How do you deal with winters in Chicago? (Normal: safe, train)

[SonySegaTendo617]

A A

Originally Posted by GWoodle

Down winter coat. Get boots with plenty of traction. Check on your HVAC system & have it regularly serviced. Many may use gas heat. For high rise condo windows may be insulated so you keep warm.

Agree these very low temps not to be taken lightly. If you need to be outside may have heavy garments. If you drive a car will need snow shovel to dig out of street parking. Best to have a garage to keep it in. In the city CTA elevated generally reliable. Bus system has to deal with snow.

Chicago does have an emergency snow removal plan. Heed any instructions. You will have to investigate how it applies to you. Most important is to heed snow route parking signs. If you park on the street could be towed away.

As for buses, most of the CTA bus routes are reliable, due to how well the city shovels major streets. The CTA has hired back a higher number of bus operators, than L operators. I have heard as of now the biggest employee challenge they face is to hire a lot of L train operators, to get back to pre-pandemic levels of L operators. They are doing things like holding job fairs to address this issue, but it will take time(including time to train the new L operators) before they officially begin employment.

Also to me at least, I find the CTA buses(and I'll also add in Pace and Metra, though they more are in the suburbs) to be a lot more enjoyable to ride, than the L. The very big problem with the L, is rules are almost never enforced on L trains. If rules could be enforced on L trains a lot better(i.e. no soliciting, no smoking/vaping/pot use, etc), that would go a LOOOONG way to bringing riders back more often on the L. I remember reading L ridership peaked in 2015, and has fallen from that level since. It's also embarrassing too that even if combined CTA bus and subway ridership may be still slightly ahead of DC(WMATA) overall, that DC subway ridership numbers finally slipped ahead of L ridership.

CTA really needs to get it the heck together, to improve the L riding experience. And for the love of God, ACTUALLY do implement an anonymous texting system to report incidents and behavior on their buses and trains. If MARTA(Atlanta), WMATA(DC), Metra commuter rail, and nearly all sports stadiums/arenas have already implemented such anonymous texting systems to report incidents and behaviors against the rules, why can't also the CTA? And no, the private security program they started doing a year or 2 back on L trains is totally useless.

[ChiGuy2.5]

Originally Posted by SonySegaTendo617

A A

As for buses, most of the CTA bus routes are reliable, due to how well the city shovels major streets. The CTA has hired back a higher number of bus operators, than L operators. I have heard as of now the biggest employee challenge they face is to hire a lot of L train operators, to get back to pre-pandemic levels of L operators. They are doing things like holding job fairs to address this issue, but it will take time(including time to train the new L operators) before they officially begin employment.

Also to me at least, I find the CTA buses(and I'll also add in Pace and Metra, though they more are in the suburbs) to be a lot more enjoyable to ride, than the L. The very big problem with the L, is rules are almost never enforced on L trains. If rules could be enforced on L trains a lot better(i.e. no soliciting, no smoking/vaping/pot use, etc), that would go a LOOOONG way to bringing riders back more often on the L. I remember reading L ridership peaked in 2015, and has fallen from that level since. It's also embarrassing too that even if combined CTA bus and subway ridership may be still slightly ahead of DC(WMATA) overall, that DC subway ridership numbers finally slipped ahead of L ridership.

CTA really needs to get it the heck together, to improve the L riding experience. And for the love of God, ACTUALLY do implement an anonymous texting system to report incidents and behavior on their buses and trains. If MARTA(Atlanta), WMATA(DC), Metra commuter rail, and nearly all sports stadiums/arenas have already implemented such anonymous texting systems to report incidents and behaviors against the rules, why can't also the CTA? And no, the private security program they started doing a year or 2 back on L trains is totally useless.

Of course I understand the need for more safety on the L, I also don't know what the answer is. I don't believe that it's an anonymous texting service. Even if they had one, it would be no different than texting 911, which you can do today. The police still won't arrive in time to resolve any issues. At best they might have an officer at the next station who can assist.

The only remaining idea I have is to have an armed guard on every train, similar to what we do on planes. Then maybe install a panic button in the train that when pulled sounds an alarm and stops a train at the nearest station.

[on3]

If you venture into Chicago in the dead of winter and suddenly get hit with an Alberta Clipper and don't have a snow brush/ice scraper in your car, you might as well have ordered that "I love Chicago T-shirt" online along with some Portabella and just stayed home...

[CamThomas]

So do you guys wear long johns underneath your business suit?

[Kmanshouse]

Originally Posted by CamThomas

So do you guys wear long johns underneath your business suit?

LOL, absolutely never.

This isn't the Yukon.

We typically have a couple of weeks during the winter (perhaps 2 or 3 stretches of brutally cold days that last 3-7 days each), where it's painful outside. We're talking maybe 15 days a year. The rest of the winter is in the 20-40 degree range, similar to what is seen/felt in most of the northern half of the country.

Chicago can get cold, but it's not that special.

[Rusty Nailz]

40 degrees this week , 50 next week. Dead of winter.

