Iwritecode Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Well I left work on Tuesday at 4:40 PM and got home around 8:15 PM. That included stopping at a truck stop on the way. So I only added about an extra 1.5 hours to my commute. There was surprisingly little traffic. The worst part was trying to figure out where the road was since I couldn’t see a single white or yellow line. Also the snow would pick up every so often and I couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of me for a few seconds. Tuesday night when they started pulling the plows off the roads and actually issuing citations for anyone that got stuck in Boone County I decided to just stay home on Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon I finally went out and dug out the giant drift of snow on my front sidewalk. Luckily I only had to shovel around my car and about 5 feet of driveway behind it. I actually made good time coming in this morning with the schools being closed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 2, 2011 -> 08:11 PM) If I have some money left out of the tax return this year, I am going to look for a clearence model at the end of this season. Smart move, if there are any left. Chicago was cleaned out of them by wednesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Controlled Chaos Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 09:45 AM) I don't know what/if they could have done better or differently, but Metra is really getting their ass kicked by the storm. From all the delays/changes/cancellations, to the s***ty job they did informing people, they are not having a good week. My train home Tues had switch problems after a the first few stops. The conductors went outside to try and manually pop the switch. I guess the one conductor couldn't unlock the box and the other went out to help and his key broke off in the lock. We had to back way the hell up, to where we could switch tracks. Train was about 90 minutes late. I was pissed, but when I got home and saw some of other s*** that went down....it made it a little better. Biggest thing is communication. The conductors never announced one thing to us on the train. Just the automated message about the train being XX minutes behind schedule. I found out what really happened this morning. I think people would have been more understanding, if they just explained what the hell happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 So, so, SO glad we decided to buy a snowblower back in December. I resisted at first, but this would have been horrendous without it. Long corner lot, and we have to do our sidewalks ourselves. Plus the driveway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenksismyhero Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 12:44 PM) So, so, SO glad we decided to buy a snowblower back in December. I resisted at first, but this would have been horrendous without it. Long corner lot, and we have to do our sidewalks ourselves. Plus the driveway. I had the flu the last couple of days but still managed to help my wife shovel our driveway, which was covered in about 2-3 feet of snow. We spent 3 hours digging out a quarter of the driveway, just big enough to get our car out. 5 minutes after we finished my neighbor came over with his big snowblower and finished the rest of our driveway in 10 minutes. I was both happy that he did that, and pissed that we wasted so much time and energy. I'm definitely buying one at the end of this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 10:25 AM) In the long term, I think smartphones are the answer to that problem, but only a limited selection of the population has the ability to access that data right now. Whose smart phones though? How do you know the information coming out is trustworthy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 05:23 PM) Whose smart phones though? How do you know the information coming out is trustworthy? I would say that a CTA app which linked to live updated train locations and cancellations as they are posted would be a great way for the public to get that information instantly as decisions are made. Bus services have been getting on these systems for exactly that purpose over the last year or so; you put a GPS on a Bus and people can get information about how long they'll be waiting at a stop. If it's an official CTA app, then the information would come directly from the people running the trains and making cancellation/activity decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 04:26 PM) I would say that a CTA app which linked to live updated train locations and cancellations as they are posted would be a great way for the public to get that information instantly as decisions are made. Bus services have been getting on these systems for exactly that purpose over the last year or so; you put a GPS on a Bus and people can get information about how long they'll be waiting at a stop. If it's an official CTA app, then the information would come directly from the people running the trains and making cancellation/activity decisions. The problem is they could be doing this stuff on the buses and trains right now, but don't. I can't tell you how many times in 12 years I have been stuck on a train, where not even the people running the train have any idea what is going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Zelig Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Today, while walking my dog, I saw a girl scraping ice off her windshield with a tennis racket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiliIrishHammock24 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 06:57 PM) Today, while walking my dog, I saw a girl scraping ice off her windshield with a tennis racket. John McEnsnow? Martina Navratisnova? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Maria Share-a-somesnow-a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmags Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Spaulding is plowed! Also props to the milwaukee bus driver for putting up with some frustrated people coming out of the blue line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSqwert Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 06:25 PM) John McEnsnow? Martina Navratisnova? Perhaps you should stick to Tennis player nicknames. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Showtime Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 05:08 PM) The problem is they could be doing this stuff on the buses and trains right now, but don't. I can't tell you how many times in 12 years I have been stuck on a train, where not even the people running the train have any idea what is going on. I don't take the CTA but they do have an application, but it doesn't seem like it is exactly like what people would need. http://www.transitchicago.com/apps/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3E8 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 QUOTE (knightni @ Feb 2, 2011 -> 09:10 PM) Except in Texas, where they're having blackouts. None for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 They canceled classes for tomorrow, we are losing our May weather day. The boy's basketball (INDOOR) game was canceled for Saturday, the girl's (OUTDOOR) soccer game is still on. WTF? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 06:08 PM) The problem is they could be doing this stuff on the buses and trains right now, but don't. I can't tell you how many times in 12 years I have been stuck on a train, where not even the people running the train have any idea what is going on. Despite not living there, I've definitely gotten the impression that the Chicago Public Transit system is one in need of serious funding/upgrades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 08:57 PM) Despite not living there, I've definitely gotten the impression that the Chicago Public Transit system is one in need of serious funding/upgrades. Having someone give a five second explanation for a delay has nothing to do with funding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 09:58 PM) Having someone give a five second explanation for a delay has nothing to do with funding. You don't get that on anyone's system if the delay is only a few minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 The CTA may have been overhauled if they had gotten the Olympic bid. Now, it'll be at least 25 more years of patching holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 08:57 PM) Despite not living there, I've definitely gotten the impression that the Chicago Public Transit system is one in need of serious funding/upgrades. It's beyond needing at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 (edited) QUOTE (knightni @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 09:04 PM) The CTA may have been overhauled if they had gotten the Olympic bid. Now, it'll be at least 25 more years of patching holes. Didn't the CTA basically blow $100 million + on the unfinished hole in the ground I believe under block 37? It was supposed to be some sort of superstation. The problem with giving the CTA more money is it will not be spent correctly. It never has been. This is the organization that knowingly blew off, actually faked, track inspections so they could use that money on something else. I think the entire agency needs to be overhauled. I think you are correct. The Olympics and fed money is the only way this system will ever truly be fixed. If you gave the CTA a check tomorrow to make all the repairs and upgrades that needed to be made, they would be out of money before 5% of the project was done. Edited February 4, 2011 by Dick Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxbadger Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 (edited) Hopefully Obama can hook us up! I hear some people arent into earmarks anymore, so Ill be the first to say, Ill shamelessly take any money that you want to give. Edited February 4, 2011 by Soxbadger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostfan Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 09:58 PM) Having someone give a five second explanation for a delay has nothing to do with funding. It's not really their priority, the operators are usually doing something else and they'll forget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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