The Ride

People with 312 or 773 area codes calling the Regional Transportation Authority's travel hotline must now dial 11 digits. Residents from these area codes should dial 312 then 836-7000 when calling for travel directions, according to the RTA.
Callers outside those area codes but within the RTA's regional service area can continue to dial the 7-digit number, 836-7000.
The change comes after the recent installment of the new Chicago area code 872.
This new rule was supposed to start Saturday. The Ride tried both the 7-digit and the 11-digit number from a 312 number at 11 a.m. Saturday -- and both got through. RTA spokeswoman Diane Palmer said the new protocol may kick in later in the day.

CTA rail service between the Blue Line's Clark/Lake and UIC-Halsted stations will be temporarily suspended from 10 p.m. Friday and 4 a.m. Monday for track work.

Shuttle bus service will substitute for rail service. Allow extra time, folks.

The Illinois Department of Transportation will close Burnham Avenue from 143rd to State Street next Monday for work on the bridge over the Grand Calumet River. The work was originally supposed to start this past Wednesday, but got postponed. The work will take a month.

And no, this isn't the bridge Jake and Elwood jump over. That's at 95th Street.

All together now, CTA riders, Allow Extra Time!

Both the CTA Red Line and Blue Line will have service interruptions this weekend.

Northbound Red Line trains will be unable to stop at the Morse and Jarvis stations from 10 p.m. Friday until 6 p.m. Sunday due to track maintenance work. Southbound Red Line service is not affected.

The CTA press release includes these instructions: "During this time, northbound Red Line customers who want to exit at Morse or Jarvis should travel to Howard and board a southbound train to the appropriate station. Customers at Morse or Jarvis who want to travel north should board a southbound train to Loyola to access a northbound train."

Rail service between the Blue Line's Clark/Lake and UIC-Halsted stations will be suspended for track work from 10 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Monday.

Bus shuttles will operate as a substitute for rail service making stops adjacent to the Clark/Lake, Washington, Monroe, Jackson, LaSalle, Clinton and UIC-Halsted stations. Southbound buses will travel along Clark and Van Buren and northbound buses will operate via Harrison and Dearborn.

This article makes the fun argument that it's actually greener to have a cool car that you barely drive, than a frumpy one you drive all over the place. He advocates ditching the Toyota Camry, taking bikes or public transportation for your daily grind, and taking a Sunday drive in a really fun car, like a classic Porsche. The greener argument is actually for NO car, but if you have to get your driving kicks, you could argue it's better to do it just once a week in something groovy.

The state house executive committee today decided, unanimously and without debate, to roll back the controversial senior free ride program so it only applies to low-income seniors. according to Diane Palmer, spokeswoman for the Regional Transportation Authority. The bill still has to be voted on by both the full house and senate.

Speaking after a City Club luncheon today, RTA executive director Stephen Schlickman said that he was "pleased" to hear of the committee vote. The RTA board had announced earlier this month that it supported rolling back the free ride program, which would save the RTA about $37 million a year. All three transit area agencies are raising fares and/or cutting service for 2010 because of budget troubles.

Schlickman said the bill before the house would preserve free rides for 30 percent of seniors, who are low income. "I think that's appropriate public policy," Schlickman said. "All other seniors will still get half fare benefits."

This masked vigilante fought crime along with his faithful servant, Kato. He also inspired a nickname for a form of Chicago transportation.

The answer is the Green Hornet, comic book hero and the nickname for Chicago's old green streetcars. Many people had the right answer, but Margo Sliwa was first. If Margo can send me her address and t-shirt size by e-mail, I can send her the prize. My e-mail is mwisniewski@suntimes.com.

I haven't been on my bike during these two days of rain, and boy, do I miss it. Here, as promised, are the 12 BEST things about bike commuting.

12. Freedom from obnoxious train passengers. I hate being on the L and listening to someone's "Like, Oh, my God!" punctuated cell phone conversation, or someone's IPod turned up to the max. I really don't like having to hear the bass line of other people's bad music, and getting cold stares when I ask them to please turn it down. Maybe I'm getting grumpier as I get older, or maybe people are getting ruder, but my tolerance for this stuff has really dropped.

11. Freedom from a train schedule and stops. When I bike, if I need to stop at the drugstore or the grocery on the way home, it's easy to do. I don't have to get off the train and walk.

10. Enjoying the weather. As much as I complain about rain and cold, I really do enjoy living somewhere where there is actual weather. Most of the time, I love being outside and feeling the elements -- it's too easy to insulate yourself from reality with air conditioning and central heating. On a bike, you can detect subtle changes in the weather -- like the first shift in the wind that foreshadows an autumn storm. And yes, I do intend to do more winter biking this year.

9. Not dieting. I'm Polish, and surrounded by good cooks. The idea of dieting is gruesome. But I don't want to gain weight and have to buy new clothes. I think biking helps keeps me thin.

8. Good appetite. Biking may keep you trim, but you aren't going to waste away, because you get REALLY Hungry when you bike. My commute to work is eight miles each way, and I find I really enjoy my lunch and dinner if I've biked that day.

7. Seeing the city. When you're in a car, it's hard to see the faces of people, or the buildings as you pass. While biking is faster than walking, it still gives you a chance to check out neighborhoods, and see people. I like noticing a new store or house I wouldn't have seen if I was in a car or the train, and I like noticing little things like "Hey, isn't that a new crossing guard?" Or "I see the Milwaukee Avenue drunks are sleeping it off on the grass this morning -- good thing it's not raining."

6. Being independent. Biking appeals to me in the same way gardening does -- it makes me feel a little off the grid. I'm providing my own power -- not power brought to me by oil produced by dubious governments in faraway places.

5. Being green. We've all got to find ways to create less pollution, and when you bike instead of drive, you not only cut your own carbon emissions, but you encourage other people to do it by showing them how much fun you're having.

4. Fun. What was your favorite Christmas present as a kid? A bike, right? It's fun to ride a bike. When I first started bike commuting in 2000, I felt like I was 11 years old again, pigtails flying. Wheee! I think I've actually gotten younger I started bicycling again, or at least feel more myself.

3. Better sleep. The more I ride my bike, the less trouble I have sleeping.

2. Saving money. I can't always bike commute -- because sometimes I need the car for work assignments. But I try to do it at least 10 times a month, and I figure that saves me about $5 a day in transit costs. That's $50 a month, and it goes into a savings account I use for vacations. Sometimes, if the wind is high and I have a tough time peddling, I remember the $5 and the chance of a train trip to New Orleans, and it helps.

1. Being here now. Number one on my list of "worst things about bike commuting" was "trying not to die." After I wrote it, I realized that was one of the best things, too. When I'm bicycling, I can't worry about work. I can't worry about what's going at home. I don't have to worry about what's on the news. I can't multi-task. My number one concern is staying upright and not getting hit by a car. And that's a kind of meditation. When I'm bicycling, I'm focused on the present. And in these weird, unreal times, that's a kind of gift.