Just as I've never seen a car ticketed for being in a bike-only lane, I've also never seen a bike stopped for running a red light. It's hard for us, as cyclists, to convince drivers that we belong on the road if we won't follow the rules. How can we demand respect, if we don't earn it?

It seems like some bicyclists regard themselves as "Superpedestrians" -- they can be on the road AND they can run red lights AND terrorize walkers on sidewalks -- whatever works. Maybe they do this because they feel cars don't respect them, so why should they respect rules made for cars. Or maybe it's just a spirit of anarchy -- I'm a biker, free and easy, sticking it to the Man.... Maybe it's because they have no fear of being ticketed.

Anyone have any theories?

But how about a few nice transit stories? Did anyone out there ever get a smile from a bus driver that made a bad night better? Or did a CTA motorman hold the train for you as you came galloping down the stairs, and keep holding it after you accidentally dropped your keys on the platform?

I've also encountered astounding acts of kindness from passengers. I was once on a subway train with a man who was certainly drunk and possibly crazy -- he was holding a whiskey bottle, waving it around and yelling about how angry he was. Passengers started moving away from him. I considered changing cars. Then a little lady sat down next to him and took the bottle out of his hand. "You won't be needing that anymore," she said, with great authority. She put his arm around his shoulder and started to talk him down. He started crying and confessed that his mother had died -- that's why he was drinking. Maybe his mother had died 20 years ago -- maybe it was yesterday. It didn't matter -- she gave him sympathy and he calmed down. It was a beautiful act of courage.

So please share your stories -- there are a lot of good eggs out there on mass transit, along with the bad apples.

One of the responses we got was from a TSA officer, who didn't want to be identified. Here it is:

The Chicago area is not nearly as bike friendly as Holland. But bike commuters here say more people would do it if they just tried it a couple of times...

Certainly the Grand and State station is dingy and dimly lit. But do other stations need the rehab more?

Here's a rendering of what the Grand and State platform would like like after the rehab:

Floyd Long in the Sun-Times story commented that other stations, particularly on the Green Line, could use the money more. What do Ride readers think? Can you think of some grungy stations in need of a serious makeover?

You really remember why you live in the city when you're on a bike. You're not behind glass -- in a car or on the train. You're out in the weather, smelling fresh bread, sausages and bus exhaust, feeling the wind, looking at the stores and the people in their infinite variety. You feel like you're 11 years old again, and get to work feeling upbeat, for at least 30 minutes...

The downside is the constant fear of getting struck from behind, or running into someone's car door. But at least it keeps you awake, and it's cheaper than a gym. Biking is a great way for the cheap to stay fit -- there's no gym fee AND you don't have to pay for the train.

Today could have been a bike day -- it was warm enough. But I lacked the physical courage to cope with the 35 mph wind gusts.

I'd be interested to hear from biking readers -- have you been out on the bike yet this spring? When was your first bike day this year? And for those who would rather bike without car traffic, registration is now open for the May 25 Bank of America "Bike the Drive" event. To register, go to https://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=GQ2VDK7

To watch the video, go to the Illinois tollway's main page and look to the bottom right.

Usually it works. People are usually polite -- they're just oblivious. They need to look up from their magazines and their piped-in music to see what's going on around them. When I was pregnant, I didn't stand forlornly in the aisle, hoping someone would notice me. I would ask, "Can someone please give me a seat?" and three or four people would leap up. Usually, people do the right thing, and everyone's happy. You get the best smiles from your fellow riders if you successfully get a teen to turn down his tunes. You're the L hero.

But it doesn't always happen, and then it's just depressing. It seems to be getting worse. Last week on the Brown Line, I kept getting knocked in the chest by a tall, tailored, six-figure-salary type with a 200-pound "I must carry everything" bag. After the third breath-taking blow, I asked him to please put his bag on the floor of the car. "See, that's where I keep my bag," I said, pointing helpfully. He sneered, "It will get dirty!" And he didn't apologize. The people around me shrugged in sympathy, while I fantasized about smearing the bottoms of my boots on his creased trousers.

I didn't, but I wonder if my days as an L Scold are numbered. I'm getting tired of it. I'm getting tired of the rudeness and the defiance. These days, if the loud radio player is a tough looking youngster or a vacant-eyed scruffy who rocks in his seat, I'm not saying anything -- I just move to another car. I don't want to get shot. If someone keeps knocking me with his bag, I don't want to say anything. I just want to roll my eyes and offer it up for Jesus, as they used to say in school. If someone is getting hurt, I'm definitely calling the conductor and 911, and helping out if I can. But I've started to let the other stuff slide.

Are you an L Scold? Or have you hung up your verbal weapons and resigned yourself to sit in silence as the rudeness batters against you for the 30-minute ride? Please let us know.

The increase angers paratransit users who feel their needs weren’t addressed in the $535 million bailout
bill that kept the CTA and Pace from going ahead with drastic “doomsday” service cuts and fare increases.

Adding insult to injury, they say, was Governor Blagojevich’s surprise move to allow seniors to ride mass transit for free.

Crosby was one of the organizers of a meeting held Thursday meeting by a pair of disability rights
groups.

The two groups, IMPRUVE and Concerned Citizens of Paratransit, want the price of the ADA monthly pass to stay the same, and if it doesn’t, they’re threatening to file federal discrimination claims against Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority.

“We have a civil right to safe, affordable service,” IMPRUVE coordinator Ayo Maat said.

Crosby and others at the meeting noted that many people with disabilities are on fixed incomes and
cannot afford to pay an additional $900 a year to ride paratransit.

The ADA monthly pass allows eligible paratransit riders who live in Chicago to take an unlimited number
of trips for $75 a month. Doubling the price of the pass will bring the annual cost to $1,800.

Officials from Pace and the RTA said the price increase is necessary because Pace has not met the 10
percent farebox recovery ratio for its paratransit service. By state law, each of the transit agencies
has to cover a certain percentage of its operating expenses with passenger fares.

So while the mass transit funding bailout will provide millions of operating dollars for paratransit, Pace is
still obligated to hit its 10 percent target, Pace spokesman Patrick Wilmot said.

“Raising the price of the ADA monthly pass is not related to the budget struggles we were having,” Wilmot said. “It’s a matter of unfortunate timing that the price increase is going into effect so soon after
the funding crisis is resolved, but we’re compelled to comply with the state law.”

It would take action by the General Assembly to waive or rescind the 10 percent farebox requirement in order for Pace to keep the monthly pass at its current price, Pace and the RTA have said.

But so far, legislators have made no move to tackle the issue.

Blagojevich has said that he wants to provide free rides to people with disabilities in the 2009 state budget, yet many disabled riders say that’s too long to wait, if the price of the ADA pass goes up next month.

“Where are people going to come up with that extra $900 in the meantime,” Crosby said.

“And then the transit agencies are going to say, where is that money going to come from,” added paratransit rider Mike Grice, of Hyde Park.

Roughly 29,900 registered paratransit users in Chicago are eligible to use the ADA monthly pass, Pace said. The regular paratransit fare is $2.25 per ride.

But for some reason, many Chicagoans hate the idea.

How come? Does facing your fellow rider make it that much harder to ignore them or something?