CTA Tattler

Sick. As you said, this happens ALL the time on the Red line. It's so disgusting and foul.

On the Red line south out of Howard yesterday afternoon, someone had spilled milk on the floor and the milk was running to an fro in the corrugated floor as the train de/accellerated.

The morning prior, this time on the Red line northbound to Howard, there were corn chips all over the floor when I boarded. In a nearby seat there was the remnants of a huge bag of corn chips. The bag was torn from top to bottom open and there was corn chip detritus covering two seats. Nice.

I was on the 147 North and watched a woman eat a Salad - while sitting in the "accordion" section of the bus. I was sure the salad was going to go flying, but she kept it under control - barely!

And of course every rail car and bus contains at least one person who thinks their own eating or drinking won't cause any mess at all and, after all, they're a nice person, not like those slobby ones who make the messes. And then, oops, there goes a doughnut chunk, or a slosh of frappuccino, or a few grains of sugar off a cookie, and oh, it won't happen again, and doesn't matter.

Multiply that by hundreds.

And of course if one raises a complaint, even nicely, one gets an earful of profanity, just for asking that a rule that applies to all of us be observed, for the sake of keeping conditions fit for human use of the vehicle.

It's a lost cause...at least until the CTA is willing to put up more visible signs and at least randomly, occasionally do some enforcement.

Then there are the litterers, who seem to be worse than ever.

People are absolute pigs.

Weirdest eating-on-the-CTA I've experienced to date: on the Green Line back to Cottage/63, two guys get on at Garfield carrying one of those opaque black convenience store bags. They pull out a huge bag of pork rinds and a jumbo bottle of ketchup. They open the pork rinds and proceed to dump most of the bottle of ketchup into the bag, then dig in with their fingers. It was truly disgusting to observe. If you squinted, it kind of looked primitive, like two men devouring a carcass--the smeared ketchup everywhere looked a lot like blood.

Ugh.

and what's with all the sunflower seeds--the shells, at least? I've ridden the CTA for years, & they are the sole constant, esp on the L, but I do see them on buses from time to time. I never see anyone actually eating them, just the shells scattered about.

By all means ... food is definitely the issue we should get up in arms about. *rolls eyes*

I'll stop occasionally bringing a soda or candy bar onto the train when the CTA removes every soda vending machine and kicks out every concession stand and food outlet it rents space to INSIDE ITS OWN BLOODY STATIONS, including Dunkin' Donuts at Chicago which is INSIDE THE BLOODY TURNSTILES, FOR PETE'S SAKE!

Here's what I do -- I lean over and "warn" people, as a favor, "You might want to be careful, I've seen people get busted for eating /drinking on the train." (Which is true, but all too rare, and I can't do it officially if I'm not in uniform). It's not seen like I'm complaining, but doing them a favor, and it also helps build the social expectation that you're not supposed to eat or drink on the train. In DC, because the culture is so much AGAINST eating or drinking on the train, everyone gives you a dirty look if you're just holding your coffee.

Let's try it folks.

I don't like food messes on the trains either, but com'on - Mike has it. The CTA sells food and drink INSIDE the train stations! It's not exactly a discouragement.

Oh, and this startles me - people who don't LOOK before they sit on a food mess! I saw a woman this morning who plopped down on top of some dried tomato sauce (I hope that's what it was). Didn't even look. She was too far away and too fast for me to warn her but I hope her clothes didn't get ruined.

I'm sorry, but I have to agree with Mike Harris. If there is an expectation that people should not be eating or drinking on the train, then there should not be concessions selling food and drink in the stations and especially not within the paid area. The people who should be busted are the ones that are making messes and not cleaning them up, not some guy with a water bottle or covered drink. I say fine the people who make the mess and let the individual decide if it is worth the risk.

I agree with Scott. There's a food and drink ban, it needs to be enforced across the board. It's a moving vehicle, even the most conscientious person can spill something.

The worse part is that your really tasty Popeye's chicken or Taco Bell has a very strong spicy smell! And sometimes its grease you can smell, or the vinegar in the sauce, whats the strongest smell - Macdonalds french fries!!! it might smell good to the eater, but to other folks, ususally it doesn't smell very good especially when its now humid in the train or bus and everything multiplies!!! to someone on a diet, or has a tummy ache, or is a vegeterian I am sure they do not enjoy smelling grease, cooked pig meat, chicken, etc.

Forget the smell, forget the crumbs, forget the disgusting displays- that's not why I care about eating on the CTA. I care because more than a couple times, I've seen ROACHES ON BUSES. The first time, I was on the X28, and there were lil' baby roaches that ran up the seat in front of me, and over my pants leg. I actually ran off the bus and did the bug dance for about 10 minutes, I'm sure everyone thought I was insane.

On the 26 the other day, someone else got the bug- a quite large roach ran up her leg and arm, then under her purse which was on her lap. She tossed the purse on the floor like it had burned her, picked it back up, exposing the nasty little monster, then squashed the bug. SQUICK!

