paytonc

Um, wonderful. The brilliant guy at EMC who came up with the yellowjackets and their equally useless "parent agency" (the TMA) has just been kicked upstairs...

to run the CTA!

El Cochinito

Just got back from vacationing in downtown Chicago (great time!!!) and noticed these guys with yellow vests standing in the middle of intersections acting like traffic cops. My 11 year old son commented that they weren't doing much good and he noticed that the traffic signals were actually better at moving the traffic along. He wanted to know if they were homeless people that were given something to do by the city to make money. I told him I'd check it out on Flyertalk and ran across this thread.

My question is this - several of the TMA workers I saw looked like they were carrying citation pads. Do they have the authority to flag down a car or pedestrian and write tickets?

cliff_rock

I have seen them write down vehicle information of obvious violators. For example, drivers who disregard their directions and end up being a risk to pedestrians or other drivers. I assume they mail the citation.

They will also walk up and ticket people for double parking or illegal standing. This happens all the time in front of Palmer House on Monroe side.

Jakebeth

Perhaps you're a copper and know better, and while you may be right that traffic cops prior to the current crop may not have actually been cops - I'm nearly certain that wasn't the case up through the mid-1970s, at least.

I'm trying to do some research on it, but I'm nearly certain that sworn officers used to do in-the-street traffic direction back then. They used to wear those winter caps where the fuzzy flaps fold up to the top...


http://www.e4hats.com/_e/Trooper_Hat...ack_Cotton.htm

nigelloring

Well when I first came to Chicago (from England, about 6 years ago) I remember thinking it was strange that these people in the middle of the road had guns.

But maybe I'm wrong. I'm getting old and my memory isn't what it used to be.

PrinzII

One thing that everyone has not mentioned in this thread is that the TMA is very tow-happy. I have seen so many cars being towed by the TMA's tow trucks in Downtown Chicago that it's ridiculous.

Additionally, the fines that you have to pay to get your car back are ridiculous.

cliff_rock

Note that you'll still see "real cops" directing traffic at some times. For example, on the corner of Washington & State near Macy's (Marshall Field's) during peak-pedestrian Christmas rush and near the United Center before events.

Jakebeth

I suspect that's more of a Daley/police policy for keeping illegal parking down and traffic flow up downtown.

PrinzII

It is. That is what the TMA's actual function is.

glg

Not a cop and not a lifelong resident either (moved here in '93). I have no idea when they went to civilian police employees doing traffic, but that's what it was right before they all moved to TMA a few years back.

I'm sure that on occasion sworn officers do it now for stuff like special events and heavy periods. Another poster mentioned xmastime, makes sense to me.

Saw a good one last night. Getting off the bus on Inner Drive near Addison. Cubs game last night, so there was a TMA person at a 3-way stop intersection. Generally useful because they'll wave traffic through the stop sign when there is no car on the side street. Except this one stopped the northbound traffic so a southbound car could turn right (ie nothing blocking that northbound traffic).

nigelloring

IMHO, this country has too many "Stop" signs. I'd estimate that in my native England, the incidence of "Stop" signs is about 1% of in Chicago.

Why is it necessary to come to a complete stop in broad daylight when there are no other cars or pedestrians around?

In the UK we say that the traffic on the "main" road has right-of-way, and anyone coming from a side street has to yield to it. That way, even if you're on a side street, crossing the main road to continue along your side street, on a clear day with no other road users present, you don't have to come to a stop.

Big Mo

Once upon a time, there were much fewer stop signs and stop lights in Chicago. Then certain intersections had "too many" accidents, so they added stop signs. Then certain intersections WITH stop signs had "too many" accidents, so they added stop lights. Now they're everywhere. Also, we have almost no traffic circles.

There is an excellent chance that a Chicago driver would not come to a complete stop under these circumstances. Some of us don't even slow down if the streets are empty. After all, the stop signs with the white borders are optional.