CTA Tattler

Consuming food and drink on the CTA is prohibited, except for me, because I'm special, and it's just a cup of coffee, and I'm like really careful, so it'll be OK.

I'd love to see a random undercover CTA ticketing for eating. Not $100 Cheetohs, just say $50, but ticket all of them.

Wish the people who got spilled on had said something. I would.

i didn't see any mention of either cup of coffee being consumed. it's not a violation to carry food or beverages on the cta.

Last I checked only food was prohibited, the announcements say nothing about drinking.
Also, if drinking was prohibited, why would they install Coke machines at every station, behind the turnstiles, no less?

I remember being surprised when the CTA announced that it was temporarily lifting the ban on beverages during this last summer's heat wave.

Until then I had no idea that beverages were prohibited. It makes sense considering all the sticky soda and coffee drink residue that I've stepped in (and avoid sitting in) on the El. Like Kerry, I too wonder why they don't advertise this rule.

If they don't want people spilling crap all over the trains and each other, they should get rid of the Coke machines *and* the Dunkin Donut shops inside some of the stations.

The CTA's morning K9 SWAT teams can pry my morning coffee out of my cold dead hands.

(They sure haven't ever done anything else that I've heard about. Most of the time I try to make eye contact with them but they rarely even bother to look inside the cars, just strut past looking tough.)

go ahead, drink or, sorry, "bring" your coffee which you don't plan on consuming. but, i assume most of you people are seasoned el riders, if you are comfortable enough to bring drinks onboard. how/why could you NOT be prepared for sudden jerks/jolts/etc?

i dont ride the el often, generally only a few times on the weekend and thats about it. is it the fact that i dont live in the city full time that i have manners? or am i afraid of people? i dont know, i just know that i dont bring crap that can make a mess onto the el/buses, and i dont play music loud whatsoever, and i stand up for elderly/disabled (forget the women argument).

just curious, if anyone has any ideas? everyone seems so self-enthralled and doesnt care about anyone else.

amen, cheryl! and forget riding the el with coffee, you'd think that if anyone cared about this rule maybe one of the drivers on one of the ten million busses i've ever ridden -- often standing room only with a cup of coffee -- would have told me i couldn't board with it!

my friend D. suggests this is the CTA version of a tax evasion charge.

"just curious, if anyone has any ideas? everyone seems so self-enthralled and doesnt care about anyone else."

-welcome to Chicago.

It should be noted that not all people carrying their coffee on the trains are dumbasses. I have a travel mug that closes fully, so I keep it closed when I'm not actively drink it, and generally stick to drinking it only on the platform to avoid spills. I can think of several other folks on the morning commute who carry coffee carefully. Don't go assuming the city is full of self-centered idiots based on a handful of stories.

Eh. I feel sorry for the girl who spilled coffe and the woman she spilled on was such a bitch about it. Stuff happens. She could have been jostled walking down the street. At least she apologized profusely. That's more than I'd expect from most Chicagoans (yes, I'm bitter lately). Prohibiting people from eating or drinking on the train is kind of unrealistic and very hypocritical on the part of the CTA. Seriously, who among us has NEVER brought coffee or a snack on the train? Littering is another matter. People who leave their crap all over should be fined copiously.

today...saw a train conductor pulling into the station taking a bite out of his sandwich.

I have my coffee mug every day in hand sipping away. I have never (knock on wood) spilled my coffee on myself or anyone else. Most of the time I'm able to get a seat but some times I've had my coffee in hand on a crowded train. No matter if I'm sitting or standing I'll only take a sip with the train is at a stop cause I don't want hot coffee in my lap! Most coffee drinkers are very careful about their coffee....

"Don't go assuming the city is full of self-centered idiots based on a handful of stories."

The city is full of self-centered idiots. It isn't an assumption, and it isn't based on a handful of stories. The thing is, not only the city is this way, EVERYWHERE IS. I don't care where you're from.

(some)People seem to think that since they're in some big city that they are better and that things are so much different in them. They aren't. My sister came from where I did, small town. After moving to Chicago she has this attitude that she is better and that things in the city are better. "Well, in the CITY you wouldn't see that happen," "in the CITY people know how to drive." Forget that, I have gotten in much more near crashes with dumbass people there than I have here.

(by the way I know i'll probably get some nice comments back about this... and i cant wait)

No assumptions are being made about the entire city or the entire population of the city. However people generally become jackasses after moving there.

Your shit stinks too, and it comes floating down the Illinois River for us to smell too.

Well adam, here's your "nice comment back:" I can only assume, from your broad generalizations, that you also are included in the category of people you criticize.

yes, I am somehow included in the group of people I criticize although I am not from "the City" nor am I self-centered with the belief I can do anything and everything I want regardless of the rules. (see late article about taking photographs).

I'm a little on both sides of the issue, except that it's been made pretty clear that all food and drink is supposed to be banned from cta vehicles, and some people are obviously not responsible enough to be allowed beverages. I've sat through more than a few nervous moments as fellow el riders have decided that the plastic lid (with a drinking hole) on their foam starbucks/dunkin donuts/mcdonalds/etc. cup is enough protection in case of a spill, since they (instead of holding it) place it on the floor at their feet in-between sips.

i'm not really thrilled about the prospect of wearing their (slightly expensive) coffee drink on my shoes into work (not that I even have nice shoes, I just don't wanna wear their coffee), and I've been a little leery a few times as the train jolts to a halt and they rush to protect their investment. I guess I could give up my seat, but...fuck that.

as far as the concession stands at el stops -- wasn't this covered by the red eye, even? the idea is, you're supposed to enjoy the refreshments offered at el stations either before the train or once you get off. a seeming mixed message, i know, but where do you think those sticky floors and, um, wrappers, bottles, cans, urge to go, etc. come from? that's why they're not supposed to be on the vehicles.

as far as morning coffee drinkers, i'm the owner of a couple of different heat-proof mugs with a sealable lid, which i keep firmly in my grasp (usually because i'm anxious to drink whatever's inside), and, as long as you're responsible, those *should* be fine. but, of course, rules can't be made to exclude you, so I understand the ban. even in its rarefied enforcement..

I never understand those comments about "why is eating banned if there are Dunkin Donuts shops in the stations"? With a little thought, one might realize that (a) the shops can be visited on the way out of the station as well as on the way in, and (b) putting a donut shop in a station isn't quite the equivalent of holding a gun to our heads to force us to eat on trains. The shops are there to make money, not give us food that we then are obliged to eat on the trains. Our behavior is still up to us, last I checked. It's still amazing to behold a Red Line passenger spreading out a McDonald's feast on the seat and masticating blissfully as chunks of biscuit fall to the floor. Is the world really moving so quickly that eating on a train is our only choice?

Of course you can stop at the Dunkin Donuts on your way out. My point is the CTA shouldn't have vendors (either the shops or the machines) in the stations. While no one is forced to stop and get something on their way in, it's very easy to do so.

But it's also easy to buy some donuts and have one while waiting for a train, or keep them in the bag until you arrive and leave the train. All of which is permitted and no problem.