Cta @ MindSay

It sounds like life is going to be a bitch for the next couple years.  Why they do this, I'll never know.

One of the best ways to get around in Chicago is on the elevated trains.  Except that now the brain trust that is the Chicago Transit Authority is expanding the Brown Line and they're predicting that travel times on the Red, Brown and Purple Line Express trains will double.  So it's going to take twice as long to go anywhere?  How is this helping things?!? :(

They're going to start this wonderful project in April, and one out of four tracks will be out of service between the Addison and Armitage stops through the end of 2009.

This had better be well worth it in the end.

How likely are you to get sick from using public transportation?

RedEye hired a local laboratory to randomly test some CTA surfaces for cleanliness and harmful bacteria. Though the tests conducted along the Red Line, Brown Line, No. 66 and No. 151 routes revealed no staph or E. coli bacteria cells, approximately 57 percent of the tested surfaces registered as dirty enough to breed bacteria that can make you sick.

Surfaces tested on Red and Brown Line trains averaged "dirty" readings, though Red Line cars were found to be significantly dirtier than those on the Brown. Among the dirtiest surfaces tested were the upholstered seats on trains and the stop cord on one bus.

The bottom line: Despite the CTA's efforts to keep buses and trains clean, tests show that the potential for bacteria buildup on the "L" and buses is nothing to sneeze at.

Riders who don't wash their hands between riding the CTA and eating are potentially at risk for colds, the flu, cold sores and food-related illnesses, such as salmonella poisoning