Bisera Rozic is a DePaul University student majoring in Economics and a PCG intern.
The decision to shut down the southern part of the Red Line of the Chicago Transit Authority for five months next year is preposterous. Not only will it affect
those wishing to attend a Chicago White Sox game but it will create a big
discomfort for commuters going to and from work or school.Yes, the city will save $75 million dollars and the project will be only 5 months instead of 4 years (4 years if they did it on the weekends), but what does that $75 million mean to those 147,000 people that are going to be inconvenienced by this project? The plan is to have the Green Line pick up the Red Line's traffic on the south side, thus those 84,000 that ride the Red Line on an average weekday will be added to the 63,000 riders that take the Green Line on an average weekday. Chaotic much? According to the CTA and city officials, no.
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| Photo Credit: CTA |
The CTA has also announced that
those 84,000 passengers could either ride the Green Line or use shuttle buses
that will be provided at the Red Line. Oh, and the CTA will throw in a 50-cent discount to those
riders. Because, you know, the 50-cent discount compensates those 84,000 that
will have to leave their homes a lot earlier than they already do and will also
be put together with the 63,000 people that ride the Green Line on an average
weekday. So comforting.
The Chicago White Sox are struggling
with attendance as is, they do not need to be annihilated. Even after winning
the 2005 World Series Championship, the Sox have had a hard time getting people
to the ballgames. Here are their stats compared to the Chicago Cubs, who have
not won a World Series in over a century.
Statistics credit to ESPN
The thing about the Chicago Cubs is, they're seen as a brand. A brand that sells. No one can figure out how the Cubs keep selling tickets. But here is the thing, like it or not, unfortunately this is how things are. The White Sox can have as many titles as the Yankees (27) and still not draw as many fans as the Cubs. The answer to success is location. The Cubs are on the north side of Chicago. While crime does occur here, it is usually always downplayed in the media. The White Sox, however, play on the South Side where the media is like a magnifying glass and serve Chicago with daily reports of shootings and crime. But the south side is in possession of a lot of greatness which makes it unfair that it will be cut off from the rest of the city for 5 months.
Honestly, I do not want to put up with any more commute trouble than I already do, so for those 5 months, I will not be seeing the south side. I will not be attending a Sox game or enjoying a delicious dish by Soul Vegetarian East. The south side is the only place in Chicago that can serve you up with some great, healthy, southern food that is suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Sure, the north side has its share of vegan/vegetarian-friendly diners and cafes. But it is limited when it comes to family and dinner oriented restaurants such as Soul Vegetarian East.
There would be outrage if the Addison Red Line stop was shut down for 5 months, let alone all of the northern branch. But just as there are commuters from Evanston and Skokie that come into the city to work or go to school, there are also commuters that come in from the south side and south suburbs.
What is yet upsetting even more is that just this past weekend, a whole bridge was replaced in 55.5 hours. The Purple Line does not operate between Friday 8:30 PM - 4 AM Monday and during that time a 103-year-old bridge was replaced. This is the first of the three bridges that will be replaced in Evanston just this month. Of course, no one on the north side will be inconvenienced by the projects. If these things do not serve as evidence of the segregation in Chicago, I do not know what does.
The thing about the Chicago Cubs is, they're seen as a brand. A brand that sells. No one can figure out how the Cubs keep selling tickets. But here is the thing, like it or not, unfortunately this is how things are. The White Sox can have as many titles as the Yankees (27) and still not draw as many fans as the Cubs. The answer to success is location. The Cubs are on the north side of Chicago. While crime does occur here, it is usually always downplayed in the media. The White Sox, however, play on the South Side where the media is like a magnifying glass and serve Chicago with daily reports of shootings and crime. But the south side is in possession of a lot of greatness which makes it unfair that it will be cut off from the rest of the city for 5 months.
Honestly, I do not want to put up with any more commute trouble than I already do, so for those 5 months, I will not be seeing the south side. I will not be attending a Sox game or enjoying a delicious dish by Soul Vegetarian East. The south side is the only place in Chicago that can serve you up with some great, healthy, southern food that is suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Sure, the north side has its share of vegan/vegetarian-friendly diners and cafes. But it is limited when it comes to family and dinner oriented restaurants such as Soul Vegetarian East.
There would be outrage if the Addison Red Line stop was shut down for 5 months, let alone all of the northern branch. But just as there are commuters from Evanston and Skokie that come into the city to work or go to school, there are also commuters that come in from the south side and south suburbs.
What is yet upsetting even more is that just this past weekend, a whole bridge was replaced in 55.5 hours. The Purple Line does not operate between Friday 8:30 PM - 4 AM Monday and during that time a 103-year-old bridge was replaced. This is the first of the three bridges that will be replaced in Evanston just this month. Of course, no one on the north side will be inconvenienced by the projects. If these things do not serve as evidence of the segregation in Chicago, I do not know what does.
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