CTA Tattler

Best movies with El scenes

For those lovers of all things CTA -- especially the El -- here's a list from gapersblock.com of some the best movies featuring the El train.

I know your first question: Is Risky Business on the list? But of course! Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay were the first couple to bring national attention to the Hobo Corner.

Check out the list and then go get your DVD choices at the video store.

Enjoy those films. CTA Tattler certainly will. And we're taking a breather over the long holiday weekend. Check back here from more Tattler Tales on Wednesday.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July.

Follow-up on letter to CTA on the wankers

On Monday I sent a letter to CTA brass asking what they would do about the wankers who are exposing themselves to women on the CTA.

Tom wondered if I would get a response and Tony wondered what the CTA really could do.

The answer is yes I got a response, and the best they could do is focus on the problem as the New York police did.

First, the response. Greg Longini, CTA board secretary, wrote this response early Monday morning upon receipt of the email:

"Kevin, thank for alerting us once again to this ongoing problem that has seemed to haunt us for years here.  I didn't know about New York's success, maybe we can learn from them and do something worthwhile.  I'll make sure everybody sees this. - Greg"

So that's something the CTA surely can do. Learn from New York police. And make sure the powers-that be know about the problem.

But Tony was right. We can't be complacent. We must report these incidents to police and the CTA. Use your cell phone cameras to get their photos. Share them with police. Email the photo to me and I will post it here and make sure teh cops and CTA get it.

Don't give up. We'll get these bastards.

The CTA Insider dishes on Loop El train delays Tuesday + UPDATE

The CTA Insider wrote me last night with this interesting explanation about why there were so many delays Tuesday on the Loop elevated tracks:

Tuesday was a terrible on the Loop elevated tracks. Where to start?

The Pink Line is causing so many problems for motormen and supervisors. First, the inner Loop track now has to deal with four lines running constantly while the outer track only has two lines.

I brought this up to a manager and was told that the reason it's like this and not three on one side and three on the other is because a political promise was made that had to do with making the Pink Line's first stop in the Loop being Clark/Lake so a politician's constituents wouldn't have to travel all the way around the Loop before getting to the Blue Line.

But Tuesday they reversed the Purple line instead of the Pink to keep this promise as no one wanted to make the decision that should have been made.

Many -- and I do mean many -- supervisors made "suggestions" to management that the Pink should be reversed -- there were Pinks lined up from Clinton to Ashland, all in full view of the geniuses at 567 Lake Street (CTA Headquarters).

An alternative could also have been to off-load passengers at Clinton to wait for Green Line trains instead of loading the Loop with trains that couldn't move. This was due to an Orange Line train having mechanical problems and because of the rain and 40-year-old switches at the towers that refuse to work whenever we get inclement weather.

Tuesday was just the beginning -- we are coming up on the Taste of Chicago and Lollapalooza!  More fun ahead!

UPDATE - From the CTA Insider late Wednesday night: Much better today...but that was with extra supervisors and managers, and how long can that last?

Also it looks like there may be a surprise in store for Purple line riders as they may permanently reroute the line to run on the Brown line side - but this may hamper the Brown as they run very close now ... we'll see. The consensus of the Managers and Sups is that it is not going to work and in 10 years I've never heard them be so outspoken about something like this.

Like father like son

A boy about 5 years old sits on his father's knee, popping a baseball in and out of his tiny glove. He sports a  Cubs shirt with the sleeves cut off.

And a mohawk.

They are on the Red Line heading north to that baseball Mecca, Wrigley Field.

The boy's proud papa is also wearing a Cubs T-shirt with the sleeves cut off.

And a mohawk.

A new look for CTA Tattler

I've been writing CTA Tattler for just over two years now. And I think it was starting to show its age.

So working with my crack Internet consultant -- my brother Dan X. O'Neil -- we've come up with a site that's a little more user friendly and provides loads more content.

Two new cool additions to the page are the CTA Headlines From Yahoo and the feed from Flickr's Chicago Transit Authority photo group. Good stuff there.

You might also notice I hosting Google ads also -- as an experiment.

I hope you enjoy the new look. And many thanks to Dan for his site development efforts.

The new kinder, gentler train announcements

At the same time the CTA debuted the Pink Line, it has rolled out brand new train car announcements aimed at teaching passengers to be more considerate of others.

The new announcements target behaviors such as gambling, eating, loud cellers and iPod users and inconsiderate riders who hog seats with packages.

