Why I have a blog

People often ask me why I have a blog. Why would I want to have my name and picture out there for people to take pot shots at? Am I crazy?

Well no, I’m not crazy (at least I don’t think I am -- except for maybe agreeing to take this position), and personal pot shots bother me just like they bother anybody.

I have a blog because I want to hear directly from CTA customers. I want to know how we’re doing, how we’re screwing up, what we do well, and how we can improve service. And here’s an example of how a blog helps me do that.

On Tuesday morning, July 19, customer Tim Noworyta clicked on the “Ask Carole” button on my blog and emailed me a serious concern: dangerous overcrowding conditions at the Grand Avenue station on the Red line, especially on Cubs game days and other peak travel times. I looked into the ridership, and Tim's right -- ridership at that station has almost doubled in the last ten years. Increased ridership is a great thing, but overcrowding is not. Tim suggested three things to improve the situation: add turnstiles, add another ticket machine, move a trash can.

I read the email immediately and staff responded that day to Tim, thanking him for his suggestions and organizing an internal meeting to address the problem. Every other CTA board member received a copy of Tim’s concerns.

Staff got right on it. Their goal was to get it done in time for the crowds at the Air and Water Show last weekend. And they did it. By Friday, August 19, three new turnstiles were added, another ticket machine was installed, and the trash can was moved a bit outside of the traffic flow. The Grand Avenue station is now more equipped to handle those peak times.

So I want to thank Tim for alerting me to the problem, and I want to thank CTA Technology Vice-President John Flynn, Revenue Equipment General Manager Luis Cantu, and Facilities Vice President Mark Maloney for expediting the station installations. Good job by all!

Oh, and by the way, on July 19, Tim had cc’d his letter to the Chicago Sun Times. The Sun Times got around to printing his letter on August 23, after all of the work at the station had been completed. Maybe I’ll just let that one go by without further comment.