As Chicago braves its most snowy winter in years, commuters like Wynne Delacoma, 80, must transform into mountaineers to navigate icy bus stops. Delacoma's Christmas shopping trip turned into a survival story after her CTA bus ride from Barry and Clark became an obstacle course of snow and ice.
"I was afraid I'd have to walk along the side of the bus in the street," she recounted, recalling how some young women helped her off the bus at Gethsemane Garden Center. The precarious situation is all too familiar for Delacoma, who claims that nearly half of the stops she uses are clogged with snow and ice.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) attributes the mess to a lack of responsibility on its part, stating that it only clears snow from within its property boundaries. However, this assertion seems hollow when considering the sheer number of bus stops in the city – nearly 11,000 – and the fact that many are located near private properties.
According to the CTA's website, snow removal is a shared responsibility between the agency and other stakeholders, including the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), Streets and Sanitation, and property owners. Yet, it appears that this collaborative effort has resulted in a lack of clarity about who is truly responsible for clearing bus stops.
In an interview with me, CDOT Commissioner Cole Stallard acknowledged that snow removal is a complex process but ultimately emphasized the need for individual responsibility from commuters like Delacoma. When asked whether anyone is taking concrete steps to address this issue, Stallard's response was lukewarm: "This is a wake-up call... We have a lot of people who haven't seen snow like this."
Delacoma, on the other hand, has taken matters into her own hands – literally. Wearing warm boots and braving the elements, she insists that bus riders should be able to board and exit without putting their lives at risk.
"It's not right," she said, exasperated by the situation. "We should be able to get on and off the bus without endangering life and limb. I'm doing my part, but it's not right." As Delacoma so aptly put it, "The problem is they drop people in a place where they can't get off the bus."
The city's response to this issue has been woefully inadequate, leaving commuters like Delacoma to fend for themselves. It's time for the authorities to take responsibility and develop a comprehensive plan to address the snow-covered chaos that plagues our buses. Until then, we'll continue to trudge through the winter wonderland, risking our safety in the process.
"I was afraid I'd have to walk along the side of the bus in the street," she recounted, recalling how some young women helped her off the bus at Gethsemane Garden Center. The precarious situation is all too familiar for Delacoma, who claims that nearly half of the stops she uses are clogged with snow and ice.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) attributes the mess to a lack of responsibility on its part, stating that it only clears snow from within its property boundaries. However, this assertion seems hollow when considering the sheer number of bus stops in the city – nearly 11,000 – and the fact that many are located near private properties.
According to the CTA's website, snow removal is a shared responsibility between the agency and other stakeholders, including the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), Streets and Sanitation, and property owners. Yet, it appears that this collaborative effort has resulted in a lack of clarity about who is truly responsible for clearing bus stops.
In an interview with me, CDOT Commissioner Cole Stallard acknowledged that snow removal is a complex process but ultimately emphasized the need for individual responsibility from commuters like Delacoma. When asked whether anyone is taking concrete steps to address this issue, Stallard's response was lukewarm: "This is a wake-up call... We have a lot of people who haven't seen snow like this."
Delacoma, on the other hand, has taken matters into her own hands – literally. Wearing warm boots and braving the elements, she insists that bus riders should be able to board and exit without putting their lives at risk.
"It's not right," she said, exasperated by the situation. "We should be able to get on and off the bus without endangering life and limb. I'm doing my part, but it's not right." As Delacoma so aptly put it, "The problem is they drop people in a place where they can't get off the bus."
The city's response to this issue has been woefully inadequate, leaving commuters like Delacoma to fend for themselves. It's time for the authorities to take responsibility and develop a comprehensive plan to address the snow-covered chaos that plagues our buses. Until then, we'll continue to trudge through the winter wonderland, risking our safety in the process.
but for real tho, its kinda sad that delacoma's having to take matters into her own hands like that. shouldn't be on her to navigate the bus stop situation? it feels like a whole lotta finger pointing between agencies and stakeholders... cdot commissioner stallard's lukewarm response just adds to the frustration 
and yeah, its definitely a wake-up call for everyone involved. but where's the concrete plan to fix this problem? just saying we need to do better than "we have a lot of people who haven't seen snow like this" 
. Like, I get it, they only clear within their property boundaries, but that's just not fair. I mean, 11,000 bus stops? That's a lot of people affected! And Delacoma's story is wild, helping herself off the bus because some young women did... that's what we need more of - community spirit 
. But seriously, it's time for our authorities to step up and create a plan to tackle this mess. It's not just about individual responsibility; it's about safety. We need a comprehensive solution, pronto! 
Snowy bus stops are like real-life video games - except the goal is survival not fun! 
Commuters should be treated with respect, not forced to become mountain climbers every time they ride the bus. 
The CTA and CDOT need a clear plan to tackle this mess before more people get hurt. 
I feel so bad for Wynne Delacoma and other commuters like her who have to deal with these treacherous bus stops. It's just not right that they're putting their lives at risk just to get on and off the bus.
. And what about all those private properties that are near bus stops? Shouldn't they be taking some responsibility for clearing the sidewalks and making it safe for commuters?
. It's time for the city to step up and take action!
I mean, 80 and still out here navigating icy bus stops like it's no big deal? 
Wynne Delacoma is literally a total boss for speaking up about this, though! 
She's not afraid to call out the city for being, well, not doing enough. And honestly, who can blame her? The CTA's excuses just aren't cutting it when you've got 11k+ bus stops to clear! 
11k?! That's a lot of snow to shovel... or should I say, not shovel? 
And let's be real, if you're gonna tell people to take responsibility for their own safety, at least make sure the buses are clear and accessible first! 
What a cop-out. The city needs to step up its game and get it together, stat! 
#SnowProbs #ChicagoTransitAuthority #WynneDelacomaDeservesBetter
. I get it though, 80 and all, nobody expects to have to navigate icy bus stops like a mountain climber 
. The CTA's excuse about only clearing within their property boundaries sounds kinda lame though... I mean, we've got 11k bus stops in the city, that's gotta be some shared responsibility 
. It's not like they're asking people to walk on thin ice or anything 
.
. Until then, I'll be sending some warm thoughts and hot cocoa to Wynne 