Active Transportation Alliance Wants Your Thoughts On New "L" Car Seating

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 3, 2012 7:40PM

Inside one of the new Bombardier 5000-series rail cars. (Photo via the CTA's Flickr page.)

When last we checked in on our latest civic controversy—the aisle-facing seating of the new 5000-Series “L” cars on the Green and Pink Lines—CTA said we had to stop worrying and learn to love it, while Tribune transportation reporter John Hilkevitch said CTA should listen to the complaints riders have about the seating.

Now that we’ve stopped laughing at that notion, the Active Transportation Alliance is hoping to use its influence in an attempt to get CTA to listen. Knowing that the 5000-Series cars are the future, Active Trans’ Brenna Conway weighs the merits of having CTA and rail car builder Bombardier Transportation emulate New York-style seating even further and replace the bucket-style seating with the bench-style seats common to New York City subway cars.

”Those in favor of a bench seat say that parceling out space for people makes for an uncomfortable ride. Not all riders fit in the allotted 17.5” seat and when some spill over onto the next seat, it makes for a tight squeeze for their neighbor.

“Riders who prefer the bucket style seating featured in the new CTA cars argue that without the seat markings, there’s nothing to stop people from taking up even more space than they need, putting bags, jackets and other items next to them.”

As a 43-year veteran of riding Chicago’s rail system we’ve found that passengers in “L” cars are going to take more seating than they need, regardless of the style of seat. But there is a point to be made about the bench seats; it’s our preference and we’ve wondered why CTA and Bombardier didn’t move to install them in the new cars from the beginning.

Active Trans has created a poll asking for your preference between the current bucket seating and the bench seats, which they’ll forward to CTA. Since CTA President Forrest Claypool said that retrofitting the new cars for the current traverse seating would require more beams and, therefore, labor, it makes sense to come to some resolution on the aisle seating that may not be perfect, but at least hints at collaboration and cooperation.

The poll runs through Oct. 14. Active Trans Marketing and Communications Director Ethan Spotts told Chicagoist only 100 people have taken part in the survey since it launched Sept. 20. So get going, folks, and let your voice be heard.