Archive for ‘Commuter Updates’
Pigeon traffic camera perfect for Chicago?
The website Atohms offers up a prototype of a traffic camera sure to fool motorists — it’s disguised as a pigeon. Writes the poster: A speeding driver will not pay attention to the silhouette of a simple bird. Thus it’ll safeguard the camera from detection and possible vandalism. A funny side effect would be that drivers [...]
READ MORECook County Highway Department ready for first major storm
As the Chicago area hunkers down for the first serious winter storm of the season, the Cook County Highway Department put out a news release detailing its efforts. The highway department is responsible for roads stretching from from Palatine township in the north to Bloom Township in the far south. Cook County residents can report [...]
READ MOREOn Jan. 1, I-Pass charged 3 cents more across the state line
On New Year’s Day, I-Pass users will have to pay an extra 3 cents each time they pass through a booth on the Indiana Toll Road, the Times of Northwest Indiana reported on Friday. The new charge came about because the Illinois Tollway Authority in July began charging Indiana Toll Road Concession Co. a transaction [...]
READ MORECTA planning layoffs
Chicago Current reports that the Chicago Transit Authority on Friday notified employees that it is plans layoffs at the beginning of 2010. The agency issued notices under the federal WARN Act, which requires employers to advise workers 60 days in advance of mass layoffs. In the past, the CTA has sent notices in instances when [...]
READ MORECatching up on CTA news
From the CTA Tattler: Riders searching for Chicago Transit Authority bus times at ctabustracker.org accounted for the second most popular Google search in the city for 2009. The RTA Trip Planner was No. 4. The Tattler’s 2nd annual Holiday Train meetup is set for Dec. 12. The Chicago Tribune’s Jon Hilkevitch reports that two types [...]
READ MORECTA: Rides cost $7-$9.90, but agency makes about 98 cents for each
Transit agency wants cutbacks in labor costs; union official says CTA mismanaging public funds Consider this the next time you ride Chicago Transit Authority buses and trains, or you wonder why it always seems like the transit agency is asking for a government bailout:
READ MORET-Mobile now available on CTA’s Red, Blue Line subways
T-Mobile customers can now use cellular service on Red and Blue Line subways. The cellular company completed upgrades after signing a 10-year contract with the Chicago Transit Authority for $3.1 million. T-Mobile joins AT&T, Verizon, US Cellular and Cricket as companies that now provide subway cell service in Chicago.
READ MOREHow’d Monday’s commute tweet you?
As overheard on Twitter during Monday’s morning and evening commute. As always, follow and tweet commuting or traffic tips and story ideas to @chitowntattler. @alkrea: Lake Forest Oasis again. Damn Chicago traffic. My gas light was on for awhile in bumper to bumper traffic. Oasis is my savior! @willowztroll: RT @rockkboy: I hate Chicago rush [...]
READ MORECTA hearings on 2010 budget coming in November
The Chicago Transit Authority Board has scheduled an informational meeting on proposed fare increase and service reductions for Thursday. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Austin Town Hall, located at 5610 West Lake Street in Chicago. Under the proposed service reductions, the CTA — effective February 7, 2010 — would [...]
READ MOREEven without Olympic specter, CTA still planning projects
NBC5 reports that the Chicago Transit Authority has completed its analysis for a new Circle Line, which was considered a crucial transportation improvement included in the city’s plans to host the 2016 Olympic Games. An idea that arose in 2002, the Circle Line would create a second Loop connecting the Loop, Chinatown, the Illinois Medical [...]
READ MORECongestion cost U.S. drivers 4.2 billion hours in 2007
According to a report from the Texas Transportation Institute, motorists across the country in 2007 combined to spend the equivalent of 175 million days in traffic and purchase an extra 2.8 billion gallons of fuel due to congestion. The 2009 Urban Mobility Report, which the institute released in July, states the figures actually represent a [...]
READ MOREHow’d Friday’s commute tweet you?
As overheard on Twitter during Friday’s commute. As always, follow and tweet commuting or traffic tips and story ideas to @chitowntattler. @astrophysics: I like astronomy a lot, but when I drive to Chicago, I’m putting my life on the line in the name of Science. Night, rain & traffic don’t mix @euphenia: Chicago traffic, you [...]
READ MOREBridge lift season: About three weeks to go
The Chicago River bridge lift season is winding down, and scheduled to end Nov. 14. Lifts occur Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting at Lake Michigan and continue down the Main and South Branches of the Chicago River. Wednesday lifts begin at 9:30 a.m. and impact the downtown area — especially Lake Shore Driver — between 9:30 [...]
READ MOREHow’d Thursday’s commute tweet you?
As overheard on Twitter during Thursday’s rainy commute. As always, follow and tweet commuting or traffic tips and story ideas to @chitowntattler. @dkw2487: O my god. Just had 2.5 hours of stop and go traffic and still not out of Chicago! @andrewkordek: I spent 224 minutes in traffic today going to and from downtown Chicago. [...]
READ MORETribune article highlights little used commuter tax break
There’s a federal tax break out there that could save users of Chicago public transportation up to $1,067, but the Tribune reports that only a handful of Chicago-area commuters take advantage. According to Richard Wronski’s article, the tax break enables commuters to save money, reduces traffic congestion and cuts down on pollution and carbon emissions. [...]
READ MOREGPS on CTA buses could help us all
According to WBBM 780′s Bob Roberts, Chicago and the Chicago Transit Authority are working on a way to help speed the commute for those who don’t use public transportation. Each CTA bus now has a GPS transponder that is used for the bus tracker program, and Roberts reports that the transit agency will share the [...]
READ MOREStudy: Travel times to O’Hare halved with new roads
A preliminary study released by the Illinois Department of Transportation finds that a north-south expressway connecting the Jane Addams Tollway to the Tri-State Tollway on the west side O’Hare International Airport would significantly cut travel times to the airport. In addition, a long-planned extension of the Elgin-O’Hare Expressway would contribute to halving travel times for [...]
READ MORECommuters helping commuters…
Modern day mobile technology has allowed commuters to grab hold of some old-fashioned phone-treeing. A little start-up called Clever Commute allows riders to e-mail one another when their trains are delayed. USA Today brings us the story of New Jersey’s Jim Connors, who “checks his BlackBerry to see whether his train home is on schedule. [...]
READ MORESouth Shore to suspend service between Gary and South Bend
South Shore weekend commuters traveling between South Bend and Gary will have to find some alternatives for a period of four weekends. Starting at 2:30 a.m. Saturday and continuing until 3 a.m. Monday, service at the following stations will be suspended: Miller, Portage/Ogden Dunes, Dune Park, Beverly Shores, Carroll Avenue and 11th Street in Michigan [...]
READ MOREMetra enters Brave New World … accepts credit card payments
Metra – “The Way to Really Fly” – entered the 21st Century this week, allowing its roughly 312,000 daily commuters to buy daily and monthly passes on its Web site. Commuters can also sign up to receive e-mail alerts when their trains are running late. The Chicago Tribune reported that the transit agency’s efforts come [...]
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