Here are some of the new messages:

"Please be considerate when talking on the phone or listening to electronic devices so as not to disturb other passengers."

So genteel!

"Please keep your belongings off the seat next to you so others may sit down."

Straightforward. To the point.

"Soliciting and gambling are prohibited on CTA vehicles."

It's the first time I've heard gambling mentioned.

"Smoking, littering and eating are prohibited on CTA vehicles."

Ditto on eating being mentioned.

Mr. CTA Announcer Guy also has added cross streets in announcing some downtown station stops. So now it's "Chicago and State" and "Grand and State" instead of just Chicago and Grand. Does that mean the end of the best station stop announcement ever:

"This is Grand."

We know about wankers. What about gropers?

Last week I wrote about the numerous complaints about men exposing themselves and masturbating in front of women passengers.

I have written a letter to the CTA brass asking what they are doing about this disgusting, degrading and demeaning nonsense.

I wrote this letter due to the great number of complaints from you folks, and especially after seeing the New York Times story in the Trib Sunday about New York cops making 13 arrests of wankers on that city's transit system.

But that story seemed to indicate that the worse problem in New York was not wankers but gropers. And that's something I haven't really heard about here in Chicago on the CTA.

So ladies (and men, if applicable): Have you had problems with people groping you in tight quarters (or otherwise) on CTA trains and buses? If so, what if anything have you done to combat this problem?

A letter to CTA brass about wankers

I just sent this letter to CTA brass:

An open letter to CTA Chair Carole Brown and President Frank Kruesi:

Over the two years that I have published the CTA Tattler Web log, I have gotten numerous complaints from women CTA customers – including four separate complaints  from my own teenaged daughter – about men who have exposed themselves to these women.

The complaints are very similar in nature, and the women often provide a similar description of the perpetrator. Oftentimes the pervert is masturbating in full view of them. Other times he is “merely” exposing himself. Either way, it is degrading and disgusting, and of course illegal.

And now I want to know what the CTA is doing to stop it.

This weekend you may have read the New York Times story, reprinted in the Chicago Tribune, about the New York police recently targeting such offenders and making 13 arrests.

Read the story here:

On Thursday on my blog I published a detailed description of at least one “serial flasher”:

So now my readers and I want to know what the CTA is doing to stop this menace on trains and buses. Please tell me and I will publish your response on my blog.

Thank you.

Kevin O’Neil

A busy weekend for fests, construction

News and notes for a busy weekend of commuting:

Construction update:

• Work scheduled this weekend on the Brown Line will result in a 12-hour closure of both the Kimball and Francisco stations from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 25, says the CTA.

• CTA is currently working to upgrade crossover tracks and signals throughout the Clark Junction corridor, the busy location where Brown, Red and Purple Line trains converge just north of Belmont on the City’s North Side. The upgrade to the 100-year-old junction will bring new signals and additional connections between tracks to allow trains to cross over to adjacent tracks.

• The Gay Pride Parade will mess things up this weekend, so try to avoid the Broadway and Halsted buses.

• The first-ever Clark Street Festival will detour buses on Clark Sunday between Pratt and Touhy.

The Pink Link debuts Sunday. And some people are unhappy about it even before its trial launch.

And Hyde Park gets slimmed-down buses that can traverse the tight streets in that neighborhood.

Let's stop the CTA Wanker

Regular Tattler reader Kimberli is one of several women in the past week or so who have reported an upsurge in the number of creepy wankers who get off on choking the chicken for the benefit of female riders.

But Kimberli wants to share her description of the guy she's seen a few times in an effort to have him arrested. Here's her story, and be on the lookout for the guy she describes. Don't be afraid to call the motorman and 911:

Kimberli writes:

About a month ago, I got on the Red Line at Morse like every morning and sat in one of the single seats that face forward at the ends of the cars.  At Loyola, a young man 25-35 got on and sat across from me in the opposite seat.  A few stops later, I noticed that he was acting strangely and suddenly I realized that I could see that he was stroking himself through his pants.  I was so shocked that I didn't say anything and just turned away.  He exited the train at Belmont, I believe, and I thought it was just sort of one of those "Oh, living in the city is so crazy" stories I could tell to my friends back in Michigan.

However, about a week later, my roommate came home from work and told me that she thought the same guy who had stroked it in front of me had completely exposed himself to her while sitting in the same seats.  She was also so shocked that she didn't know what to do until she got home and told me about it.

