CTA Tattler

>>>
Huberman has put a lot of work into improving passenger communications, but chronic CTA problems on that front have caused him the biggest headaches during his first year.
<<<

Ron is a heck of a spin master. A regular PR guru who assembled a team of people who do a great job of convincing us that things are better than they really are (Montrose opening ahead of schedule, for example), and distracting us from the bad (the tracker being years behind schedule has turned into a "we can see the light" party).

Basically, the emperor has new clothes.

His biggest failures, however, come not from his communications skills, but from the fact that he doesn't have a clue of how to run a transit system, let alone one as complex and problem riddled as the CTA.

Pretty soon the halucingenics in the Kool Aide will either wear-off, or the whole mess will colapse so badly that even his team of spin doctors won't be able to put a good enough positive spin on it.

=====
July 2008 -- Today the CTA announced that they will be saving millions of dollars a year in maintenance costs by not replacing the section of Elevated track that fell to the street yesterday. President Ron Huberman showed reporters a Powerpoint presentation on how this will be a boost to the CTA operating budget.
=====

And, of course, he'll have a Powerpoint presentation to prove it. But any significant data won't be available for public inspection while he builds a new set of metrics that he's more confident about. (Read: Is more confident that they'll demonstrate the point he wants to make, and not prove him wrong on anything.)

OFF TOPIC:

I just noticed that Chicago has finally been updated on Google Earth and Google Maps. Soldier Field is no longer under construction. Plus, it's kind of cool to see the skyline reflected on the 'Bean'

Really makes one sad/angry to read the July, 2007 entry regarding safety and communication and realize that, almost to a point, each of the recommendations was ignored or not even implemented by the time of Blue Line SNAFU: the April, 2008 Edition.

Do we need to develop, implement and train on a Tattler Safety Protocol to check on KevinB? It's after 3pm and nothing. He's either dead or maybe he thought this post was a little too much like shooting fish in a barrel.

Thanks for the health and welfare check :)

I used to be the lone wolf in pointing out the clothesless state of the emperor, but lately its more of a chorus than a solo by me. I'm more than ego-less enough to let other people to point out the problems.

Also, I seem to be a lightning rod for non-CTA related comments about me like if I post from work or if I wore the same underwear two days in a row rather than my sparkling repartee'.

I'm working more toward becoming a CTA videologger...if I can ever figure out how to get my videos uploaded from my phone with sound, I'll have some interesting stuff to post. Last night I got off a 22 Clark bus that was immediately attacked by transvestite prostitutes and I manage to get some video of the post attack merriment with the police. I was one of the people calling 911.

I also have some interesting video of a incident on a train with a couple people who felt it was their right to be loud and annoying to a whole trainload of people and when asked nicely by this very unassuming young lady went on to make it into a race incident. The operator seemed to agree that they had every right to be loud and disruptive and I even have him also on video saying that to them. Evidently Jesus was on their side too...

I'm beginning to wonder if some of the Tattler folks have it in for me..especially after the bus incident. When I heard the words "It's him, he's on the bus", I got just a little paranoid...and just remember, just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean people aren't out to get you.....

KevinB

KevinB, I will supply the USB cord for your phone, Ill even create a youtube account, but for the love of god, GET THOSE VIDEOS ONLINE!

Hey, I have all the techie stuff, but for some reason no matter which way I upload them, there isn't any sound. The video transfers fine...and I have great sound when I play it on the phone.

I uploaded the transvestite video to youtube, but no sound. If you search on CTA, clark, you can see it, just can't hear it.

KevinB

Have you tried the low(er)-tech method of e-mailing the video to your regular e-mail, and downloading the attachment?

Yeah, I've tried emailing, uploading and mail through verizon.com, etc.

Either the size is not supported (you'd think verizon would support their own hardware and the video sizes the LG env can send), quite frankly I should be able to take the mmc card out of the phone, put it in my card reader and then view, send etc without any problems, but I'm going to see if I can convert it tonight. I love the env, except for the stupid brew enviroment and verizons "crippling" of the handset.

I wish I had video of the transvestite I saw on the 22 last summer. He was close to 7 feet tall in 4" wedgies and looked kinda like Bootsie Collins. The best was the reaction of the tourists from Iowa who had just made the pilgrimage to Wrigley Field. They had that "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore" look about them. I also wish I had video of the interaction between the bus supervisor and bus operator this morning. For the first time ever I actually had to e-mail CTA to defend the rank and file against management. The supervisor's behavior exemplified moronic. The bus operator was extremely good-natured, especially since he had to take crap for something that wasn't his fault.

