Narrative:

Ground control frequency congestion on taxi out from gate areas extremely bad. Few if any aircraft were given the time to read back taxi route clrncs. Ord ground control does an excellent job of moving aircraft to the runway but most communication is 1 way. Ground control talks, continuously. If you try to read back a full taxi route with your call sign it would severely hamper the flow of communications and thus traffic. In the 30 mins I was on the frequency, several aircraft tried to read back clrncs with just a min of 'roger' and their call sign. Even that response would step on ground control. An exasperated, somewhat testy, ground controller responded quite alarmingly to a couple of aircraft that they were to only listen and he would do the talking. This system may move aircraft but it seems to violate all the good communication procedures that NASA, the FAA, and AOPA and the airline industry are trying to improve. If ord ground control is working so many aircraft that none are allowed to properly respond to taxi clrncs, a serious conflict and dangerous incident is waiting to happen.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LGT CAPT'S COMPLAINT ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO READBACK A TAXI CLRNC AT ORD.

Narrative: GND CTL FREQ CONGESTION ON TAXI OUT FROM GATE AREAS EXTREMELY BAD. FEW IF ANY ACFT WERE GIVEN THE TIME TO READ BACK TAXI RTE CLRNCS. ORD GND CTL DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB OF MOVING ACFT TO THE RWY BUT MOST COM IS 1 WAY. GND CTL TALKS, CONTINUOUSLY. IF YOU TRY TO READ BACK A FULL TAXI RTE WITH YOUR CALL SIGN IT WOULD SEVERELY HAMPER THE FLOW OF COMS AND THUS TFC. IN THE 30 MINS I WAS ON THE FREQ, SEVERAL ACFT TRIED TO READ BACK CLRNCS WITH JUST A MIN OF 'ROGER' AND THEIR CALL SIGN. EVEN THAT RESPONSE WOULD STEP ON GND CTL. AN EXASPERATED, SOMEWHAT TESTY, GND CTLR RESPONDED QUITE ALARMINGLY TO A COUPLE OF ACFT THAT THEY WERE TO ONLY LISTEN AND HE WOULD DO THE TALKING. THIS SYS MAY MOVE ACFT BUT IT SEEMS TO VIOLATE ALL THE GOOD COM PROCS THAT NASA, THE FAA, AND AOPA AND THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY ARE TRYING TO IMPROVE. IF ORD GND CTL IS WORKING SO MANY ACFT THAT NONE ARE ALLOWED TO PROPERLY RESPOND TO TAXI CLRNCS, A SERIOUS CONFLICT AND DANGEROUS INCIDENT IS WAITING TO HAPPEN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.