
Editorial: A new CTA day for Edgewater and Uptown. But what about Broadway?
Teething troubles, surely forgivable, for the big reopening of four stations on the CTA's Red Line, the transit agency's flagship artery that can take you from Wrigley Field to Rate Field or, for many Chicagoans, from home to work. New stations reopened Sunday with the monikers and (locations of) Lawrence, Berwyn, Argyle and Bryn Mawr, all abutting North Broadway, a street about which there currently is much dissent.
We thought we'd check them all out.
Our takeaway? None of these stations are architectural marvels and they all have the utilitarian design long familiar to CTA riders. But they're also all improvements.
They all have functioning escalators to take you up (but not down) from the turnstiles to the platform. They all have elevators that smell like new cars, not the disgorging of human bodies. We're not crazy about the angled platform seats that seem ready to tip you off at any moment, but we assume the CTA has its reasons, just as it surely does for the endless customer service scrolls that get in the way of what most people at a CTA station really want to know, which is when the next train might be expected.
More significantly, all four stations have translucent roofs that, aside from offering decent shade and shelter, feel to us like a bit of a neighborhood nod to the grand terminals of old.
At Lawrence, the new design showcases terrific views of the (sadly unrestored) Uptown Theatre and the upper reaches of the historic Aragon Ballroom, just a few feet from the train line. We spent a while drinking in those vistas, which somehow feel more impactful now.
But the biggest takeaway? The impact of significantly wider platforms.
Not only do these stations feel (and surely are) significantly safer, but the broader expanse of concrete makes standing there all the more pleasant. There's room to walk around (or away) without feeling crammed toward an oncoming train. The stations have more weight and substance. They have the effect of elevating Edgewater and Uptown.
Those diverse Chicago neighborhoods have been the subject of much zoning mishegoss of late.
In one corner is the 48th Ward's alderman, Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, and Mayor Brandon Johnson, both of whom want to 'upzone' Broadway from Montrose Avenue to Devon Avenue so it might accommodate taller buildings and more affordable housing. In the other are neighborhood activists who argue this will ruin their quality of life.
We published the thoughts of one of them, Steve Weinshel, on Sunday. Wienshel argued that Johnson's desire to eliminate the parking mandate for new multifamily developments would be catastrophic and he foresaw masses of new housing on Broadway, with most needing somewhere to park. 'To contemplate adding 10,000 housing units along Edgewater's adjacent stretch of Broadway with minimal off-street parking requirements constitutes urban planning malpractice,' Weinshel wrote. 'Such lunacy will plague Edgewater for generations to come.'
Standing on each of those station platforms and looking over at Broadway, you see a streetscape that seems bizarre to defend. Except for the historic Uptown entertainment district, one of the city's overlooked assets, it's a hodgepodge of car washes and mini-malls with surface parking lots that don't feel like they belong, and certainly are no things of beauty. Frankly, they're eyesores.
That said, they're filled with small-business owners who fear their convenient parking being swept away by a lobby that often demonizes their needs. And if you live on or around Broadway and struggle to find somewhere to park your car (and most households in this area have at least one), you understandably are nervous about the future.
Progressive activists, of course, argue that city leaders should not listen to 'motorheads' and force a change in that behavior. They have a case, and the new stations on the Red Line, making travel by the CTA more attractive, certainly bolster their argument. Meanwhile, the other side says creating an avoidable parking crisis will negatively impact the very people who've worked so hard to improve these neighborhoods over the years, neighborhoods that often offer a first stop for new immigrants to the city and are already dense by the standards of elsewhere.
On Monday, we certainly saw a lot more cars on Broadway than people on the CTA platforms, which largely were deserted during the lunch hour.
There again, though, it may take time. Thanks to the delays and dysfunction plaguing new public-funded construction in cities such as Chicago, these relatively simple stations were closed for four years (there were some temporary options, at least). People will have to get used to their opening again. And, of course, new stations alone won't get people out of their cars: for that we need more frequent trains, a greater perception of safety and faster journey times. We could use a CTA that expands operations with regard to use and population.
