Accessible Routes

[Danielsmusic]

Does this seem right?

Accessible Routes 1991

1

3

5

7

10

16

18

20

21

22

24

27

28

29

34

35

29

47

49A

49B

51

52

54

54B

56

56A

60

62

64

72

73

74

76

77

78

79

81

84

85

85A

86

90

90N

92

95

95E

97

106

119

131

151

155

201

203

A second question: if you google "cta ridership", you will find a page which shows ridership numbers from 2001 to the present. If you click on January 2001, you will see which routes are accessible. It says the 126 and 147 are accessible. But I don't remember them being accessible. Especially not the 147, given that the 135, 136, 145, and 146 clearly weren't.

[jajuan]

Does this seem right?

Accessible Routes 1991

1

<snip>

203

A second question: if you google "cta ridership", you will find a page which shows ridership numbers from 2001 to the present. If you click on January 2001, you will see which routes are accessible. It says the 126 and 147 are accessible. But I don't remember them being accessible. Especially not the 147, given that the 135, 136, 145, and 146 clearly weren't.

Pretty much correct except 16 was never accessible during its entire existence. Plus 73 didn't become accessible until mid 90s and 24 didn't become so till 2001. You're right 147 wasn't accessible at that time. As a matter of fact, none of the express routes were accessible until the creation of the 19 for the Chicago Stadium and later United Center. The regular service Lake shore express routes didn't start becoming accessible until summer of 2001 with the accessibility of the 2 in the summer and the 6 and 147 in the fall. 136 would follow shortly thereafter in 2002 although it still had Americanas running on it quite frequently especially in the evening rush after getting the accessible designation. I didn't see the Americanas disappear to some degree on this route until they started becoming quite rare in late 2003. 126 was partially accessible. It was accessible weekends only for weekend service to the Country Hosp but nonaccessible during the weekdays.

[Busjack]

On the LSD routes, it's not that they were express routes per se. The issue was that at least Jeffery (then 6 and 14) and 147 were being run mostly with MAN articulateds. After the 7100s started to fall apart, Jeffery (at least) got some MAN 4000s until the Seattle 7300s [with lifts] arrived as a stop gap. Thus, the official date for when those routes became accessible depended on when they were converted to 7300s.

Other express routes were run with 40 foot equipment, so the question whether they were accessible depended on whether they ran 4000s or newer buses. Since the 4000s had more seating capacity, they tended to be assigned to those routes.

The other thing you have to figure is what garages got new buses. Most garages had about half of their routes accessible after the 1991 deliveries, but obviously none of the routes from 69th were, because it got no new buses at that point. With 74th opening, 395 new buses received in 1995, and the 4400s redistributed throughout the system, most garages were left with 3 or 4 inaccessible routes, again primarily where MAN 7100s and 4000s were assigned. That didn't get resolved until about late 2004, when the NABI artics not only replaced the 7300s, but also the remaining 4000s, and the ex-Pace Orions replaced the 4900s.

[Danielsmusic]

On the LSD routes, it's not that they were express routes per se. The issue was that at least Jeffery (then 6 and 14) and 147 were being run mostly with MAN articulateds. After the 7100s started to fall apart, Jeffery (at least) got some MAN 4000s until the Seattle 7300s [with lifts] arrived as a stop gap. Thus, the official date for when those routes became accessible depended on when they were converted to 7300s.

Cool, thanks. If I'm correct, however, the 6 and 14 weren't 100% until the NABIs arrived because there were still two 7100s at 103rd.

[Danielsmusic]

On the LSD routes, it's not that they were express routes per se. The issue was that at least Jeffery (then 6 and 14) and 147 were being run mostly with MAN articulateds. After the 7100s started to fall apart, Jeffery (at least) got some MAN 4000s until the Seattle 7300s [with lifts] arrived as a stop gap. Thus, the official date for when those routes became accessible depended on when they were converted to 7300s.

Makes sense. My best friend used to live at LaSalle and Eugenie, so I'd take the 135/136/156 to visit him after work. I remember the 136 when it had 7300s and 4000s. I also remember taking the 147 when it was mostly assigned 4000s.

[Danielsmusic]

I was looking through CTA garage assignments, and discovered that the supplementary 151 Belmont service was handled by Limits until 1994. If so, how could the 151 have been accessible starting in 1991? I know it had TMCs from NP, but didn't the Limits Flyers mean that it wasn't actually accessible. Also, when the 136 ran the Seattle MANs, didn't the Americanas that were also on the route mean CTA couldn't label the route as accessible?

