I am writing regarding the proposed renovations of DuSable Lake Shore Drive (“Revamp of DuSable Lake Shore Drive would bring parkland, S-curve relief — but no bus-only lanes”).
While these renovations are needed, it is imperative that they rethink the tunnels connecting the lakefront to the neighborhoods. These tunnels are outdated and consistently flood during heavy rains, rendering them inaccessible to pedestrians.
Oftentimes, people will have to walk greater distances to find another way to cross DuSable Lake Shore Drive. These tunnels are often dangerous at night as well. During the evening hours, these tunnels can become dark and secluded. It is impossible to see around the tight corners if there were to be somebody lurking due to the constant disrepair of the mirrors that were in place for that reason.
With this in mind, the city needs to create bridges or other ways to cross DuSable Lake Shore Drive that are safer and more accessible. There is no better time to do this than during the renovations.
Kellan Collins, Lake View
SEND LETTERS TO: letters@suntimes.com. To be considered for publication, letters must include your full name, your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be a maximum of approximately 375 words.
Dedicated bus lanes work
I am privileged and fortunate enough to have traveled abroad extensively throughout my life, and have seen how public transportation systems in other cities make life better for everyone, including residents who don’t use them.
The best example I have seen with my own eyes is in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Air quality is horrible and so is traffic; if you’ve sat on the Kennedy going 0 mph, that’s what driving in Tehran is like. They are expanding their subway system about as fast as a municipality can physically dig tunnels, and the train is great and people use it.
But bus rapid transit is where it’s at. On big roads that go from one end of Tehran to the other (like DLSD does in Chicago), they’ve taken one lane and dedicated it to buses; this lane is physically blocked so cars can’t use it, and rules are strictly enforced. And it works: these buses make it both cheaper and faster for many people to get from one end of town to the other.
Our planners and elected officials say they’ve studied how people use DLSD and found that improving express bus service did not pull in additional riders. This is not bus rapid transit. These are buses stuck in traffic, going 0 mph. I’d rather just drive.
Bus rapid transit would reduce four car lanes on DLSD to three, but people who read that and experience a sudden rise in blood pressure aren’t thinking about the thousands of drivers alone in their cars who currently clog DLSD; they won’t be there. Bus rapid transit — and any form of public transportation that is fast, clean, reliable and safe — helps all residents of a city by reducing the total number of cars on the road.
Some people legitimately need to drive. These people, especially, should be strong supporters of bus rapid transit on DLSD. Our streets would more resemble the early morning hours, when most people are still asleep and it’s easier and less stressful to navigate the city by car. That’s what good public transportation does to streets.
We have a real opportunity, right now, to do something that improves air quality, reduces traffic fatalities, and gives thousands of Chicagoans the opportunity to (gladly) leave their cars at home. We must tell our elected officials: If you build it, they will come.
Cyrus Dowlatshahi, Bucktown, formerly of Hyde Park
Coach bus riders deserve better
The current situation for bus service in Chicago is in stark contrast to the experience I had this summer as I traveled to Türkiye to visit my daughter. Our conversation about bus coach travel in Türkiye compared to the U.S. came to mind because of the Greyhound bus station relocation dilemma.
The difference in the two countries may be part of the Turkish focus on hospitality and, possibly, a little more blurring of class distinctions. In Türkiye, the buses are comfortable, rosewater refreshers are offered, and the stops at the roadside Servis Aleni’s serve a delicious array of food and sundries. Some bus companies even serve tea to travelers.
Here in the U.S., the inequity of services and travel options for those in the lower economic strata who can’t afford train or airplane transportation is again blatant. While the U.S. has many things to admire, the bus companies in the U.S. might emulate how to provide bus travel from Türkiye companies and treat all travelers with dignity and value them as customers, rather than the possibility of leaving them out in the cold, curbside.
Katherine Gleiss, Evanston
Tips should be taxed
There has been recent buzz about the GOP promoting a no-tax-on-tips plan. Now, Vice President Kamala Harris seems to be following that ideology. That would be completely unfair to every non-tip job holder.
Let’s take a look at what it could mean to two hypothetical employees: One is a server and the other a cashier. Let’s say the server earns a base pay of $5 an hour and averages $10 hourly in tips. That would make their average hourly pay $15. Now let’s look at a $15 hourly cashier. (Certainly, there are high-end restaurants where a $10 an hour average would be low. but the numbers I use are to show equal incomes).
Using the no-tax-on-tips plan, the server would pay taxes on $5 an hour while the cashier pays taxes on $15. Not taxing tips would be a tremendous drain on tax revenue and ultimately be a burden to middle- and low-income non-tip working employees up the line.
John Farrell, DeKalb