Posted by Kyra Kyles - Jan. 8

Mere seconds after a Red Line "L" pulled off from the 35th Street stop on a recent Friday, I witnessed an all-too-familiar South Side scenario.

A young man crossed through the cars and shouted over the roar of the train, "Three for $5! Three for $5," while holding out three deodorant sticks.

He must have mistaken me for an interested customer scrounging for money because he paused in front of me when I whipped out a piece of paper to record the incident.

When he saw that my paper was white, not green, he moved on, but not before murmuring to me: "It's a good deal. Try to beat it."

Posted by Kyra Kyles - Dec. 26

CTA riders who fill "Going Public's" inbox tend to hold a decidedly glass half-full or glass half-empty outlook about the transit agency.

Some applaud the CTA's recent efforts to clean more consistently and shine the formerly sticky rail car floors, while others interpret the glossy surfaces as a slip-and-fall waiting to happen.

Some see CTA President Ron Huberman as a refreshing rainmaker trying to turn around the agency, while others see him as another of Mayor Daley's cronies sent over from City Hall.

But with 2008 less than a week away, it's time to make the call: Was this a good, bad or indifferent year for the CTA? I'm sensing some of you are ready to fire off your answer now, but try to hold off until you've joined me in a brief stroll down mass transit memory lane.

Let's rewind to four watershed moments of 2007:

Posted by Kyra Kyles - Dec. 18

You're probably neck-deep in holiday shopping by now.

"Going Public" is guessing you don't want to add to the already long list of family, friends and co-workers awaiting tokens of appreciation wrapped in big, bright bows. But you might have one more gift to give—to the CTA.

Sure, the agency's service is spotty, stations need sprucing up and, most importantly, funding is insufficient to meet the demands of riders. But the CTA is a big part of our everyday lives. So doesn't the transit agency deserve even a little somethin' this season?

Don't fret; I'm not sending you out shopping again. Instead, here's a list of actions and ideas that we—the riders—can bestow upon the CTA. Heck, we may even benefit in the process.

Posted by Kyra Kyles - Dec. 11

For the last two years, "Going Public" has pitted "L" lines against one another in a dramatic competition to see which one riders admire most.

The results likely are meaningless in the mass transit scheme of things, since the Red Line won both years for reasons having more to do with sentimentality than superiority.

But it may not have been completely frivolous to force the lines to face off.

Last week, the president of New York's City Transit announced that the city's rail lines will take a similar tack—operationally.

In a major change to the system, individual New York subway lines will run almost autonomously and in direct competition with one another. Each of the 24 lines will be led by different managers who will take responsibility for the stations, the trains and anything that happens on their share of track, according to The New York Times, which said the experiment would start with lines No.7 and the L, not to be confused with our "L".

New York lines will compete in areas of cleanliness, on-time performance and service, the paper reported. I've got two words for that concept:

Awe. Some.

Posted by Kyra Kyles - Nov. 13

Will Meredith Grey resolve her relationship woes with McDreamy on "Grey's Anatomy"?

Why are the Bulls so bad this season?

Is Dane Cook actually funny?

These are all conundrums I can't crack, but "Going Public" can dig into the mysteries that abound on the CTA.

The truth about temperature

Riders often write in to ask why bus operators won't adjust the temperature on the bus. It's not really a won't, it is a can't, according to CTA bus mechanic Harlan Smith, who recently e-mailed "Going Public."

Posted by Kyra Kyles - Nov. 6

When will Springfield lawmakers find a funding fix for the CTA?

Will the Doomsday clock tick all the way into next year?

Could displaced public transit patrons be forced to ride bikes, walk and carpool to their destinations?

Dum. Dum. Dum.

Add some ominous organ music, and those words could introduce the soap opera that is "As the CTA Turns," but unfortunately, all are real questions to consider.

This week, after narrowly avoiding the extinction of 39 bus routes and boosting of fares up to $3 per ride, the CTA anxiously awaits a Springfield solution to its funding woes—again.

After all, it was only about six weeks ago that the agency narrowly avoided the same scenario, courtesy of a so-called payday loan of $24 million from Springfield, aimed at giving legislators more time to brainstorm while keeping buses and trains running as normal.

