The Chicago Transit Authority: whether you love or hate the “L,” it is significant part of most Chicagoans’ lives. WindyBits examines the Web resources available for CTA-related information.

Ground zero: CTA Tattler

Inaugurated in mid 2004, the CTA Tattler has become one of Chicago’s most noteworthy blogs. It is the gathering ground for all discussions CTA-related, and publisher Kevin O’Neil is the de facto voice of “L” riders in Chicago media. He’s been interviewed by Chicagoist and Chicago magazine.

O’Neil, an everyday rider of the Red Line, covers all aspects of the CTA, from crazy commuter tales (there are quite a few, as you might expect) to CTA news and media coverage. It’s also a good resource for the CTA itself; since the organization seems to have no plan to ameloriate the fast approaching three-tracking mess, the Tattler has stepped in to do the dirty work of detailing stopgap measures.

Wireless alerts of CTA delays

The CTA Tattler is not only a web forum for the CTA; it’s also the impetus behind the CTA wireless alerts, a grassroots text messaging system powered by UPOC. In its inception, CTA riders provided all of the alerts; after a few months, the CTA itself joined in, using the handle “CTA_HQ” and adding an official flavor. (Riders often best the official CTA messages in timeliness and completeness, however.)

The service went through some growing pains as users struggled with text message etiquette, but in recent months the signal-to-noise ratio has greatly increased. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to account for 100 to 150 text messages per month on your cell phone plan. If you’re not prepared, it quickly adds up.

Finding your way around

The best place to start planning your mass transit adventure is a map, of course. You can use the CTA’s official maps, but enterprising riders have done the CTA one better. Not one but two Google Maps-CTA mashups exist: the tastypopsicle map and MetroMapr. We prefer the tastypopsicle flavor, as it’s faster and prettier.

And if you’re just looking for a bit of fun, look no further than the anagrammed transit map.

If you prefer to be spoonfed directions, Chicagoans have two choices: Trip Planner, the official planning tool; and HopStop, a non-CTA competitor. WindyBits mapped our commute and found both services to be accurate, but we’ve got a pretty straight shot. Chicagoist and Tattler readers have had bad luck with HopStop. YMMV.

Other CTA-oriented sites

Official and unoffocial

• Official CTA website at TransitChicago.com (Note: ChicagoTransit.com is a squatter site. Nice.)
• Chicago-L.org - a massive repository of CTA news and history
• CTA chair Carole Brown’s blog (see in particular the discussion of three-tracking)

Big media

• Trib transportation columnist John Hilkevitch
• Hey, CTA!, the RedEye’s mass transit column

CTA-related bloggers

• Chicago Bloggers and Chicago Blogmap - blogs organized by “L” lines and stops according to their authors’ locations
• Live from the Third Rail, a mass transit blog
• Chicago Carless - a blog by Mike Doyle, a “committed transit rider”

Photos

• CTA photo pool on Flickr
• Looper (often has nice pictures of the “L,” such as this one)

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 28th, 2007 at 8:07 pm and is filed under Articles. Both comments and pings are currently closed.