 30 would be via current till commercial where it follows the 27 to 63rd/Stony then replaces the 28 as that gets moved to Hyde Park Blvd as a full time express. At 47th it would run via 47th, Cottage, 43rd to the end of the current 43 routing. If anything yeah some of these extensions are lengthy but leaving some of these routes as is is pretty short and barely surviving outside of the few seniors that use them. Plus you connect some generators outside of downtown without any extra transfers 

[Sam92]

5 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I always thought about either combining the Racineportionofthe. 44 with the 43  or combine the Wallace portion of the 44 with the 43 with the 44 running along Halsted between 47th and Archer.

I also had once thought about extending the 28 Local to combine with the 43 or the 39, but if the 39, only to the 35th Red Line. 

To be honest,  there's no need for the 30 north of 92nd.  Perhaps the 95 can be extended to  Hegewisch and the 30 can be eliminated. 

Well yeah that’s why I was suggesting something to maybe connect it with some more generators 

[artthouwill]

25 minutes ago, Sam92 said:

 

 

 

If 44 was merging it would pretty much keep what you are asking for. What I suggested was via it’s current routing up to halsted where it would either assume 43’s routing or head to Pershing and replace the 39 therefore retaining the main source of riders on the 39 for weekends. That way 43rd stays in tact but still gets merged with the 30 which would put more riders on the bus instead of the waste of routing via south chicago. New routing for the 30 would be via current till commercial where it follows the 27 to 63rd/Stony then replaces the 28 as that gets moved to Hyde Park Blvd as a full time express. At 47th it would run via 47th, Cottage, 43rd to the end of the current 43 routing. If anything yeah some of these extensions are lengthy but leaving some of these routes as is is pretty short and barely surviving outside of the few seniors that use them. Plus you connect some generators outside of downtown without any extra transfers 

As far as my 95th proposal, the idea was to maintain the 92nd/Commercial shopping district to Hegewisch connections.   I suppose to mitigate your concerns about route length and maintain the aforementioned connection, the 30 could be rerouted at 92nd to run the current 95th route to the Red Line.   The new 95th would run the current 95th route between Damen and the Red Line and continue east via the current 100 route to 112th and Ave C.  Or terminate that 95 at Jeffery Manor and reattach the 106th portion of the route back to the 106 where it originally was., even if it is only during rush hours. 

[Sam92]

45 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

As far as my 95th proposal, the idea was to maintain the 92nd/Commercial shopping district to Hegewisch connections.   I suppose to mitigate your concerns about route length and maintain the aforementioned connection, the 30 could be rerouted at 92nd to run the current 95th route to the Red Line.   The new 95th would run the current 95th route between Damen and the Red Line and continue east via the current 100 route to 112th and Ave C.  Or terminate that 95 at Jeffery Manor and reattach the 106th portion of the route back to the 106 where it originally was., even if it is only during rush hours. 

I see your idea but what kills that is you’d have no riders on the new #95 by sending it via the 100. You have a set of tracks on embankment at what you can say is 94th. South of that where the 100 runs is a ghost town because all the riders come from houses on the northern side of the viaduct. Cottage to Stony on 95th is nothing but an abandoned house of kicks, a tire shop and emptiness. Someone going to the red line from that side could take 106 or if they’re east of stony going for downtown then the 14 becomes the better option. If it wasn’t for the extension to Ave C I’m sure they would’ve killed the 100 long ago. I would say if anything, me personally I’m not too concerned with the added length of combining 30 with the current 95 because at least you’d be giving the 30 more purpose than going up South Chicago plus 95th red would be both a closer connection and also give south east side riders connectivity to other parts of the far south. Also 95th flows better than say 87th or 79th so as long as the southern part of 30 isn’t too prone to delays I’d say this would work. Heck I suggested adding more miles to the 30 by combining with the 43 so distance isn’t always an issue lol

[artthouwill]

6 hours ago, Sam92 said:

I see your idea but what kills that is you’d have no riders on the new #95 by sending it via the 100. You have a set of tracks on embankment at what you can say is 94th. South of that where the 100 runs is a ghost town because all the riders come from houses on the northern side of the viaduct. Cottage to Stony on 95th is nothing but an abandoned house of kicks, a tire shop and emptiness. Someone going to the red line from that side could take 106 or if they’re east of stony going for downtown then the 14 becomes the better option. If it wasn’t for the extension to Ave C I’m sure they would’ve killed the 100 long ago. I would say if anything, me personally I’m not too concerned with the added length of combining 30 with the current 95 because at least you’d be giving the 30 more purpose than going up South Chicago plus 95th red would be both a closer connection and also give south east side riders connectivity to other parts of the far south. Also 95th flows better than say 87th or 79th so as long as the southern part of 30 isn’t too prone to delays I’d say this would work. Heck I suggested adding more miles to the 30 by combining with the 43 so distance isn’t always an issue lol

Remember i said that it would reroute the 30 to not go north of 92nd/South Chicago to run the "95E 93rd/95th" to the Red Line,  so 93rd doesn't lose any service.   If my idea of a new 95 has mo riders.that also means based on what you said, the current 100 also has mo riders.  Basically I attached the west part of the 95 with the current 100 and the southern portion of the 30 with the eastern portion of the current 95.