There wasn't too much brain rain though, since Doomsday part deux would have hit us on Sunday sans last week's last-ditch bailout of $24 million from Gov. Blagojevich.

The funds—offered by the governor and approved by the RTA on Friday—will keep the CTA afloat until next year.

Too bad next year is in a couple of months. Without a permanent fix, CTA officials have warned the postponed cuts could be deeper and fares even higher. It's enough to push a rider over the edge, as is evident in "Going Public" e-mails from dozens of riders who say they are sick of looming Doomsday threats and apparent political posturing about funding regional transit.

So what are riders to do? Sit back biting their fingernails? Send the umpteenth e-mail to state legislators? Or in a fit of sheer rider rage, rip down the nearest Doomsday notice flapping wildly in the wind?

None of the above.

Let's take this "L" and bus bull by the horns, and face our fears. Take the leap that the CTA will shrink next year, essentially asking riders to pay more for less service. Let's come up with off-the-wall ideas for premium services that will improve even the CTA-lite experience, plus earn the agency extra spending money.

Start with these:

Posted by Kyra Kyles - Sept. 25

Of course we want buses to stop bunching and instead run in accordance with posted schedules.

It's only natural to dream of trains that run with a precision that rivals clockwork.

And who doesn't fantasize about leak-free, puddle-proof stations?

Riders tend to dream big about fixes for buses and trains, but as a number of e-mails to "Going Public" have suggested, there are some small things that could improve the immediate CTA environment. To help get the ball rolling, here are some flashes of rider-generated genius:

Posted by Kyra Kyles - Sept. 20

It's been a really rough ride these past few weeks, CTA citizens, but it's time to fight the train and bus blues. There still is some good out there on the system, though it may not feel that way now.

We spent the last week tensed up, bracing for doomsday, only to have Springfield lawmakers come through with a $24 million Hail Mary bailout last week.

Posted by Kyra Kyles - Sept. 13

Pop some champagne on the train. Break out the balloons on the buses. Let's celebrate at all the stops. Doomsday has been averted with Wednesday's announcement that the state will provide $24 million to the CTA, staving off fare hikes and the cutting of 39 bus routes.

But before you don a party hat, isn't this doomsday deja vu? Didn't we have a similar celebration in 2005 when riders were threatened with dramatic fare hikes and then rescued by a $54.3 million bailout from the state?

Needed or not, Wednesday's temporary reprieve is nowhere near the $110 million the CTA needs to balance its budget and keep service levels intact. This most recent infusion is the equivalent of treating precious public transit like a temp worker, forced to live check-to-check instead of being offered a long-term livelihood.

Posted by RedEye - Tuesday, August 28

By Kyra Kyles
RedEye

Break out your old-school Bazooka Joe gum wrappers, kids—it's joke time:

Q: What's slow, wet and red all over?
A: The Red Line on the North Side.

I know it's a knee-slapper, but don't laugh too hard, especially not in front of the far-North Side riders who have been griping to "Going Public" about leaky stations, service snags at the Howard stop and slow zones they say are equally or more annoying than those on the Blue Line.

In the wake of a wave of rail rage from our neighbors up North, I checked in with the CTA regarding three highly complained-about issues.

Slow motion

"What could possibly be the reason for how slow the Red Line now goes between Sheridan and Wilson?" Uptown's Andrew Stimpson, 26, asked in an e-mail. "It's a long, straight stretch that just creeps along these days."

The slowness is for safety, said CTA spokeswoman Sheila Gregory, adding that track inspections have revealed that the area—as well as 17,050 feet of track between the Howard and Lawrence stops—contain deteriorating wooden rail ties and have been designated as slow zones.

Work to replace rail ties, under way all summer, should wrap up by the end of this year, Gregory said.

Missed connections

Yellow and Purple Line connectors have told me they are getting left behind at Howard, the transfer point for Yellow, Purple and Red Line trains. They say this seeming rail rudeness occurs mainly in the mornings and wanted to know who makes the call for Red Line trains to pull out when their trains are arriving.

More importantly, why not just wait for connecting riders?

The on-site rail supervisor decides whether trains should wait to make a connection, Gregory said, and since there only are two tracks for the three train lines at Howard, decisions are based on keeping the tracks as clear as possible to speed up service.