[MarianRavenwood]

Originally Posted by CamThomas

So do you guys wear long johns underneath your business suit?

Not under a suit. But I do have a pair of silk long underwear that I'll wear under trousers or jeans. Only if it gets REALLY cold (below zero at least) and I can't avoid being outside for a long time. Maybe once per year.



One thing to keep in mind--if you have a car, you have a totally different wardrobe than if you rely on the bus or train. Twenty degrees isn't so cold if you're just walking out to your car (especially if you can remote start it to warm it up). But twenty degrees if you're standing on an elevated platform for 10 minutes or standing on a street corner waiting for a bus that never comes....that requires an entirely different wardrobe.

[GWoodle]

Originally Posted by CamThomas

So do you guys wear long johns underneath your business suit?

Wear long johns if you spend time outdoors. Maybe for those that work outdoors. Maybe for a walk with the dog. Definitely if you go ice fishing.

May wear boots to/from work but have a pair of loafers to change at work.

From the car to a garage or your parked car makes a difference. Waiting on a bus, train, elevated makes a difference. Determine which way the wind blows. Ski mask may be necessary.

These days good to have reloadable fare charge card. No more fumbling with coins or cash.

[MarianRavenwood]

Originally Posted by SonySegaTendo617

A A

As for buses, most of the CTA bus routes are reliable, due to how well the city shovels major streets. The CTA has hired back a higher number of bus operators, than L operators. I have heard as of now the biggest employee challenge they face is to hire a lot of L train operators, to get back to pre-pandemic levels of L operators. They are doing things like holding job fairs to address this issue, but it will take time(including time to train the new L operators) before they officially begin employment.

Also to me at least, I find the CTA buses(and I'll also add in Pace and Metra, though they more are in the suburbs) to be a lot more enjoyable to ride, than the L. The very big problem with the L, is rules are almost never enforced on L trains. If rules could be enforced on L trains a lot better(i.e. no soliciting, no smoking/vaping/pot use, etc), that would go a LOOOONG way to bringing riders back more often on the L. I remember reading L ridership peaked in 2015, and has fallen from that level since. It's also embarrassing too that even if combined CTA bus and subway ridership may be still slightly ahead of DC(WMATA) overall, that DC subway ridership numbers finally slipped ahead of L ridership.

CTA really needs to get it the heck together, to improve the L riding experience. And for the love of God, ACTUALLY do implement an anonymous texting system to report incidents and behavior on their buses and trains. If MARTA(Atlanta), WMATA(DC), Metra commuter rail, and nearly all sports stadiums/arenas have already implemented such anonymous texting systems to report incidents and behaviors against the rules, why can't also the CTA? And no, the private security program they started doing a year or 2 back on L trains is totally useless.

The issue with L operators is that they are required to work as a flagger for a year before they can even apply to be a train operator. Typically they only have two classes per year. And then in-field training, which is limited (only so much space for trainees to shadow someone inside that tiny compartment). They can't just put out ads for L operators, they have to recruit internal applicants, and then backfill with bus driver applications.


As to the crime issue, I think even the CTA unions have called for the return of conductors. At one time, we used to have train conductors on every train who operated the doors and announced stops--just like on Metra. But they could also walk the cars and keep an eye on things, and just the chance that they might show up deters most crime (even unarmed, an authority figure in uniform is very effective). All that ended in 1997 when the door operation changed.

[SonySegaTendo617]

Originally Posted by ChiGuy2.5

Of course I understand the need for more safety on the L, I also don't know what the answer is. I don't believe that it's an anonymous texting service. Even if they had one, it would be no different than texting 911, which you can do today. The police still won't arrive in time to resolve any issues. At best they might have an officer at the next station who can assist.

The only remaining idea I have is to have an armed guard on every train, similar to what we do on planes. Then maybe install a panic button in the train that when pulled sounds an alarm and stops a train at the nearest station.

To me, it wouldn't hurt to try an anonymous texting service for L and CTA buses. So many other public transit agencies have established such an anonymous texting system(WMATA in DC, MARTA in Atlanta, etc), that it wouldn't hurt for CTA to try.

Originally Posted by MarianRavenwood

The issue with L operators is that they are required to work as a flagger for a year before they can even apply to be a train operator. Typically they only have two classes per year. And then in-field training, which is limited (only so much space for trainees to shadow someone inside that tiny compartment). They can't just put out ads for L operators, they have to recruit internal applicants, and then backfill with bus driver applications.


As to the crime issue, I think even the CTA unions have called for the return of conductors. At one time, we used to have train conductors on every train who operated the doors and announced stops--just like on Metra. But they could also walk the cars and keep an eye on things, and just the chance that they might show up deters most crime (even unarmed, an authority figure in uniform is very effective). All that ended in 1997 when the door operation changed.

I'd be fine with L conductors coming back. I think alone that would be a very big gamechanger, to deter behaviors on L trains against the rules(smoking/vaping, soliciting, etc).