I'm Taking the Goddamn Train

It seems like people will never be satisfied with the fact that transportation is, and always will be, a bitch.

In the midst of a CTA apocalypse, people are afraid that they may never get to work on time, or that they can’t afford inevitable price hikes, or that city taxes are going to all the wrong places instead of the CTA itself. Right now, the CTA is like a dream to me. A prix fixe, maintenance-free dream.

I have owned a car for two-and-a-half months, and have managed to get towed, booted, and ticketed within 50 feet of my front door. Every morning I sit in an hour of traffic and listen to the NPR morning news, which reminds me, as I’m driving, that oil prices are rising again. I also have a slow leak in my tire, which I would easily fix by myself if this wheel happened to be on a bicycle. But fixing big motorized things is complicated and costs money, and as you may know, I am a female. My mother still insists I take a man to the repair shop with me. To protect me from myself, I imagine.

Aside from the obvious absurdities of owning a car in the city, there are plenty of benefits. I never have to wait for a bus, I can transport large objects, and take road trips to reclaim my reckless youth. But I can do all of these things while leaving my car parked for most of the week. Unfortunately, it is as much of a liability when it is parked as it is when it is actively combusting and destroying the environment.

I don’t regret acquiring a car as much as I regret actually using it, anyway.

For a few days a week, I’m switching to the Blue Line and PACE buses to get to my lovely job, situated in No-man’s land, IL. I get to read, or sleep without worrying that I might kill a cyclist, and I save at least two dollars a day (which will inevitably increase as oil prices rise due to rising oil production costs due to rising oil prices) . It might take an extra half an hour, but I get to do absolutely nothing on the way.

For those of you complaining about the CTA: try driving. It’s ridiculous.