"Red Line trains operate approximately every three-and-a-half minutes," Gregory said of rush-hour intervals. "Therefore, if customers see a Red Line train leaving as they approach the station, by the time they unload from the train and arrive at the appropriate platform, the wait for the next Red Line train is minimal."

Soggy stations

Last week, Edgewater rider Cynthia Fox told "Going Public" that she and other riders were nearly soaked because "a huge section of the ceiling inside the station had collapsed" at the Berwyn stop. She recalled seeing a number of buckets collecting "smelly, urine-like" water.

Fox covered her head with a bag to keep from getting dripped on and came up with some ideas to put a stop to the problem, which she said occurs every day it rains.

"I could buy some steel sheeting and screws and fix the ceiling above the stairs and stop the smelly water from dripping on people," Fox wrote.

The CTA is aware of the leaking problem at Berwyn and other Red Line stations, according to Gregory, who said the agency is working with its existing construction contracts to make repairs, but there are infrastructure issues that cannot merely be patched up.

"In the meantime, maintenance crews are monitoring those areas where water is known to pool and are working to ... drain the water and keep those areas clear as best they can," Gregory said. "When it rains heavily, as it has been recently, it can be challenging."

Posted by RedEye - Wednesday, August 22

By Kyra Kyles
RedEye

The number of lengthy, angry e-mails; desperate-sounding phone calls; and handwritten letters decrying CTA conditions seems to have spiked over the past few weeks.

A number of riders have told "Going Public"—whether in wobbly, weary-looking handwriting or ALL CAPS e-mail missives—that if fares increase next month, they will take a powder on public transit.

"If CTA goes up on the fare, we need to strike [or] start carpooling," West Side rider Patricia Taylor, 32, wrote in an e-mail that complained of crumbling conditions on buses and trains. "And if that doesn't work, go and buy a bike."

If you're about to add an "amen" to that, I hear you. We've all had that horrible moment on a leaky bus, slow-moving "L" train or in a sweltering station.

But how many of us really mean it when we say no more CTA? Put your transit frustration to the test, or, to be more specific, to the quiz. Answer the questions below and calculate your score. Then tell us how you did—and whether or not you think it reflects reality—at goingpublic@tribune.com.

1. If one more rider steps on your foot on a crowded "L" train, you will:
A. Shoot them a quick dirty look and go back to solving Sudoku.
B. Yell "ouch" to alert them to your public-transit pain.
C. Roar like a panther and body slam them using some old-school Hulkamaniac moves.

2. When your bus doesn't arrive on time and you've been waiting an additional 20 minutes, you:
A. Roll your eyes and sit on the bench.
B. Use the time to scrawl a speech to deliver to the errant driver, his or her supervisor and the entire CTA board at the next public hearing.
C. Jump into a cab, but call CTA customer service to complain later.

3. If your fare card doesn't work at the "L" turnstile, you:
A. Jump the turnstile and dare anyone to try to stop you.
B. Keep trying until it works or until a customer assistant comes to your aid. If it doesn't work, just resolve to buy a new one.
C. Shout an obscenity and then keep trying until a customer assistant comes to your aid.

4. The number for CTA customer assistance is:
A. Programmed into your cell phone.
B. 1-888-YOUR CTA, but you rarely call it.
C. Useless. Better to pen an angry message to the mayor's office demanding restitution for CTA wrongs.

5. When you see solicitors on the train, your reaction is to:
A. Hide behind your morning newspaper.
B. Change trains in a considerable huff, grumbling all the while.
C. Take a photo of them with your camera phone, have the photo enlarged and hand-deliver it to police patrolling the platforms.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWER KEY
Add up your score to find out how fed up you are:

1. A=1, B=3, C=5
2. A=1, B=5, C=3
3. A=5, B=1, C=3
4. A=3, B=1, C=5
5. A=1, B=3, C=5

How'd you score?

21-25: Ride It Out. You are fed up with the CTA and ready to blow at any moment. Buy a bike or join a carpool before you do.

16-20: Publicly Peeved. For now, you're rolling with the public-transit punches, but a few more bunched buses, and you could join the Ride It Out rowdies.

11-15: Frustrated, But Fare-ly Optimistic. You will cringe if you have to pay more for your ride, but it's cheaper than driving.

0-10: No CTA Stress. Public transit is what it is, and you totally accept it.