CTA Riders Prefer New York-Style Bench Seating In Poll; Claypool Says Seats Will Stay The Same
By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 22, 2012 3:00PM
The Active Transportation Alliance released the results of its recent poll on the seating preferences of Green and Pink Line riders on the new 5000-Series “L”cars. Forty-nine percent of the 2,500 people who participated in the survey said they preferred New York-style bench seating over the current bucket seating in the cars, with 48 percent in favor of the scoop seating common in Chicago “L” cars.
Active Trans director of campaigns Lee Crandall told Tribune transportation reporter John Hilkevitch:
"While the poll results are unscientific and it was nearly a draw, one clear conclusion is that transit riders have strong opinions when it comes to issues of comfort and convenience. We've shared the results with the CTA and encouraged the agency to always seek input from the transit riders about significant changes to the system."
The poll, of course, went over as well as a loud fart in church. CTA President Forrest Claypool already said that the new rail cars won’t be reconfigured to accommodate the traverse-style seating most of us grew up with riding the “L.” But it’s this statement from Hilkevitch that has us scratching our heads.
The Active Transportation Alliance survey appears to show that about half of CTA riders don't mind the buckets. If that's the case, then another half of the riders hate their new ride.Um, that wasn’t the point of the poll. It was to gauge which style of aisle-facing seating riders preferred, since CTA already said the 5000-Series cars wouldn’t accommodate traverse-style seating, since these cars are the future of the agency’s rail system. Of the two options, bench-style seating is a more common-sense option. We know there are riders who will vehemently disagree.