June 2023 pick

[TaylorTank1229]

2 hours ago, Busjack said:

I saw a 97 SKOKIE that was similar (only one space between the number and word).

Reminds me of the MAN Americanas.

Saw the text in that fashion on the 155, 36, 147, & 152 earlier this morning, as well as on some of the buses at Midway. The sign on the right side of the buses simply shows the route # and destination. Is this how they’re going to display route info on the buses now or is this like some kind of system error/glitch?

[Busjack]

5 hours ago, TaylorTank1229 said:

Saw the text in that fashion on the 155, 36, 147, & 152 earlier this morning, as well as on some of the buses at Midway. The sign on the right side of the buses simply shows the route # and destination. Is this how they’re going to display route info on the buses now or is this like some kind of system error/glitch?

You seem to be talking about something else. The 97 sign flipped to 97 HOWARD L STN (as usual),. You are implying that  CTA has gone Pace (NS< NW, W)  with only the destination. However, all the NP buses I saw yesterday had both route and destination on the headsign.

I realize that you said right side. Federal regulations used to say that the two signs have to convey the same information, but i don't see that now in 49 C.F.R. 38.39. Maybe things have changed.

 

[jajuan]

20 hours ago, TaylorTank1229 said:

Saw the text in that fashion on the 155, 36, 147, & 152 earlier this morning, as well as on some of the buses at Midway. The sign on the right side of the buses simply shows the route # and destination. Is this how they’re going to display route info on the buses now or is this like some kind of system error/glitch?

 

15 hours ago, Busjack said:

You seem to be talking about something else. The 97 sign flipped to 97 HOWARD L STN (as usual),. You are implying that  CTA has gone Pace (NS< NW, W)  with only the destination. However, all the NP buses I saw yesterday had both route and destination on the headsign.

I realize that you said right side. Federal regulations used to say that the two signs have to convey the same information, but i don't see that now in 49 C.F.R. 38.39. Maybe things have changed.

 

He means the side sign display in this case. And yes with this latest sign software update, the side signs will only show route number and destination. Only the front sign will still flip between route name and route destination once the upgrade hits all buses in each garage.

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, jajuan said:

 

He means the side sign display in this case. And yes with this latest sign software update, the side signs will only show route number and destination. Only the front sign will still flip between route name and route destination once the upgrade hits all buses in each garage.

I'll have to check it out from the curb.

To those of us from the roll sign era, this is bass ackward; the side sign was only the route.

[TaylorTank1229]

3 hours ago, jajuan said:

 

He means the side sign display in this case. And yes with this latest sign software update, the side signs will only show route number and destination. Only the front sign will still flip between route name and route destination once the upgrade hits all buses in each garage.

Yes, that what I meant. Wasn’t sure if I said it correctly. And also, don’t think the route number and text info was as close together like this. Is that how it’ll be now or will someone likely get that adjusted?

[jajuan]

On 6/30/2023 at 1:14 PM, Busjack said:

I'll have to check it out from the curb.

To those of us from the roll sign era, this is bass ackward; the side sign was only the route.

You're right about the old roll signs. I didn't even think of that until seeing your mention of it. I remember many days back in high school running up to the side of a line of Fishbowls and old Flyer D901s downtown along State or Michigan to see if either of them was a bus I needed. But as far as the side signs go with this update, CTA really has gone Pace on us. ?

[jajuan]

14 minutes ago, TaylorTank1229 said:

Yes, that what I meant. Wasn’t sure if I said it correctly. And also, don’t think the route number and text info was as close together like this. Is that how it’ll be now or will someone likely get that adjusted?

It's like that on all the buses that have the update. From what I can see, the text portion vs the route number isn't centered on its part of the display like with the older destination displays.

[TaylorTank1229]

5 minutes ago, jajuan said:

It's like that on all the buses that have the update. From what I can see, the text portion vs the route number isn't centered on its part of the display like with the older destination displays.

You think it was intentional or just some kind of odd error?

[jajuan]

39 minutes ago, TaylorTank1229 said:

You think it was intentional or just some kind of odd error?

I'm not sure if the closeness of the text against the route on the front displays was intentional. However, the side displays being locked at route number and destination probably is.

[andrethebusman99]

What is the turnaround routing for midday 146 Montrose trips? Used to be Marine-Lawrence-LSD-Wilson.

[Mr.NewFlyer1279]

6 hours ago, andrethebusman99 said:

What is the turnaround routing for midday 146 Montrose trips? Used to be Marine-Lawrence-LSD-Wilson.

yea the trips to wilson are marine-lawrence-LSD-wilson and they layover at the 2nd stop between wilson and lawrence across the street from the hospital before the turnaround route

[Busjack]

On 6/8/2023 at 3:59 PM, jajuan said:

The first detail that indicates a route with an undated display is the route name will appear very close to the route number.

