BoberFett
Lifer
- Oct 9, 1999
- 37,562
- 9
- 81
The other problem with public transit from the burbs into the city is that the trains only come by once an hour starting around 9 AM (at least for by me). Before that it's maybe every 30 minutes. Then it takes 45 minutes to an hour to get into the city. On cars where you're jammed in with a ton of others. Many trains, no bathrooms. They care so much about their passengers, there's not even a clock on the trains.
About the only good thing over St. Louis MetraLink is that on the Chicago trains, you can have food and beverages.
If they'd just: Modernize the trains, run more of them, get them from the burbs to the city faster, maybe have a bathroom or two on them....
...then just maybe, maybe, people would be more apt to take them.
Probably impossible though because of the unions. I don't know how many times I've gone past 6 union workers for Metra standing around doing nothing but shooting the sh1t. There goes everything I listed above, to their salaries....
Chuck
About the only good thing over St. Louis MetraLink is that on the Chicago trains, you can have food and beverages.
If they'd just: Modernize the trains, run more of them, get them from the burbs to the city faster, maybe have a bathroom or two on them....
...then just maybe, maybe, people would be more apt to take them.
Probably impossible though because of the unions. I don't know how many times I've gone past 6 union workers for Metra standing around doing nothing but shooting the sh1t. There goes everything I listed above, to their salaries....
Chuck
I bet the majority of it is actually spent on the roads. The road crews are fucking terrible, taking months to complete week jobs and doing such a piss-poor job that they have to redo the same areas every couple of years. The politicians are just corrupt and award the same companies contracts constantly, though -- this is the problem.
Illinois needs the construction crews they have in Texas. Those guys know how to get the job done and make sure it stays done in one try.
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I know people who work on the road construction projects (ranging from peon to mid level). It is so corrupt and mismanaged, it's insane. It's the same thing in the Chicago Housing Authority though... basically we're just F'd.
The rest of the state really does need to ceede from Chicago, for its own good. Nothing good will come from being tied to Chicago long term.....
Chuck
You can tell when you cross the border into Illinois by the change in the quality of the roads. It is amazing how bad our roads are in this state, and how quickly they fall apart. I think they "spend" all that money on roads, but the companies who receive that money are determined by political connections instead of quality and cost.
The only way to actually fix the road construction situation in IL is to have all taxes and tolls for the roads collected by some new agency with new people who absolutely track every cent being spent. Along with that change you need a totally new management team (from the top all the way to the people on site managing the projects, inspectors, suppliers, literally everyone). All those people would a.) actually have to be honest and b.) actually have to be competent.
If we could magically do that, then maybe, just maybe, we'd have chance here in IL.
Since that will absolutely never happen, we're doomed.
Chuck
If we could magically do that, then maybe, just maybe, we'd have chance here in IL.
Since that will absolutely never happen, we're doomed.
Chuck
you cant get much more east of me in IL, and its still faster, just seems crazy that its actually quicker. but really it is.
yup, you know its bad when missouri does it better than you :\
indiana's roads are BEAUTIFUL.
Nope,
Portion of I-95 in Connecticut had barrier tolls removed in 1985 after a fatal crash.
Pens1566
Lifer
- Oct 11, 2005
- 13,438
- 10,879
- 136
lupi
Lifer
- Apr 8, 2001
- 32,539
- 260
- 126
hey idiot, you do realize these stupid ass road tolls to solve congestion are the wetdream creation of stupid ass liberal-progressives.
kranky
Elite Member
- Oct 9, 1999
- 21,019
- 156
- 106
I wonder how much longer Chi-towners will continue to elect corrupt politicians who know how to milk the system. Jobs for relatives doesn't amount to a drop in the bucket when the real corruption is steering giant contracts for non-essential work to favored companies. A blanket no-new-taxes policy isn't necessarily the right answer either because there may be occasions where it makes sense.
They need to clean house, elect fresh people, then vote them out if they don't figure out how to reduce costs by the next election. That's what it will take. If reducing costs was the criteria people used to re-elect people, costs would be reduced.
