Strapping CTA

When I read about the TranStrap (over at Gothamist), I initially thought it was a good idea for dealing with the out-of-reach bars and poles on Chicago's trains. But then I thought some more.

The TranStrap is a portable device made of nylon, neoprene and formed aluminum that hooks onto the aforementioned poles or bars, though really they're more accustomed to the latter. They start at ten bucks and accessories are available for storing and carrying the thing with you. But are they a solution for poor train-car design, or just an accessory for "germophobes"?

After my first inclination to think they'd work in Chicago, I recalled the design of the various train cars and realized they're pretty much worthless here. I ride the Brown and Red Lines, the former using mainly 3200-series cars and the latter using mainly 2600-series cars.

The 3200-series cars have an abundance of poles that are easily within reach, as well as placing seats in groups of one and two to increase standing room. These cars are usually and enjoyable ride. Given the plethora of poles and lack of bars, the TranStrap doesn't really come in handy here.



Then there's the 2600-series cars on the Red Line, probably the busiest line on the system. These cars (seen in the dolled-up holiday picture above - click for larger view) have many problems: 1. Seats are grouped in twos, restricting the area for standing, 2. The center area doesn't have any poles, a la the 3200s, but only raised handles on the seats (and when a train slams to a halt, these don't provide any aid in balance, believe me!), and 3. There aren't any bars, so the TranStrap is again useless.

So, what's my point? To me, the TranStrap seems to be addressing two things: the deficiency of subway car designs and germs. I'm more interested in the first, so I believe the product can't make up for what is some pretty bad train car design. It seems that so many entrepreneurial ideas are responses to other people's problems. I guess my point is that we should fix the original problem rather than embrace little fixes that might not really work at all. But that's costly, un-American, yadda yadda yadda. So maybe TranStrap needs to develop a Chicago line that features magnetic grips for the Red Line's typically abandoned center area. Now, there's an idea!

But wait! Fishing through the great Chicago-L.org site for images of car interiors, I came across this gallery, a test retrofit of 3200-series cars for longitudinal seating to create more room for standing. Closer to NYC cars, you can see these retrofits have poles, bars, and - yes - straps. Looks like it's time for a change.