And just this morning, as I sat in those same forward facing seats, this young man got on the train again at Loyola, and, by Berwyn, had completely taken himself out of his pants and was masturbating.  I knew that I should have done something, but was paralyzed.  I don't know why I didn't do something, but I guess I was both embarrassed and scared to get up and go press the button on the other end of the car.  I did get the attention of the people who were sitting near me and told them what was going on, but when I did so, the guy zipped it up and got off the train at Addison, which is where our train was standing.

I have no doubt that this man will expose himself to other women in the future.  I want to encourage all women who choose to sit in the single, forward-facing seats to be on the lookout for this man.  And for the women and men who sit near these seats, please take care to look out for the women who ride the train.  If we all take care of each other, we can catch this guy and stop him before his exposure fails to excite him anymore and he has to go to further extremes.

Details of the man:

• 25-35 years old.
• White.
• Clean cut, good looking.
• Wears a baseball cap.
• Gets on the Red Line at Loyola and sits in the second car from the front in single, forward-facing seats.
• Carries a large black backpack, which he uses to shield his exposure to the rest of the passengers.

UPDATE: More on the description from Kate:

• Dark blonde hair, blue eyes, fair to medium complexion, about 5'8" to 6' tall, average build.

Please help me and my roommate catch this guy and stop him from doing this to other women.

From the CTA Lost-n-Found: Streisand album

I noticed an unattended package last week on one of the facing seats adjacent to the door. I had to resist the urge to call police, because, after all, the CTA tells you "if you see something, say something."

But this something turned out to be so innocuous. No white soap powder here to shut down entire train lines for hours.

What I did find was ensconced lovingly in a plastic blue Jewel bag.

It was Barbara Streisand's Greatest Hits! No doubt left on the train by someone who had just been down to a Ticketmaster outlet to pay $600 for a seat at one of her Farewell Tour concerts.

Well, you can say farewell to that album now.

Sing it Alice: "School's out for summer..."

The ride to work Monday morning was quiet. And I left a little early, and that ride home was quiet too.

I wondered why.

Then I remembered that Chicago Public Schools are finally adjourned for the summer, so those wild, crazy, wacky and rambunctious high school kids were sleeping at 7:30 Monday morning. (Who knows? They might have been sleeping at 4 pm too.)

So there was no loud chatter on trains and buses; no jostling and jousting each other in the aisles. And no general obnoxiousness.

Just quiet.

Like most schoolkids, I hope the Tuesday after Labor Day never comes.

Shell Game rears its ugly head

The Shell Game is back with a vengeance on CTA trains.

Both my daughter and Tattler reader Chris saw the guys in action last week. And Chris provided this short video:

Here's Chris' description of the guys schtick:

The Shell Game team is back!  I watched in horror as a team of three very sketchy looking individuals defrauded a young man of $45. A man sporting a ratty old suit and a hat that went out of style in 1965 entered from the next car, and walked down to my end of the train.  He carried a large flat card in one hand, and offered to double anyone's money who guesses correctly which of three yellow bottle caps hides a little red ball, after he has, of course, shuffled them. 

There was one very enthusiastic taker, who immediately doubled his $20 to $40.  Never mind that the winner was dressed like the man in the hat and looked like his brother.  One of my fellow passengers, a young man of about 19 or 20, I would say, was looking very interested in this game.  To encourage him, a toothless woman, clothes as well-worn as the shuffler and the first winner, cheered him on: "You can't beat this!  Go for it - double your money."  But the shuffler raised the stakes: "Who can show me forty?  I'll only do it for $40 now." 

The young man reached for his wallet - the rest of the passengers winced.  Out came the forty dollars, and the sleight-of-hand practitioner began to shuffle around the caps.  "Oh, it's that one for sure!" cried the man who "won" the first contest. "Don't listen to him, it's under there!" shouted the toothless woman. "Shut up, no helping!" was the dealer's retort. 

He played annoyed quite well.  The young contestant made his pick, and lost his $40. "Don't give up now," said the first contestant.  "I won $40.  You can win it back."  Succumbing to the gambler's fallacy, our tragic figure put in his last $5, hoping to make it $10.  I hope he enjoyed his $45 ride on the El."

Lots of bus line changes on the West Side

The CTA has announced more bus route changes and additions to those previously scheduled to take effect Monday with the introduction of the Pink Line on June 26.

Starting Sunday, the CTA has scheduled service enhancements to 13 bus lines serving the West Side.

