Last Wednesday, we posted a gripe about the Pigeon's that roost and crap all over the place at one of the exits at the Orange/Green line Roosevelt stop. First off, thanks for all the comments and thanks to those of you who even sent an email to the CTA and Alderman Fioretti's office in regard to the subject.Second, here is the email we (and others) received from the Alderman's office (slightly paraphrased):
Thank you for reporting this condition to us.
The CTA tells us that this station, like all others, is cleaned every seven to ten days. While the CTA can not afford to install preventative measures to keep the pigeons from roosting there (due to service cuts and other budget woes), we have asked for a quote to see if it can be paid for some other way.
If you have additional questions or concerns, you may reach out to our office or to the CTA.
So not exactly the resolution we were hoping for from the CTA, but it sounds like the Alderman's office is still open to potentially paying for this some other way (obviously depending on how much the quote is).
With that said, we had one reader offer to chip in $20 to help the situation. Just out of curiosity anyone else up for throwing in some money if needed?
(Hat Tip PMF!)
Wow. The CTA can't afford to install those anti pigeon spikes? Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteI'd be all for chipping in money for this...that is, IF I didn't already pay property, sales taxes, and countless other fees that are supposed to support simple - and I assume relatively cheap - things like this.
This city has a major problem if the CTA doesn't have the funds for such minor and necessary upgrades. And it is especially irritating when we hear about multiple CTA workers standing around doing nothing, as someone reported on this site yesterday, and as I often see when I have the displeasure of riding the CTA.
Every 7-10 days? Then howcome there are dead pigeons on the roof for literally months!
ReplyDeleteI paid over $10,000.00 in property taxes a few months ago; I would think a fraction of that could be used to buy some netting to place over the support beams on which these 'rats with wings' perch themselves.
ReplyDeleteFurther, why in the world doesn't the CTA hand a scrub brush to one of the several CTA workers standing around all day doing nothing at this stop and have them srub away? Or fire the lazy woman who sits in the booth all day doing absolutely nothing?
The answer is simple: Unions.
While the netting is cheap, the Union would require 20 union workers at a rate of $100 per hour to install it. Moreover, the CTA workers standing/sitting around not doing jack would file a union grievance in a heartbeat if the city requested that they do anything outside the scope of their very narrowly delineated job description.
Similarly, unions are the reason why the ladies in the neon vests standing outside the intersection of Michigan and Roosevelt every morning "directing traffic" by essentially doing nothing have jobs on the public dime.
Unions are destroying the convention business in this city and are slowly doing the same to our public transit system.
"Similarly, unions are the reason why the ladies in the neon vests standing outside the intersection of Michigan and Roosevelt every morning "directing traffic" by essentially doing nothing have jobs on the public dime."
ReplyDeleteI have to agree 100 percent. When I first moved to chicago I thought that these people were only there to support pre/post event traffic at soldier field. Soon I realized they are out there everyday. Seriousy! WTF value do they add? Everytime I drive through these human assited intersections I am more worried about crashing than a normal light managed intersection. Its insane! who came up with this idea?
I paid over $10,000.00 in property taxes a few months ago
ReplyDeleteThey charge that much for a cardboard box nowadays?
While the netting is cheap, the Union [sic] would require 20 union workers at a rate of $100 per hour to install it.
Obvious BS.
Similarly, unions are the reason why the ladies in the neon vests standing outside the intersection of Michigan and Roosevelt every morning "directing traffic" by essentially doing nothing have jobs on the public dime.
They use those people because they are cheaper than cops who also have a union.
"They use those people because they are cheaper than cops who also have a union."
ReplyDeleteThey don't need to use people to do that at all, Cops or CTA workers. The worst is when they have 3 people to work one intersection. Two of them are usually just talking to each other.
Add up the cost of paying someone to clean it every 7-10 days over a few months you have the cost of the preventative measures! Boom, value proposition.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this eliminates the job (or part) of someone hired to clean up a problem that shouldn't exist.
pigeons are really becoming a serious issue, but one can try some sound repellents , bird spike, or ultrasonic bird repellents.one has to take precautions to get rid of these birds.
ReplyDeletePigeons generally congregate where there's food (in this case, trash) . . . eliminate that and you'll solve the poop problem.
ReplyDelete