Yes, remove the snacks from CTA concession areas because they're forcing us to buy them and eat them on the train. Hello? Does the availability of food and drink in stations mean we have to be able to eat and drink in the vehicles? Buy the stuff on the way out, OK? Or eat the snack on the platform. On the train or bus, keep it stowed away. Why is that so hard to understand? The stuff's available for me to buy, therefore I can't control myself?

I'm all for Washington, D.C.'s anti-food-and-drink-on-trains culture. Random enforcement would at least create the awareness that one COULD be fined, and then we riders could helpfully remind eaters of that danger.

And why do people have to stuff their faces in every imaginable venue and at all times, anyway?

I'm with Scott. I don't care whether there are concessions on CTA property or not. It's the eating it on the train/bus that's the problem. The CTA doesn't care about enforcement because it doesn't get enough flak. They could make their food-concession renters put up big signs that eating/drinking on vehicles is prohibited and subject to arrest. There could be big signs on huses/trains/stations, too. But CTA doesn't care and it has nothing to do with where food is sold.

Another approach for those who don't want to confront is to wait til the offender leaves, and THEN go on loudly about what goddamn pigs they were, and what the hell's wrong with morons like that. Might give your fellow passengers some second thoughts about their own habits.

Do people eat on the train or bus because they didn't stop for dinner, and didn't have time for dinner if they took time to stop & eat it at the restaurant? On the Metra I could see this, maybe but on a CTA, I think people just think its time to relax and eat while traveling or something like that. I can see taking a drink on the bus or train .. it gets pretty hot in there at times.

A few thoughts:

1. How can the CTA get aggressive about eating on its vehicles when some employees are seen violating the rule? I've seen train operators, bus drivers and other employees driving and riding while eating and drinking themselves. One train operator had a full meal in a huge styrofoam container sitting in the front window as the train pulled into my station.

(I really only cared about the train being ontime and getting from A to B safely, honestly.)

2. When it takes over an hour to go less than 8 hours, riders will not tolerate being harrassed over 'packing a meal'. Put the "rapid" back in transit before chasing lower priority issues like eating aboard.

3. There really is no excuse for littering with so many trash receptacles available both on train platforms, in stations and close to bus stops. Stop being so damn lazy and trifling.

4. I personally don't care about a person eating or drinking aboard, as long as they keep it in check. Sure there will be someone who does not like the smell of it, but one could say the same about colognes, perfumes, oils, hair products and other smells.

2. When it takes over an hour to go less than 8 MILES

It is fairly amusing when people get defensive saying b-b-but "THEY SELL THEM IN THE STATION"!

Obviously it didn't occur you could exchange money for goods and services in these fine establishments AS YOU'RE LEAVING THE STATION.

Conversely, if you buy something on the way in, it doesn't mean you have to start sucking it down until after you've reached your stop.

I only use a few stops with any regularity, but none of them have food and drink for sale inside the turnstiles. I'm not saying it doesn't exist in transitland, but it sure doesn't on the stops I use.

It seems like the real problem is that the CTA is not concerned enough to do anything about the issue. Why not carry a camera, take photos of offenders (even if they are CTA employees), and post them to a Flickr group dedicated to showing the CTA how disgusting the system becomes when the rules aren't enforced? Deputize yourself to get things changed.

you can eat whatever you want in your car without the dirty looks or "warnings". come on people, try it!

I usually sit in that single seat by the end door, since I'm tall and I have a huge behind (not wanting to encroach on others), and I have seen the sunflower seed eater twice. She sits eating her seeds, and calmly pulls the shells out of her mouth and drops them on the floor. I stared at her once, and she just stared back, still taking the shells out of her mouth and throwing them on the floor, and looking at me like, "what are you looking at?" I didn't say anything and neither did anyone else.

What is happening to my #147 bus??? It used to be all the buses down Lake Shore Drive were pretty clean and no screaming kids and trash and chicken bones and all that stuff that happens on the Red Line!

Three days this week the #147 bus lost power and had to be powered up.. You could hear everyone moaning that the bus was going to die and we'd all have to get up and go to another bus. This is intimidating when you have a seat and there are many people standing and to think that you have to board another already crowded bus.

The buses that go down Lake Shore Drive hit the bumps REALLY HARD so that you fly out of your seat. It also hurts when it causes you to bump the metal as the bus is bumping you up and down as it travels on the pot holes of the Drive.

But yesterday, worse than that, IT WAS VERY HOT. No airconditioning - but also i swear they had the heat on. Yes! You could hardly breathe.

of course there was another thing - urine smell. Someone was either leaking urine in their underwear or else it was so hot and humid in that bus that someone's perspiration started smelling like urine.

so what is going on with my beloved #147 bus (Express bus down lake Shore Drive from Oak Street to Foster.)