79th Street from the bus

 

[VIDEO] I'm sharing this with you as hopefully some of you ride route 79 through the Chatham neighborhood. And perhaps some of you may travel further east towards Jeffrey Blvd as YouTuber DrilTrill does on July 16th. We hear a lot of loud noises because sometimes people talk loudly on public transportation.

And to those people who talk on their phones we don't need to hear your address and we don't need to hear your social security number. If you're handling personal business like that please exercise some discretion as you don't know who's quietly listening.

Aside from that tangent we don't know if someone is talking on their phone or not I do know at the beginning we hear someone loudly letting the bus driver know that they're getting off the bus. Either way anyone reading this blog ride the 79 bus. Have any interesting experiences to share?

CBS 2 Chicago on the bus shelter at 79th/Cottage Grove

[VIDEO] You might have seen this on our fb page over the weekend. CBS 2 Chicago news picked up the story regarding the missing bench at a bus shelter at 79th & Cottage Grove. Nothing really new to report here, just that the story gained more traction.

CTA, Chicago Police, Alderman Michelle Harris (Ward 8), and Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) all want to address the issue of any loitering at this bus shelter.

What's going on with this bus shelter at 79th/Cottage Grove

79th/Cottage Grove bus shelter loitering

You might have seen this photograph circulating on Facebook and I've been trying to determine where at 79th/Cottage Grove this was located. I see in a recent article from Block Club Chi that this was probably in front of the currency exchange on the north east corner of 79th & Cottage.

A bench was removed from this shelter and people who want to just hang out here simply bring their own chairs. I've even seen reports online that although these loiterers may seem menacing at first glance have been courteous enough to offer their chairs to those waiting for a bus. Certainly a plus for any senior citizen who are taking public transit.

However, this is an issue that the police and the 8th Ward Ald. Michelle Harris are looking to take care of the loitering and have taken steps:

Administrators of the Concerned Citizens of Chatham, a popular neighborhood Facebook page, said there were requests to remove the bus shelter bench, as well as one on 71st Street and Indiana Ave., due to the robberies and other “dangerous activities” at both locations.

The shelter bench at 71st Street remained in place as of Sunday.

Harris and 6th District Police Cmdr. Rahman Muhammad said they believe the removals are a good way to combat loitering. But when asked about how the removal affects elderly riders and passengers with disabilities, Harris said the move removal was only temporary.

“Once we get things under control, it will return,” Harris said. “I and Cmdr. Muhammad will be monitoring the intersection for the next week or so, and going from there.”

Muhammad said he is taking a “three-pronged approach” to tackle the problem.

“Firstly, offering those individuals a warning to leave the area, while at the same time giving them job fliers for employment opportunities,” Muhammad said.

Harris and Muhammad are planning to meet with CTA leadership “in the near future” about the issue and possible solutions.

“There will be weekly updates,” said Harris, who added that she hopes to have a meeting with the owner of the nearby currency exchange to persuade them to hire security.

Here's an update with the above photo from Worlee Glover's Concerned Citizens of Chatham

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Tribune: CTA driver jumps out window during shooting on bus in Chatham

Ulric Slovig flickr

Taking the bus out there be very careful. As you see here (or in headline) the bus driver had to dive out of a window to avoid shooting:

A CTA bus driver jumped out a window at the sound of gunfire on his bus late Tuesday in the South Side’s Chatham neighborhood, causing injuries to his neck, back and leg, according to police.

The driver was the only person hurt in the shooting around 10:25 p.m. Tuesday in the 7900 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, police said. The shots fired by a rider did not hit anyone.

The shooter got on the bus at 79th Street and Drexel Avenue. Another man got on two blocks west, at 79th and Cottage Grove. Five other passengers were on the bus when the men started to argue, a police source said. The shooter took out a handgun and fired several times at the other man, then ran off the bus, police said. The other man also left the bus before police arrived.

You may have also seen this story on:

• WGN
• Block Club Chi
• CBS Chicago

79th street BLOCKED from Cottage grove to St. Lawrence!!!

BREAKING NEWS

If you are hearing the 3 helicopters, it is due to a major fire on 79th between Cottage Grove and St. Lawrence. Streets are blocked off between them. There are SEVERAL emergency vehicles (fire trucks, ambulance and police cars). A passerby said that everyone made it out.

You can check TV news later today for more details, but if you are going down 79th, make sure you avoid that part of 79th.

Did the CTA bus completely miss our neighborhoods yesterday morning & today?

Has anyone else been experiencing problems on the CTA lately?

Yesterday, as my wife was on her way to work, we checked the CTA bus tracker around 6:15 am for the Westbound 79th street bus, near the King Drive corner. The text message said "No arrival times". As she walked her way to the 79th street station, she saw MANY CTA riders who also texted and got the same message. It took her 20 minutes o get to the station.  Along the way,she saw many people who also had texted and got the same response.  Meanwhile, about 4-5 eastbound 79th street buses passed along the way.

 

This morning at 6:24, atone stop, the times were as follows:

• 79to 77th/Centr 25 min
• 79 to Solo CupF 22 min
• 79 to Western 28 min

So at least 22 minutes before another bus would show up, and then a 3-5 minute gap.  Is this acceptable? Certainly the "No time available" is NOT acceptable.

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