But because so many people are entwined in the political system, the incumbents know that reducing costs means Uncle Lou and Cousin Mary might lose their no-work jobs, so they won't do anything about it until it means losing an election.
It is a corrupt cesspool bleeding the residents dry. I can't understand why they put up with it.
They need to clean house, elect fresh people, then vote them out if they don't figure out how to reduce costs by the next election. That's what it will take. If reducing costs was the criteria people used to re-elect people, costs would be reduced.
But because so many people are entwined in the political system, the incumbents know that reducing costs means Uncle Lou and Cousin Mary might lose their no-work jobs, so they won't do anything about it until it means losing an election.
It is a corrupt cesspool bleeding the residents dry. I can't understand why they put up with it.
Good. Most ordinary citizens have no idea how much work goes into repairing and maintaining our infrastructure.
Have always had my GPS set to "avoid tolls" the past 2 years I've had it.
Increased fees on tolls will have little effect.
Increased fees on tolls will have little effect.
first things first. all the il gov't entities with Lake Shore Dr and Michican Ave addresses need to move much further south where we can afford the lease.
Hmmmm...if we moved the offices to someplace like Robbins, maybe the politicians would get shot and the problem would help solve itself?
- Dec 14, 2000
- 68,143
- 10
- 81
they aren't even going to start talking again until the end of this month.
the toll roads in IL are very bad. they spend a LOT on them and they suck. They do the same patches every 3-4 years. i swear the whole road from one side of the state to the other is redone every 5 years. they just fricken suck they wear out in a matter of months
And in case anyone wants to know Chicago is a STRONG democrat state and will stay that way for years.
It's a populist play, who likes paying taxes? ever?
I'm sure KBR would want to manage our 7 lane interstates on the cheap right?
I grew up in the NW suburbs and now live in Indianapolis... spent the better part of the last 6-7 years coming and going between the two, and have been driving in/out of the city for years before that... I have never seen a road construction project completed in my memory. the same places are under perpetual construction, and have been since I can remember.
On my last drive up, I saw striking road crews on the 65/80-94 ramp coming out of Indiana.... that on-ramp (just a goddamn on ramp) has been under construction for at least 3 years! I went to Afghanistan for a year, and when I came back, it's like they put it on hold just for me! No progress! And that's in Indiana!
Driving on the 80-94/294/290/Rt 53 circle is almost as bad... there hasn't been a day in my life that I can remember less than 50% of that route under construction...
The greater Chicago area is probably the most visible example of the inability of Democrats to govern at a local level. Corruption is corruption, but Illinois Democrats seem much more comfortable with it as their general policy.
On my last drive up, I saw striking road crews on the 65/80-94 ramp coming out of Indiana.... that on-ramp (just a goddamn on ramp) has been under construction for at least 3 years! I went to Afghanistan for a year, and when I came back, it's like they put it on hold just for me! No progress! And that's in Indiana!
Driving on the 80-94/294/290/Rt 53 circle is almost as bad... there hasn't been a day in my life that I can remember less than 50% of that route under construction...
The greater Chicago area is probably the most visible example of the inability of Democrats to govern at a local level. Corruption is corruption, but Illinois Democrats seem much more comfortable with it as their general policy.
kranky
Elite Member
- Oct 9, 1999
- 21,019
- 156
- 106
The roads could be fixed to last longer than 3-4 years. But it's just part of the overall corruption environment. If they fixed the roads right, they wouldn't be able to hand out so many repair contracts. It's not about snow, or salt, or freeze/thaw cycles. Imagine the savings if they insisted contractors have to warranty road repairs for 5 years. You could be sure they would last 5 years. Or if they developed a system that would reward contractors who had longer-lasting roadwork by giving them an advantage for getting future work.
Illinois has one of the highest state Gas tax rates in the USA.
Democrats run Chicago so any study is going to be Tax and Spend.
Democrats run Chicago so any study is going to be Tax and Spend.
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