[jajuan]

I was looking through CTA garage assignments, and discovered that the supplementary 151 Belmont service was handled by Limits until 1994. If so, how could the 151 have been accessible starting in 1991? I know it had TMCs from NP, but didn't the Limits Flyers mean that it wasn't actually accessible. Also, when the 136 ran the Seattle MANs, didn't the Americanas that were also on the route mean CTA couldn't label the route as accessible?

Yes it's a couple of flukes in how CTA handled those routes. As a matter of fact, on the system maps printed at the time, the supplementary Belmont runs were listed separate from the regular runs as a separate route with the notation that the Belmont trips were nonaccessible. Limits just didn't get the proper equipment at the time that 151 became accessible. Once the Belmont trips were transferred to Kedzie after the closing of Limits, they became fully accessible run by Kedzie's TMCs and later 6000s once they arrived at Kedzie a short time later. As for the 136, my guess there would be that there was a shortage of accessible 40 footers because of maintenance issues for the time of the runs that the Americanas were scheduled on. Despite what personnel said about Americanas breaking down, my experience has been having an accessible 40 footer break down more frequently than the Americanas did up until the Americanas' retirement in spring 2004. There always seemed to be some issue with a lift getting stuck with the TMCs, 5300s and 6000s at least once a week at that time.

[Danielsmusic]

Limits just didn't get the proper equipment at the time that 151 became accessible.

Actually, some parts of Limits were not wide enough to handle TMCs or Flxibles. It wasn't that Limits didn't; it was that Limits couldn't.

[Danielsmusic]

As for the 136, my guess there would be that there was a shortage of accessible 40 footers because of maintenance issues for the time of the runs that the Americanas were scheduled on. Despite what personnel said about Americanas breaking down, my experience has been having an accessible 40 footer break down more frequently than the Americanas did up until the Americanas' retirement in spring 2004. There always seemed to be some issue with a lift getting stuck with the TMCs, 5300s and 6000s at least once a week at that time.

No, the 136 was assigned lift-equipped 7300-series artics. My question is this: Why would a route which is assigned accessible artics be allowed to run with non-accessible 40-footers? Why would CTA allow non-accessible buses to run on an accessible route? Isn't that against the law if the route is designated accessible?

[jajuan]

No, the 136 was assigned lift-equipped 7300-series artics. My question is this: Why would a route which is assigned accessible artics be allowed to run with non-accessible 40-footers? Why would CTA allow non-accessible buses to run on an accessible route? Isn't that against the law if the route is designated accessible?

I know that and I'm saying that the nonaccessibles on certain runs may have been the only thing available at the time of the run. There were similar situations with Kedzie having a few Americanas operating runs on routes designated accessible. 12 and the old 37 Sedwick/Ogden were a couple of examples. Though it was seen moreso on 136, it was still mostly 7300s and TMCs or 5800s. To be honest, I remember it starting to happen a lot on 136 only shortly before the NABIs replacing the 7300s. Americanas were still seen on 136 up till their retirement, but I remember them tapering off after the NABIs got here and serviced the route.

[rmadisonwi]

I don't know the actual answer, since I wasn't in Chicago at the time, but...

Some systems (such as Milwaukee) had notes in the public timetable that indicated that certain trips would be accessible (or, not accessible). Those routes were designated "accessible," but they weren't 100% accessible at the time.

I don't know how that matches up with ADA or any other applicable laws. But, at least it gave passengers the knowledge that if they needed wheelchair accessibility, they knew where to look.

[Danielsmusic]

I don't know the actual answer, since I wasn't in Chicago at the time, but...

Some systems (such as Milwaukee) had notes in the public timetable that indicated that certain trips would be accessible (or, not accessible). Those routes were designated "accessible," but they weren't 100% accessible at the time.

I don't know how that matches up with ADA or any other applicable laws. But, at least it gave passengers the knowledge that if they needed wheelchair accessibility, they knew where to look.

That did happen. I believe that when CTA got the TMCs and Flxibles in 1991, a few routes were only accessible on the weekends. Also this sort of fits in with the 151 NP runs (which were 98% Devon/Clark) being accessible and the Limits runs (which were all Belmont/Halsted) not being accessible.