[Sam92]

37 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

Remember i said that it would reroute the 30 to not go north of 92nd/South Chicago to run the "95E 93rd/95th" to the Red Line,  so 93rd doesn't lose any service.   If my idea of a new 95 has mo riders.that also means based on what you said, the current 100 also has mo riders.  Basically I attached the west part of the 95 with the current 100 and the southern portion of the 30 with the eastern portion of the current 95.

I know what you’re planning which is why I said your 30 would connect people across the lower south side, I’m was saying that I wasn’t worried about length when you first mentioned adding it to the current 95 due to the connectivity it could bring and that from 13 years experience that 100 is one of those routes that is “just there” at this point and out side of the peak hours, those 95s wouldn’t have anything to draw from east of the red line due to the geographical issues I pointed out. Attaching the old 95E to the 30’like you said wouldn’t have been bad either if they were still separate. I’d say if anything the 95 if extended should be extended to 112th/Ave C via Commercial with alternate short turns at Buffalo. 71 can be cut back at 92nd to reduce duplication 

[Policeman]

1 hour ago, Sam92 said:

I know what you’re planning which is why I said your 30 would connect people across the lower south side, I’m was saying that I wasn’t worried about length when you first mentioned adding it to the current 95 due to the connectivity it could bring and that from 13 years experience that 100 is one of those routes that is “just there” at this point and out side of the peak hours, those 95s wouldn’t have anything to draw from east of the red line due to the geographical issues I pointed out. Attaching the old 95E to the 30’like you said wouldn’t have been bad either if they were still separate. I’d say if anything the 95 if extended should be extended to 112th/Ave C via Commercial with alternate short turns at Buffalo. 71 can be cut back at 92nd to reduce duplication 

I basically agree with this. After 92nd, the 71st is practically empty 

[NewFlyerMCI]

14 hours ago, YoungBusLover said:

The 100 serves its purpose well and for the most part I don't think all day service from Hegewish to the Red line would boost ridership. All that route would become is an express version of the 34. I like the idea of it but the south Chicago Ave corridor still has a decent amount of ridership that would be forgotten to some degree. The 30 is pretty quick in terms of time when it comes down to it. I like the idea proposed yesterday though about the 28 becoming an all day service to and from downtown.

A combined 30/100 doesn't need to boost ridership, just make service better for existing riders. All day service to the red line already exists for Hegewisch riders, it's Jeffery Manor riders who don't have it. 30 & 34 also don't serve the same market either. 

5 hours ago, Sam92 said:

I’d say if anything the 95 if extended should be extended to 112th/Ave C via Commercial with alternate short turns at Buffalo. 71 can be cut back at 92nd to reduce duplication 

However, after seeing what people are saying about the 92nd/Commercial area, this is something I'd be in favor of. I still think Jeffery Manor riders should have all day access to the red line, but that's a separate issue. 

[Sam92]

1 minute ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

A combined 30/100 doesn't need to boost ridership, just make service better for existing riders. All day service to the red line already exists for Hegewisch riders, it's Jeffery Manor riders who don't have it. 30 & 34 also don't serve the same market either. 

However, after seeing what people are saying about the 92nd/Commercial area, this is something I'd be in favor of. I still think Jeffery Manor riders should have all day access to the red line, but that's a separate issue. 

I originally wanted to do the extension via colfax to cover what 100 left behind. But I don’t know how dependent people are on having a bus all the way to commercial since I’d be pulling off service from 93rd east of colfax 

[NewFlyerMCI]

Figured this would be good practice

[Sam92]

On 12/13/2021 at 1:19 PM, NewFlyerMCI said:

Figured this would be good practice

Very clean! 

[Sam92]

Do we really have NP artics doing a round on 77 along with 152? No I’m not talking about the K extras maths22 is showing 4143 On Addison with 77 block IDs which indicates whatever NP was hooking in with the Addison trippers might have a Belmont added before going downtown or maybe jsut staying up north. 

[Policeman]

55 minutes ago, Sam92 said:

Do we really have NP artics doing a round on 77 along with 152? No I’m not talking about the K extras maths22 is showing 4143 On Addison with 77 block IDs which indicates whatever NP was hooking in with the Addison trippers might have a Belmont added before going downtown or maybe jsut staying up north. 

It could be a fill in

[artthouwill]

2 hours ago, Sam92 said:

Do we really have NP artics doing a round on 77 along with 152? No I’m not talking about the K extras maths22 is showing 4143 On Addison with 77 block IDs which indicates whatever NP was hooking in with the Addison trippers might have a Belmont added before going downtown or maybe jsut staying up north. 

143 is a K route, so unless there was a fill in, I don't know.   

[NewFlyerMCI]

The comments on this were hilarious ? 

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

Might be the end of the run for the holiday bus this season, had a rear end collision. I'd be amazed if it returns to service by Monday

[Policeman]

6 minutes ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

Might be the end of the run for the holiday bus this season, had a rear end collision. I'd be amazed if it returns to service by Monday

Was on the 79 today

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

Just now, Policeman said:

Was on the 79 today

so its already back in service?

[Policeman]

11 minutes ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

so its already back in service?

Yes