Gotta give the CTA credit for getting this right. It will be interesting to see how the whole Pink Line route works out.

Great insights and Tattler tales from fellow readers

Here are some wacky reader tales gleaned over the week:

Sign that the Apocalypse is near: Frequent contributor Cheryl saw this strange site: "This was a CTA first for me. Northbound 146, after 6 PM yesterday. The cell phone of the woman next to me rings. She answers, talks a bit, starts looking around the bus -- her caller is several rows behind us. I traded seats with the woman on the other phone so they could talk in person rather than on the phone.

Tales from the Don't Go Lane: LadyDay shares: "So yesterday I'm boarding the 147. I touch my Chicago Card and the bus driver yells at me to come back. He tells me I can't touch my card if someone else is inserting money or a card into the fare box. WTF? I thought the "Go Lane" was supposed to make things faster....as usual Nice job CTA! It's not faster if you still have to wait for the person in front of you!!"

Are you experienced? Cmama's list of things you have to experience to be an official CTA rider:

1. Have a perv whip it out in front of you.
2. Ride a pee smelling train.
3. Be delayed at least 30 minutes "waiting for signals ahead."
4. Be a passenger of a broken down bus or train (extra points if it decouples, derails or is involved in a train/bus accident)."

And Erin adds yet more CTA "must" experiences:

1. Bear witness/be confronted by a crazy person.
2. Sit next to someone who thinks the "butt pivot" is the acceptable way to allow you to exit your window seat.
3. Be annoyed by trixies.
4. Deal with drunken, um, baseball fans.
5. Ride the Red Line at least once for morning rush, afternoon rush, and on a Saturday night.

Harrison crazies: Protect your wives!

Craziness ruled at the Harrison Red Line kiosk level last week.

One of the residents crazies familiar to the Jones College Prep students at the Harrison stop was in his prime.

He roamed the kiosk level both mumbling and screaming. The station attendant finally had had enough: "Hey man, you get out of here before I call the police."

Mr. Crazy had his response ready: Hey Man, you know that's bullshit. You and I both know you're down here f***king everybody's wives while they're not looking. So f**k you! You can call the police all you want, because I'm leaving."

Goodbye! And say adieu to those wives!

Share your voice: Vote on "Quiet Car" concept

Last week I wrote about the "Quiet Car" on the Hiawatha Amtrak train to Milwaukee. The rules are simple: Quiet talking only and NO cell phone use.

Some of you thought it was a good idea. Others felt it was just another rule that the CTA would not be able to enforce.

Personally, I think it's a great idea, that WILL be enforced by riders themselves -- kinda like the "no smoking" rule. The few times I have seen someone smoking on a train car, riders have told the guy or gal to put it out. I think the CTA just needs to advertise the new feature, put up signs in the car -- it should probably be the last car on every train -- and see how it works out.

What do you think? Vote below, if we get enough votes in favor, I'll present the findings at a CTA board meeting and ask for a pilot project.

Mom grooms son, harvests love

Mom boards the Red Line with her 14-year-old son. They both take aisle seats, Mom behind her son.

She starts asking pointed questions about school, etc.

Meanwhile, the whole time they talk, she is grooming him. She picks at the lint pills on his shirt and at the hair on his head, admonishing: "Did you pick your hair last night?"

He next pulls out a pack of peanut butter cookies. She scolds him for not washing his hands first before eating.

Then she wipes the crumbs from his mouth, and tells him to eat a better breakfast at school.

He exits at Wilson, each telling the other, "I love you!"

It was very sweet.

Money talks in adolescent discipline

On the Red Line south on a Monday morning, Mom is reviewing her 9-year-old son's report on Odysseus.

He is explaining something about the report when he stops him abruptly and says, "I told you not to talk with your fingers in your mouth!"

"But I don't!" -- "I just saw you!" -- "No!" -- "Yes!"

Mom: "Now I just want you to say: 'I will work on it.' Say it!"

Hesitation.

"I'll try."

"That's not what I want to hear. "Say 'I'll work on it.' "

"I'll try."

She puts her hand near his face, as if to slap him. "I'll take $5 from your allowance. Say it!"

"I'll work on it."

Money talks.

Restful repose for CTA riders captured

My daughter turned me on to a Web site with some fabulous photos by Hellvetica:

Sleepers on the CTA. Really. You must check it out. Below is just one photo by Hellvetica.

The gloved guy; CTA Quiet Car?