All that said, we saw CTA functioning at its best and smoothest Monday afternoon; you might even say the trains glide into the new stations. In an ideal world, denser housing, the elimination of required parking and the end of those mini-malls would be a no-brainer for Broadway because far fewer cars would be needed. But in the meantime, some sort of compromise has to be found that involves Chicagoans respecting the needs of others and refraining from insulting perfectly reasonable positions. These new stations deserve a Broadway that rises to meet them.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin is a living history museum
The Fox River Trolley Museum offers a one-of-a-kind experience, a ride by the river enjoying a piece of history. It doesn't look like your usual museum because it's not. There's no building, just 27 vintage rail cars built as far back as 1887. "We're a living history museum," said Jeff Bennett, chief car officer and conductor. "[In the 1890s] you had to walk to work. There weren't cars, horses were for farming. With the advent of trolleys, you could live in Geneva but work in Elgin. That was a huge game-changer. I would say it invented commuting." You'll find amazing craftsmanship on these rail cars, but there's one thing you won't find. "We're out in the beautiful summer weather and these don't have air conditioning," Bennett said. "We can use 40 windows as our cooling device." Train rides take you by the Fox River, and back in time. "When the railroad was being laid out, this was all farm land. And we go over several bridges [built] so farm animals could get to the river to get water," he explained. "You take one of these cars down the line, you ride next to the river, it's a feeling you're not going to get anywhere else." People visiting the museum the day we were there said they liked the ambiance of the train, the wind through the windows and the history that was shared. Jay Kellner said he had never had the opportunity to cruise down the Fox River in that way. "It was a nice perspective," he said. There are even vintage CTA cars, like ones used to carry commuters on Chicago's Northwest Side, on the museum train. "It served 50 years on the Chicago Elevated, the same tracks that are in use today," said Bennett. "It's been here at the museum coming up just as long as it was in regular service." But the train's snazzy looks didn't come easy. It underwent a major renovation several years ago that took 13,000 hours of work done almost completely by volunteers. "The roof, floor, window, paint, pretty much everything," Bennett said. "When we do them, we don't spare any details. The labor of love that has gone into that train, every time I look at it I smile." And no vintage CTA car would be complete without a sign that warns "No smoking. No spitting." The heyday of the trolley came to an end when the automobile era began. "When it started changing was when Henry Ford took off with his model T and Model A, and as more people could afford an automobile, fewer people needed a public mode of transportation," Bennett said. "The final demise was the onset of expressways. Now all of a sudden everybody could just go where they wanted, didn't have to wait for the next train." That's where the Fox River Trolly Museum comes in. "A huge part of what we do is interpreting history, demonstrating history," Bennett said. "Here in South Elgin we just love that we can keep this alive, keep history alive." And he has his own history there. "I can remember every summer, my grandparents bringing me out. My first visit was when I was four years old. So for, 40 years later, to be in charge of their wellbeing, to be able to operate them, be able to pass on the history to the next generation, it's just amazing," he said. "I love every part of what I do. Do you know someone a person or place that brings you joy? We want to share your story. Send us your "Eye on Chicago" ideas using the form below (or clicking here):
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Editorial: Slots at Chicago O'Hare airport? A tacky choice
Pop quiz: How many U.S. airports have slot machines operating among the departure and arrival gates? The answer is two: Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Reno. Those airports are in Nevada. Gambling is central to the zeitgeist of that state. People expect the chance to feed bills into slots as they wait out their flight delays. But savvy gamblers know not to touch these airside temptations, airport slots being notoriously tight, a consequence of convenience and captured customers. Moreover, it's hard to imagine that whoever is Chicago's mayor when the epic O'Hare reconstruction is completed will want to be photographed on opening day with Megabucks or Wheel of Fortune machines as their backdrop. That would be tacky. In global cities outside Nevada, cities showcase airports with fountains, play areas, soaring ceilings, even verdant lounges. They don't want to be known for trying to take Aunt Sally from Salt Lake City for twenty bucks as she changes planes to one bound for Sarasota. We understand the aldermanic temptation to squeeze revenue from every corner of Terminal 3, especially if they can plausibly argue the money is not coming from Chicagoans (although that's a debatable point). Faced with a mayoral administration allergic to any kind of trimming of expenses, aldermen cast around like they're pulling up couch cushions looking for dimes. Even aside from the above objections, it's by no means clear that Chicago would actually make money from airport slots as distinct from syphoning off revenue from a casino that has yet to open. The tax regulations surrounding different kinds of automated ways to lose your money — slots are not the same as video terminals — are complicated and come at varying rates. Plus we imagine the highly successful Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, just a dice throw from O'Hare, would have a lot to say if airside slots came to pass. And let's not forget that Rivers coughs up millions in taxes to both Des Plaines and the state of Illinois. For all of those reasons, we think the ordinance authorizing slots at Chicago's airports, as introduced by Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, is a losing proposition. At minimum, the city should wait until its new casino opens and a clearer picture emerges of the current state of (legal) gambling in our metro area. In the meantime, aldermen could press the administration to find some ways to cut the city some slack. _____ Solve the daily Crossword


Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Slots at Chicago O'Hare airport? A tacky choice.
Pop quiz: How many U.S. airports have slot machines operating among the departure and arrival gates? The answer is two: Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Reno. Those airports are in . Gambling is central to the zeitgeist of that state. People expect the chance to feed bills into slots as they wait out their flight delays. But savvy gamblers know not to touch these airside temptations, airport slots being notoriously tight, a consequence of convenience and captured customers. Moreover, it's hard to imagine that whoever is Chicago's mayor when the epic O'Hare reconstruction is completed will want to be photographed on opening day with Megabucks or Wheel of Fortune machines as their backdrop. That would be tacky. In global cities outside Nevada, cities showcase airports with fountains, play areas, soaring ceilings, even verdant lounges. They don't want to be known for trying to take Aunt Sally from Salt Lake City for twenty bucks as she changes planes to one bound for Sarasota. We understand the aldermanic temptation to squeeze revenue from every corner of Terminal 3, especially if they can plausibly argue the money is not coming from Chicagoans (although that's a debatable point). Faced with a mayoral administration allergic to any kind of trimming of expenses, aldermen cast around like they're pulling up couch cushions looking for dimes. Even aside from the above objections, it's by no means clear that Chicago would actually make money from airport slots as distinct from syphoning off revenue from a casino that has yet to open. The tax regulations surrounding different kinds of automated ways to lose your money — slots are not the same as video terminals — are complicated and come at varying rates. Plus we imagine the highly successful Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, just a dice throw from O'Hare, would have a lot to say if airside slots came to pass. And let's not forget that Rivers coughs up millions in taxes to both Des Plaines and the state of Illinois. For all of those reasons, we think the ordinance authorizing slots at Chicago's airports, as introduced by Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, is a losing proposition. At minimum, the city should wait until its new casino opens and a clearer picture emerges of the current state of (legal) gambling in our metro area. In the meantime, aldermen could press the administration to find some ways to cut the city some slack.