CTA Tattler

I can't tell you how annoyed hearing the term "brushed back" in every report makes me. It explains nothing and it just sounds idiotic.

I was on this train and it wasn't a huge inconvenience to those of us on it. It's not like we were sitting there for hours. But it would have been really nice to get some direction from someone. I was in one of the last cars and didn't know how close we were to the North/Clybourn station. All we heard was the medical emergency announcement twice and then "This train is out of service." We all just stared at each other, like, "I GUESS we'll get off." All we needed was a little direction. I don't know why that's so hard for the CTA to understand.

Reading Fuzzy's story made me extremely concerned. The fact that people opened the doors themselves and walked through the subway to get to the station because there was no communication or instruction from the CTA is very scary. What if there was a fire, or worse? Also, how safe is it to walk through the subway when the train is stopped without guidance of a CTA employee? I'm glad everyone had the gumption to get themselves out of there, but seriously, the CTA needs to pull themselves together and USE THEIR WORDS as is required of them so there aren't more injuries as a result of lack of communication.

I completely agree, DC. We weren't told anything except that the train was out of service, which means nothing as far as I'm concerned. How hard would it have been to say, "Hey, all, sit tight. We'll be moving soon," or, "Please walk through to the front of the train to exit to North/Clybourn"? Walking through the 20-30 or so feet of tunnel was not something I felt I needed to experience and it would have been really easy to get hurt down there. Plus, there would have been no way for someone handicapped to get out. The CTA needs to get its shit together basically on communicating with the people it serves.

i wrote a little poem several years ago about being "brushed back" though, that's not what I called it. I'll try to drag it out. I think most everyone has this fear.

I'm surprised this doesn't happen way more often. Usually, the conductor blows the horn when people are too close to the track and people back up, but on crowded platforms (esp Addison during a Cubs game), people don't always pay attention. I also wonder if people ever and/or often get hit by the side mirrors on buses when they pull up to a stop...

I'm not worried about getting brush-back, but instead of someone bumping someone off the platform and on the tracks. During morning rush hour at Fullerton for example, often there are tons of people standing right on or near the blue part of the platform. I've seen a few people just barely miss accidentally bumping someone who is basically forced to walk down that blue section of the platform.

Those are the fun mornings. Walking up to the Belmont platform and seeing which people are going to crowd the stairs, which people are going to crowd the choke points and trying walk around them (especially the tremendously fat people). Hey, tremendously fat people: Your girth is difficult to walk around! Please be aware of your surroundings!