A couple of quick observations:

Winter garb in June? It was 80 degrees on Tuesday, heading home on the Red Line. I look down the aisle and notice a guy wearing a jacket, a wool cap and white, wool gloves. And other than wearing winter clothes in June, he looked normal -- not at all mentally ill. I'm thinking he was trying to protect himself from all those germs the Trib found.

Cell-free cars a hit on Amtrak. A work friend who commutes from Milwaukee via the Amtrak train tells me that the most popular car is the no-cell-phone car. They call it the Quiet Car, and it fills up the fastest. Can we have one on CTA trains? Pretty please?

One man's dropped penny is another man's.... As a guy gets up to leave the train, a penny goes skittering down the aisle out of his pocket. He ignores it. But not the guy sitting in the seat at which the penny rolled to a stop. He reached down, picked it up and shamelessly pocketed it.

Let Julie your Cruise Director show you to your seat

As I board the Red Line heading north for the evening rush, I immediately notice an elderly couple hovering near the door, standing uncomfortably.

As I move to the center of the train, a seat opens up right away. I gesture for the old woman to come sit there. Meanwhile, across the aisle from the empty seat, a 30-ish woman sitting by the window jumps up to offer her seat to the elderly woman's husband.

As he shuffles down the aisle with his wife, the young woman directs the guy sitting next to her to move across the aisle so the couple could sit together. Looking slightly dumbfounded, the guy sheepishly gets up and moves as instructed. And the couple sits together for a long ride down memory lane.

I sit behind them most of the ride, and noticed how they pointed out various landmarks to each other, gesturing excitedly. The most touching to me was the look on their faces and knowing smiles as they passed the Aragon Ballroom.

Interestingly, Cheryl posted a comment yesterday about a guy who was acting as Julie the Cruise Director.

A first for PDA voyeurs

I've always been fascinated by public displays of affection on CTA trains and buses. I like to watch how the couple tries to be discreet. How they touch each other and whisper in the other's ear. But I don't see PDA too often.

So yesterday morning I was psyched to spy a couple going through the motions of PDA. They stood closely in the aisle, their faces very close. There was some whisperings, with one's mouth moving close to the other's ear.

There was gentle touching and stroking of fingers up and down the other's arm. But I still was waiting for the climax -- the big kiss.

Finally I was rewarded when she leaned down and placed a big kiss on her girl friend's mouth, and pecked some more across her face and ear.

It was then I realized this was the first same-sex couple I witnessed engaging in CTA PDA.

Let's just hope that George Bush doesn't get wind of this and propose some constitutional amendment banning same-sex PDA on public transit systems.

The kid handoff

Two girls ages 6 and 7 board the Red Line north after work and school with their Mom. They all speak animatedly in French about school and the day's events.

At Thorndale, they all get up to leave. The doors open and Mom steps off, excitedly telling the girls to give her their backpacks.

Their Dad steps on the train and the girls sit down with Dad. They all speak animatedly in English about school and the day's events.

Then the girls both raised their feet high in the air to show off for Dad their "new shoes."

Each was wearing different shoes, one of which came from the other girl.

Poll shows riders don't like aisle-facing seats -- but there's hope!

Earlier this month I wrote about the CTA contracting to buy more than 400 new train cars by 2009 with aisle-facing seats. I'm all for the CTA adopting new technology and making these capital improvements. I just didn't want to get all scrunched up next to me neighbors, who may be sitting on either side of me.

So I posted an unscientific poll on the issue, and about 56% of those who participated do not favor the aisle-facing seat. Almost 500 readers participated, and I thank you.

But then I saw this report presented to the CTA board earlier this month. It shows photos of the new cars and gives details about the improvements. They include:

• Interior train maps with LED station indicator lights.
• Overhead lights to illuminate door exits.
• Textured, non-slip floor covering to improve cleanability.
• Smoother acceleration and braking using energy-efficient alternating current motors.
• Video surveillance system both inside and outside the cars.
• Straps hanging from the ceiling and posts between every other seat.

It's the posts between every other seat that make me happy. They will act as a sort of divider to help mark "personal space."  See photo.  And view the pdf file of the board presentation on the new train cars here.

Blue Line train transformed into art gallery

A group of artists looking for alternative venues to display their art found one last month -- on a Blue Line train car.

Says one of the artists: "The subway gallery readily presented itself as a place that sorely needed our aesthetic input. We will try to organize future events and also have spontaneous random artwork intervention, specifically on the train as I like the train and all its craziness."

See their work here.