It's getting weirder. NB 93 had N. CALIFORNIA DODGE on 2 lines shifted to the left, but SB had it as before on one line across the sign. The destination KIMBALL BROWN LINE looked like a bit more compressed font.

[jajuan]

6 hours ago, Busjack said:

It's getting weirder. NB 93 had N. CALIFORNIA DODGE on 2 lines shifted to the left, but SB had it as before on one line across the sign. The destination KIMBALL BROWN LINE looked like a bit more compressed font.

Here's an article from StreetsBlog Chicago speaking on this change in destination signs we've been discussing. The article says that shifting of the route name closer to the route number is part of a program CTA is piloting to make the destination sign easier to read for riders with visual impairments or disabilities. So this answers the question @TaylorTank1229 posed a few days ago of whether this was intentional, and that would be a yes that it is in fact intentional and not a software glitch. The side signs being locked only on the trip terminus, the tweaks in terminus text like what you noted for the 93, and the number of flips on the front being reduced from three to two in some cases like for the NB 136 for example are also part of this premise. They gave the examples of being on a bus stop with multiple bus routes like one down in Michigan Ave and distinguishing between a NB 151 going the full route and one going to Belmont/Halsted and being able to more quickly pick out your bus as further depth for their changing how the signs display route info.

[TGranzow29]

On 6/29/2023 at 11:20 AM, Tcmetro said:

Based on my review of the GTFS the routes that had major weekday schedule reductions were 15, 21, 24, 26, 28, 35, 49B, 52, 52A, 55, 65, 70, 71, 73, 75, 85, 91, 95, 120, 121, 126, and 155. The routes with major Saturday schedule reductions were 56, 77, 78, 80, 81, 84, 152, and 201.

Very interesting. I wonder what the rationale is, though, for more Sunday/Holiday service than Saturday service, especially on a route like 56.

[andrethebusman99]

13 hours ago, TGranzow29 said:

Very interesting. I wonder what the rationale is, though, for more Sunday/Holiday service than Saturday service, especially on a route like 56.

Eventually Saturday and Sunday schedules will be the same, based on the Sunday service levels. The reality is becoming one of if you can't consistently run a schedule, you are better off with a lesser schedule run predictably than a better schedule that degenerates into "service when it gets there". 

[busfan2847]

The 37 Sedgwick timetable map dated 6/5/2023 shows buses going Canal > Harrison > Jefferson > Jackson rather than via Canal. Not sure why that would happen as the route does not use parts of Canal that are closed? On the Bustracker it still shows it going via Canal and I watched a bus appear to take that route on the tracker this morning.

[MetroShadow]

On 7/7/2023 at 11:39 AM, andrethebusman99 said:

Eventually Saturday and Sunday schedules will be the same, based on the Sunday service levels. The reality is becoming one of if you can't consistently run a schedule, you are better off with a lesser schedule run predictably than a better schedule that degenerates into "service when it gets there". 

Took them long enough to realize that service delivery actually has to reflect what's on the road and the drivers you have, albeit a couple of years late to the punch. Other agencies can run a similiar strategy, as well. It should not have taken 2 years-ish to get that.

[jajuan]

On 8/14/2023 at 11:56 PM, MetroShadow said:

Took them long enough to realize that service delivery actually has to reflect what's on the road and the drivers you have, albeit a couple of years late to the punch. Other agencies can run a similiar strategy, as well. It should not have taken 2 years-ish to get that.

Yeah but for better or worse, they were trying to give the impression that CTA would be there for the city by keeping a full schedule with no elimination in routes as happened in other big city TAs or the suburban based TAs like our own Pace and suburban TAs of other metro areas. Unfortunately for them, they didn't recognize that even if you don't enact route eliminations, you still have to make headway adjustments to match the current state of your manpower.

[Busjack]

4 minutes ago, jajuan said:

Yeah but for better or worse, they were trying to give the impression that CTA would be there for the city by keeping a full schedule with no elimination in routes as happened in other big city TAs or the suburban based TAs like our own Pace and suburban TAs of other metro areas. Unfortunately for them, they didn't recognize that even if you don't enact route eliminations, you still have to make headway adjustments to match the current state of your manpower.

I also assume that since the feds paid them to run full service, and the draws were less than expected, CTA continued to do so until there was the media stink about missing buses, then CTA acted. With Metra running at 3% capacity, Pace saw that there was no need to run empty feeders.