Posted Aug. 26 at 8:15 a.m.

CTA rules of riding. If only the transit agency would post them in a visible spot on transitchicago.com and save us all some grief.  Maybe then we wouldn't have hearty debates about whether you can eat and drink on CTA vehicles (no, unless it's a hot day and it's only water you consume), whether customer assistants can open fare card vending machines (nope, no access) and this week's big debate: whether pets are allowed on public transit.

Fear not, fair riders.  "Going Public" will now solve at least this last conundrum by posting the CTA pet policy, kindly provided by transit agency spokeswoman Sheila Gregory below.  You'll know why I felt the need to do this if you read the beginnings of the great debate in "Hey, CTA!" last week as well as the follow-up discussion in today's column.

Check out the rules (below) and let me know what you think: Should pets be allowed on the CTA or is there barely enough room for us humans?  This wording is a memo that appears to be addressed to CTA employees:  As a reminder to our Transit Operations employees, we are reissuing our policy governing access to CTA vehicles for customers traveling with animals. This policy conforms to federal regulations regarding service animals, and permits customers to board CTA vehicles during all hours of operation with animals fitting the following descriptions/definitions:

Service Animals

Dog guides or any animal wearing a harness; any animal wearing a cape identifying it as a hearing animal; or any animal wearing a cape, backpack or other identification showing it is a service animal.

Therapy Animals

Any leashed animal identified by a scarf, cape or other visible therapy animal identification that indicates that the animal is part of a therapy animal program, such as companion dogs for people with disabilities and seniors.

Small Domestic Pets

Any small pet that fits into a carrier designed for travel and can be carried by one individual; the carrier must be constructed in a manner that ensures protection of both the animal and customer; carriers are not permitted to occupy seats or impede customer flow; animals are not permitted to annoy customers.

Any animal that does not fit the description under Service Animals, Therapy Animals, or Small Domestic Pets is not permitted to board CTA vehicles.

As a pet owner, I sympathize with those who need to use the CTA to get their pets to the vet. However, hold the carrier on your lap! People should not have to stand because you are taking up a seat with your pet carrier.

The same goes for you shoppers. And to the rude couple on the #6 the other day who put up the folding handicapped seat to make space for their child's stroller, and refused to fold up the stroller despite the number of elderly riders standing around them.

Yes, people have to stand regularly. But the purpose of the buses and the trains is to move PEOPLE. And people should have priority over packages and pets.

This comment in general covers more than public transportation. I am not a current pet owner, however I was and if I needed to transport my pet I would simply call a taxi. Some taxi drivers would refuse to let my dog enter the taxi to commute with me however. Airlines also allow passengers to pay a small fee, now less than to check 2 bags of luggage, to carry their pet on board. I am totally against this as well. I never had a flight where the dog, although kept in a carrier bag, did not continue to bark and whine throughout the flight. Maybe the CTA should charge the owners for an additional rider should it continue to allow pets. That may deter a small portion of the pet owners of taking them on board.

As a person who is extremely allergic to pets, I would just like to see the CTA perhaps create a pet-friendly car that is separate. It would be a major downer to not be able to use public trans for fear of your health.

Umm, Sandy? I DO fear for my health on public transit, specifically, the CTA. Just this morning I was on a bus that was crawling with roaches. It must have been especially gross for the driver, who has to deal with that all day.

I don't oppose the transporting of pets in carriers on CTA, so long as it's within the rules established by CTA. And that seems to be part of a larger issue that gets to the true heart of the problem: obeying rules. That seems to be the problem for EVERYTHING today, whether it's courtesy on public transit, speed limits, biking rules, common decency...we seem to be living in a time where people feel entitled to make judgments about whether or not they should break rules. And they'll keep pushing the envelope on that until they are called on it. And once they are called on it, they often react very defensively, sometimes even violently. It really seems like we need some sort of enforcement organization to uphold rules of common decency, courtesy and safety. Maybe if we started with that, there wouldn't be as much violence, death, accidents, and general crime as we've experienced in the modern era.

If you are NOT handicapp/disabled and do not need assistance from a pet please, please, please contain your pet. No stares, barks, meows, ssssss's or sniff's from your pet.!!

Be considerate hold the carrier or place under a seat. I should not have to fight with you to sit down or to get around your family member. Although saying excuse me doesn't bother me, it's just that I should not get blocked in while you have Sparkie hold a seat, believe me he's used to the floor.!!!

I am for Pets ! I think there should be a special CTA car painted in green or a bright for all pets and pet lovers. Even less expensive , is the idea to have the last car for this purpose.

Well, I can guarantee that my dog won't urinate on the CTA. I cannot guarantee that my fellow riders won't. :)

What's up with CTA trains lacking a horizontal bar so standees can have something to hold on to??? When you stand in the middle of the car there is really nothing to hold on to and the handles on seats are not convenient at all.... This sounds like an easy fix, doesn't it?

Hi, I'm from a little country in central Europe, and I'm here for studying. I have to confess that I was so surprised when I realized that I cannot travel with my dog in the CTA.(he grown up in a crowded city, and we used public transport at least twice a day, so he really knows how to behave in such a vehicle) In our home there's no problem with traveling with a muzzled pet on a leash. There's only one rule I have to comply, that in a carriage cannot travel more then one pet. And there is another, which is not a rule, just for pet owners who care about other people, that if the carriage is full, we have to wait for the next. And certainly they travel on the floor, and with a valid ticket:-))Thanx.

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