More Transit Stuff

I'm sitting on a train as I compose this. I'm also a little annoyed that I didn't get my preferred seat like I usually do because the train is crowded. This is happening more and more frequently, and likewise, on the rare days I drive to work, it does seem like traffic is a bit lighter (but still super aggravating).

I'm thankful that the Chicago area has such good (by American standards) public transit. It allows us to live relatively far from my work and still avoid the frustrations of a long drive. Of course the transit situation isn't ideal, and there's plenty of room for improvement, just not plenty of money or political will. My train line shares track with the busiest freight line in the region, so we're constantly delayed by slow moving or disabled freight trains.

There are grand plans to improve freight traffic through Chicago (CREATE), but progress has been slow. One obstacle to rerouting traffic is NIMBYs who object to increasing train frequency through their downtown areas. If I were king I'd lay additional (triple and quadruple) track along my route to allow segregating of freight and commuter trains. The existing right of ways are plenty wide enough and historically had more than the existing double and triple tracks. (I'd also have a nonstop express train from Oak Park to work with a sushi bar.)

Of course nationally, we still favor the auto. Due to falling tax receipts from the gas tax, there's even talk of taking funds away from mass transit to plug the gap. I understand money is tight all over (especially since we're spending hundreds of billions of dollars blowing up/reconstructing Iraq), but this really is a misprioritization of resources.