The possible failure of Huberman's first year is yet to be seen: despite a large bailout of more tax subsidies, has the CTA's fiscal health really been saved? From what I gather from the thinly available sources of information out there, all that dough had to be pumped into an unfunded pension fund, meaning the core operating dynamic for service is really in no different shape than it was before: increased ridership doesn't help the bottom-line, it can hurt it if you can't afford to expand with the increasing markets. That hasn't changed? Are fare increases or service cuts still on the horizon?

i have a suggestion that i think i'll also blog about on my blog .. i've been noticing that at belmont and other stations they have these extra peeps hanging out, letting the motorman know if it's safe to cruise out and if everyone's out of the doors, etc. presumably because they're not used to the longer cars?

there's even signs that say something like "why are there so many employees at this station?" with some little explanation about how they're trying to make things more efficient.

well ... how about getting back conductors!?!? first of all, it worries me that if the brown line people are needing assistance seeing people midway down on their train, what is it saying for the motormen on the blue and red lines? are they being entirely safe?

second of all, if it's to speed things up, why only have it at a couple of stations? or why have them on the platforms? why not have them on the train where they can do double duty of looking out for passengers and providing a physical presence that might deter people from littering and other bad shit?

thirdly, maybe having a conductor on board would, oh, i don't know ... help in COMMUNICATION when shit goes bad/wrong, both in minor situations and in really major ones. it would allow for another person to be in communication with passengers and someone who is in the middle of the car to be more accessible to people, rather than the motorperson who is waaaay up in front and not as easily reached when you're somewhere in the middle of the car/at the end.

they did it to cut costs, but i'm wondering how much those lawsuits are costing them to settle ...

Smussyolay, it's because the platforms are tapered on the Track 1 and Track 4 (Brown Line) sides at Fullerton and Belmont. That's why the operator can't see all the way to the last car. At stations with tangent (straight) platforms it's not an issue (or at least not one requiring platform personnel). Although those platforms are 8-cars long, they weren't really intended for regular operation of 8-car trains on Tracks 1 and 4, re: the sightlines.

At stations that have this problem, the CTA has installed CCTVs and cameras (i.e. Loyola, Kedzie-Homan, etc.). If the conditions at Belmont and Fullerton were permanent I'm sure the CTA would put them there too. But since the condition will only exist until the new platforms are in service, it's probably easier to just assign a platform person during the hours of 8-car Brown Line service.

Loyola also has larger platforms (one each for north and south bound, for those of you who don't get north), less riders and fewer trains (red only, not red, brown and purple).

damn. i still want conductors back. i think it would still help with scary blue line situations. and other stuff, too. oh well. my main argument is foiled!

if it's any comfort, I agree that we should have the conductors back. One person in charge of a crowded 8-car train during rush hour is ridiculous; when anything happens, from medical emergency to equipment breakdown (ala the Blue Line) to violence among the passengers, there's no way this person will be able to get there in a timely fashion and still reassure the rest of the train.
But, hey, they're not listening to us...

Anybody know why the Blue Line has been standing at Damen for a good couple minutes every morning? There's usually a CTA person on the platform who's yelling at people 3 blocks away (I kid) to hurry up, the train is standing, etc. I'd love for the train to pause a little longer when I'm running for the train, but that doesn't happen at my stop...anybody know why they're doing this, and why at Damen?

Given how difficult it was to get the existing level of operating funding, I'm sure that people who want conductors back understand that the way those conductors would be paid for would be by having fewer trains running.

I'd rather not see service cut just to pay for extra employees. Had there been conductors on those trains on the Blue Line, do you think the idiots who self-evacuated would have listened to them more than they listened to the TO's?

Re: "Smussyolay, it's because the platforms are tapered on the Track 1 and Track 4 (Brown Line) sides at Fullerton and Belmont. That's why the operator can't see all the way to the last car. At stations with tangent (straight) platforms it's not an issue (or at least not one requiring platform personnel). Although those platforms are 8-cars long, they weren't really intended for regular operation of 8-car trains on Tracks 1 and 4, re: the sightlines."

That's a good description of the old track 4 platform(and current track 1); however, before and during 3 tracking there were no regular 8-car Red line trains on the old track 4 platform, and Brown & Purple were limited to 6 cars, so there weren't any line of vision(sightline) problems.

Since NB platform reconstruction at Belmont and Fullerton, the new platform at Track 4 is 8-cars long with a straight line of vision. However, since Track 1 hasn't been reconstructed yet, we have this temporary blind spot with 8-car sets on Brown(new to 8 car sets) and Red line trains. When the new Track 2 platform is completed and Red/Brown/Purple are running on it, the need for platform personnel to look at doors opening/closing won't be there. I would also assume that the new Track 1 platforms will also be a straight line of vision, like Track 4 is now.

Oh, and is it my imagination, or are the new Track 3/4 platforms at Belmont and Fullerton capable of being extended to allow for a future 10-car Red line without having to move the tracks? That open space between tracks 3 & 4 sure looks like it. I'd expect to see the same random extra 2-car length open space between tracks 1 & 2 when those platforms are finished.