CTA in 2023: How bad is it? (Chicago, Addison: how much, neighborhoods, pros and cons)

[MichWolverines1983]

So, I posted on the Houston,Texas forum the other day and boy have we been doing some serious soul searching and back and forth. I'm glad we are talking because at this stage in our lives this will be our last move before retirement. We are still a young 40 but don't want to move many more times.

We talked about all of the pros and cons of moving to Chicago and just couldn't convince ourselves that living in Houston and owning multiple cars is something we would be happy with long-term. Now, I've lived in Chicago. I lived in multiple neighborhoods. I was there for about ten years and miss Chicago on a daily basis. So, how bad is the CTA today with the ghost buses and delays? I used the CTA thousands of times and was very happy with it. So, honest opinion on CTA reliability and safety? What's the truth?

[Kmanshouse]

The CTA is generally pretty reliable during the week. Occasional delays. Weekends are much less reliable, I'm finding.

My experience is almost exclusively on the Brown Line. It's the safest line, and during the day I have zero trepidation riding it. Late at night I'm more aware of who is in the car, etc, but I haven't had trouble even then. My 22 yo daughter rides it a lot, at all hours. She's had a couple of sketchy interactions but has never been assaulted or anything like that.

There have been incidents on Red and Green in particular. I hear the Green line is really bad once you go past West Loop, like a drug exchange. Red is bad south of downtown, and sometimes that carries over to "nicer" spots. I'm glad I ride the Brown.

I'm not sure about Blue. I think it's in between, safety wise.

[MichWolverines1983]

That's basically what I expected. The last place I lived at in Chicago was at Claremont & Addison, in Roscoe Village, and I used the Brown Line then. I've used the Red Line from Bryan Mawr all the way to Sox-35th., and even the Blue Line (O'Hare branch) from Logan Square to The Loop. The Brown Line has always been my favorite. That is the area we will most likely move to when we make the move.

[bubs]

https://www.wbez.org/stories/chicago...5-8923fe433449

[Master Jay]

MichWolverines1983, wow, you took me back!

I had a cousin that lived near Claremont and Addison!

Cool neighborhood.

[MichWolverines1983]

Originally Posted by bubs

https://www.wbez.org/stories/chicago...5-8923fe433449

I actually read that today. I've actually read a lot on the topic. That's why I wanted to post here and get a real world perspective on how it really is from people who live there with no agenda.

Originally Posted by Master Jay

MichWolverines1983, wow, you took me back!

I had a cousin that lived near Claremont and Addison!

Cool neighborhood.

My pleasure! It is a cool neighborhood. I think my fiance from New Hampshire will love it.

[DaBears02]

The CTA is usually decently reliable but the ghost trains and busses at times can just be infuriating. Just a few days ago I remember waiting 25 minutes for an Ohare bound blue line train when it was still bright outside. Though I will say it’s not as bad as it was a few months ago and the CTA seems to be taking steps to help so that’s good.

As for safety, you will hear stories from many people all the time but 99% of rides are non-events. Just keep to yourself, don’t be overtly flashy, and stay out of bad areas and you should avoid most encounters. I’m sure you already know this since you’ve lived in the city before. As others have said the Brown line is usually the safest and most comfortable ride but it’s pretty slow. I usually take the brown line if I have time for comfort/the views and the red line if I’m in a rush.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by MichWolverines1983

My pleasure! It is a cool neighborhood. I think my fiance from New Hampshire will love it.

Sorry for the dumb question in advance but you might want to bring her up for a visit and look around first if she's never been there or lived in that level of urban setting.

Best of luck with it all.

[MichWolverines1983]

Originally Posted by Mathguy

Sorry for the dumb question in advance but you might want to bring her up for a visit and look around first if she's never been there or lived in that level of urban setting.

Best of luck with it all.

Not a dumb question at all. She has actually lived in Boston and we currently live in Nashville. Definitely not the same as Chicago but she is aware of the differences. She isn't a clueless 18 year old. We definitely have plans to visit so I can show her around. I would never ask her to move site unseen.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by MichWolverines1983

I actually read that today. I've actually read a lot on the topic. That's why I wanted to post here and get a real world perspective on how it really is from people who live there with no agenda.

.

The wbez survey is a larger sample size providing real world perspective by people who actually live here.

If your baseline of the CTA is pre-COVID, you will be shocked at how much less service there is, how much dirtier the trains are, how often you deal with people smoking on the trains, etc. I’ve started taking metra and paying for an Uber given how often it takes me 30 minutes of waiting just to board a blue line train from the loop in the evening (even with reduced ridership, 10-15 minute headways on a line that was 2-3 min at rush hour is no where near enough).

The only people I know who seem satisfied with the CTA right now moved her in the past three years and compared to Tulsa or Columbus, sure it’s better.

I spent my entire adult life generally happy with the CTA, lived car free for a decade, etc. But it’s just no where near what it was right now and there doesn’t seem to be any serious desire to get it back there. And what’s scary / pathetic is this is occurring when we still have hundreds of millions in federal money bridging the revenue gap from the loss of ridership. How much worse will it be in 2 years?