The fact that mass transit needs to be saved, is, in my opinion, hokey. What kind of city/state/country are we living in?? One that cannot afford to reasonably improve and upkeep its public transportation to a post-1980s level. The subway lines are in such a state of disrepair– And to top it off, they’re going to start limiting service and just completely eliminate bus lines in November.
This weekend for the first time, I traveled on METRA to Evanston. Usually, I used to take the blue line to the red line to the purple line. When I learned that the Metra station was only about a mile and a half from me, and that it only takes about 20 minutes from the North/Clybourne stop to Evanston-Davis, I was all about trying it out.
Apart from a small snafu involving my bike to be “secured” — by a tiny bungee cord that luckily another woman lent me, the Metra was an extremely pleasurable experience. The clientele are largely middle-class to affluent suburbanites. I would assume that the price for a ticket on the train would vastly exceed that of the CTA. Here, I’d be wrong. Only $3.05, compared to $2. 20 minutes to Evanston, vs 2 hours–more like 2.5 hours with delays. Pretty easy choice.
Why can’t the CTA just get it right? Really poor management and oversight is no longer an excuse. The vibrancy of a city and the entire infrastructure for commuting and thus, working, depends on it.
I suppose I should plug this site until there is a better fix, Save ChicagoLand transit.
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