Blog Profile / The Ride
| URL : | http://blogs.suntimes.com/transportation/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | United States / Chicago | |
| Posts on Regator: | 105 | |
| Posts / Week: | 0.5 | |
| Archived Since: | June 16, 2009 | |
Blog Post Archive
Ride Trivia Quiz Answer
Last week's ride asked to identify the El crash that killed 10 people and led to a recommendation to phase out wooden cars. The answer is the rear-end collision involving a Chicago Rapid Transit elevated train and a Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee interurban train at Granville station on Nov. Show More Summary
Del Valle and Bikes
Earlier this month, the Ride had a story about how the Active Transportation Alliance is hoping the next mayor will further Mayor Daley's work to make Chicago welcoming to bicycles and pedestrians. At least one mayoral candidate has come forward on this issue -- City Clerk Miguel del Valle. Show More Summary
Trivia Quiz Answer: Honore
For our last ride trivia quiz, the question was: what Chicago street is the maiden name of a lady who became one of Chicago's leading socialites? The answer is Honore, named for Chicago real estate developer Henry Hamilton Honore. His...Show More Summary
All Transportation Forum
This Monday is a favorite event for transportation geeks like myself -- The William O. Lipinski Transportation Forum at Northwestern University. The topic this year is public transit for Chicago -- and will include a panel discussion with CTA President Richard Rodriguez, Metra acting executive director William Tupper, Pace executive driector T.J. Show More Summary
Ride Trivia Quiz Answer
The last Ride Trivia Quiz asked "What Chicago street was named after a 7-year-old girl? Her father became mayor." The answer is Cornelia, whose grandfather was subdivider Walter S. Gurnee. Gurnee was mayor from 1851 to 1853. No one got this answer -- but we had some good guesses. Show More Summary
Schweebing Around
Check out this Reuters video, which shows a New Zealand transportation innovation, the Schweeb, an see-through capsule carried on a monorail. The occupant pedals, bicycle-style, to move it forward. The inventor thinks it's a pollution-free solution for crowded cities. Show More Summary
Ride Trivia Quiz Answer
This week's question asked what event 250,000 people to Soldier Field in September 1954. The answer was the Catholic Marian Year Tribute. Sheila Wade was the first with the correct answer. I got a lot of responses on this one -- some readers were there.
The Ride On "Week in Review"
I'm on Channel 11 at 7 p.m. tonight with my news colleagues Charles Thomas of ABC, Jim Litke of the AP and Abdon Pallasch of the Sun-Times, talking about CTA crime and other hot topics.
The Ride Trivia Quiz
When U-2's Bono sings about streets that have no name, what streets is he talking about? Please provide your full name and address in your response, so if you win I can send your prize.
Raising Chicago out of the Muck
The reversal of the Chicago River wasn't the city's only jaw-dropping engineering project. In this month's Chicago Magazine, Lilli Carre drew a fun visual history of the raising of Chicago's streets and buildings out of the swamp in the mid-19th century. See illustration here.
Waiting on the Bloomingdale Trail
Fans of the Bloomingdale Trail -- this is taking longer than you hoped. More than a year after the city of Chicago selected ARUP North America to begin preliminary design and engineering work on the proposed 2.7 mile linear park on the...Show More Summary
The Ride Trivia Quiz
The 1930s were a bad time for the economy, but a good time for pop culture inventions, like chocolate chip cookies. What transportation-related entertainment was first introduced in June 1933? The first person with the correct answer gets a Sun-Times umbrella. Make sure you include a way to reach you, or I can't get you your prize if you win.
Hollywood Harsh on the Carless
The other day I was biking home from work when I was brought up short by a guy driving his car in the bike lane, while talking on his cellphone - in other words, breaking two city laws at once and being a jerk. I had to maneuver around...Show More Summary
The Ride Trivia Quiz
Chicago's first electrically powered L -- which had a third rail and ran for three miles -- was torn down within a year of opening to the public. Why? The first person with the right answer wins a Sun-Times umbrella. Please include your full name and address so if you win I can get you your prize. Don't worry -- I won't publish the address.
Metra's Carole Doris on "At Issue"
WBBM-AM 780's Bob Roberts and I question Metra Chair Carole Doris on "At Issue," which airs at 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Doris has been the embattled agency's public face since former executive director Philip Pagano killed himself May 7, following disclosures of his financial wrongdoing. Show More Summary
David Byrne: A.V. Guy
For the close of bike-to-work week Friday, the city of Chicago held a transportation forum on bicycling at the Cultural Center. The panelists included musician and bike enthusiast David Byrne (interviewed here), who also turned out to be the evening's A.V. Show More Summary
When the L was private
Check out today's Chicago Reader for a fascinating article by Robert Loerzel about the push for the government to take over the private city rail lines. If you thought the Illinois legislature was uncivil now, you should have been there...Show More Summary
The Ride Trivia Quiz
In 1933, Mayor Ed Kelly tried to change the name of a Chicago street in response to a request by Emily Napieralski, a key supporter. But business owners on the street objected to the name change, and it took 19 years of legal battles to get it done. What was the street? If you answer, please provide your name and address, so I can get you your prize if you win.
Farewell to the Mercury
Ford is saying goodbye to the 71-year-old Mercury Brand this year. The analyst talk on this I've seen suggests this is a good thing for Ford, which keeps doing better. Here's a Bloomberg story.
Metra Reform Bill Defeated
A bill by State Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) requiring Metra to hire an independent inspector general was defeated today in committee. The bill was introduced as a response to the recent discovery of a half-million dollar fraud...Show More Summary