CTA Tattler

I was in my car going down Canal street past the Ogilvie Metra train station, about 6:00 pm. HORDES OF PEOPLE were leaving the station, more than I ever saw when I commuted to the western suburbs. Hordes of people just pouring out of the station, walking east to go to the festivities. If you hate crowds, you would have been miserable. I can only imagine how crowded the Metra trains were.. probably standing room only for many.

Just read an article online that the CTA blew it yet again last night after the fireworks! They lost power on the 'L' on their busiest day of the year. My wife hates the Red Line, but for whatever reason wanted to take it last night so we missed the chaos.

It seems that anytime the CTA has a chance to attract more riders and "show it's stuff", it falls flat on it's face. And if history is any indication, it will happen again, probably during a PM rush. It's reminiscent of the switching problems they had last year and the year before. It happened once out of the blue, then became a weekly occurence that they couldn't figure out for months.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/455989,CST-NWS-CTA04.article

We waited around downtown after the fireworks hoping to not deal with a so-crowded Red Line. Little did we know that the Brown Line wasn't running so the train was still crowded as ever way past 11:30. But if you go downtown for the fireworks and are going to be annoyed by crowds, you're a damned fool.

I always thought that Chicago had their fireworks on July 3 because that way nobody had to work the next day, but someone in line at the bathrooms last night said it was so Chicago didn't have to pay all those cops holiday overtime. That seems far more "Chicago" than my considerate theory.

The reason the fireworks are held on the 3rd in Chicago are so that surrounding communities can hold their own celebrations on the 4th without a decrease in their attendance. How lucky we are to live in a metropolitan area where we can celebrate this holiday for a full 24 hours!

I was taking the train into the loop (where I live) a few minutes after nine. The train was quite full with people trying to get to the fireworks at the last minute. The train then stopped between Chinatown & Roosevelt because there was a big fight on one of the cars and people kept pulling the emergency exits. We waited in the tunnel for over 20 minutes until the police arrived. Everyone on the train (and presumably the trains behind us) missed the fireworks, and my 20 minute commute took over an hour.

Well, that's what people get for waiting until the last minute.

Post-fireworks destination: Halsted/Belmont

We walked over to Washington/Wells immediately after the fireworks to catch the Brown line as it entered the Loop. We probably got on a train around 10:45. It was already standing room only after Quincy/Wells. We made it to the LaSalle/Van Buren stop where the train stopped with the doors open. After waiting fifteen minutes, we decided to get off and try other alternative. There were a couple of garbled announcements from the motorman about waiting for an equipment problem. We didn't really find out about what was happening until someone on the platform mentioned it while we were passing.

Cabs were out of the question since traffic was at a standstill. We opted not to take the Red line, assuming it would be swamped with refugees from the Brown line. We decided to get on a 22 Clark bus at Dearborn/Jackson where they were being started. We managed to get seats fortunately. The bus was unbelievably packed even before we got to Randolph. For some reason, the people starting the busses at the south end of the Loop thought it was necessary to space them out several minutes apart, which made everyone try to squeeze onto our bus. They actually needed to start three or more busses at the same time since there were already that many people at the stops in the Loop and River North. I'm guessing we were probably 50+% over capacity of the bus while leaving at least a bus worth of people at the stops.

The best part was the group of six older adults from Lincoln Park (watched where they got off). It's great that they decided public transportation was the way to go but they were so overloaded with stuff. They brought on six folding chairs that were quite unwieldy after being folded. Fortunately, those found a home on the shelf over the front right wheel. One of the men had a shopping cart with coolers and other necessary gear for the evening. Not a smart choice when so many hundreds of people are trying to get on the bus. There were several times when people couldn't get past the cart in the aisle and of course the cart never made it up the steps past the exit stairs.

Fun. Finally made it home around 12:30. Not sure if it could have taken longer. Past years, I've been able to get home by 11:30.

"The best part was the group of six older adults from Lincoln Park (watched where they got off). It's great that they decided public transportation was the way to go but they were so overloaded with stuff."

What exactly do you expect them to do? As you state in your very post "Cabs were out of the question since traffic was at a standstill." Oh, that's right. You were talking about yourself. I guess in your mind it is rude for someone else to not take a cab in these traffic conditions but out of the question for you. Would you suggest that it is also rude for people to take coolers and folding chairs to a fireworks show? It seems to me that this is normally what people do. Jeez. What is your problem?

MK, I think you need to try some anger management classes. Or maybe just a daily hug would help you out a little bit.

Non-compete with other town's fireworks?? Please!

Plain and simple: it's cheaper. It is a brilliant way to put hundreds of additional cops on the street without paying them crazy holiday wages. Ditto CTA drivers and conductors, come to think of it.

"Oh, that's right. You were talking about yourself. I guess in your mind it is rude for someone else to not take a cab in these traffic conditions but out of the question for you...It seems to me that this is normally what people do. Jeez. What is your problem?"

MK- I applaud them for taking public transportation. Yes, people need to take stuff with them, such as coolers and something to sit on. I was with a group of four, we had one chair (folded up between my legs) and one blanket.

My point was that they had a lot of stuff with them including a shopping cart, which barely fit through the aisles and made it very difficult for everyone else. There were probably 80+ people on the bus. These were the only people who had items taking up space that they couldn't put on their laps or between their legs. I think they should have thought about the situation and restrained themselves to how much they brought.

I also fault the CTA with how they started busses from the Loop since there was clearly the demand for more busses at stops beginning around Randolph. Since the people at the stops didn't see anything else coming, they tried to force their way onto to the bus.

Are you upset because you were a part of the group?