A320 CAPT EXPRESSED CONCERN REGARDING RWY XING CLRNC ISSUED BY THE ORD GND CTLR AFTER OBSERVING ACFT ON THE RWY.

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I WAS THE PIC OF FLT X ON OCT/TUE/04; FROM LAS TO ORD. DURING THE ARR THE FLT WAS SPED UP AND SLOWED DOWN TO FIT US INTO THE TFC FLOW FOR LNDG ON RWY 4R AT ORD. WE WERE ASSIGNED A NUMBER OF SPDS SLOWING TO APPROX 150 KTS TO THE MARKER. WE SWITCHED OVER TO CHICAGO TWR ON OUR OWN AFTER NOT RECEIVING A HDOF FROM APCH CTL. AS WE HAD SLOWED TO APPROX 140 KTS OR SO (VREF WAS ABOUT 136 KTS) TWR TOLD US TO PICK UP THE SPD AS AN ACFT WAS GAINING ON US FROM BEHIND AND THE TWR WAS APPARENTLY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ACFT. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO INCREASE TO BEST RATE (A CONFUSING TERM TO ME REGARDING OUR SPD). WE INCREASED TO 150 KTS AND SLOWED TO REF BEFORE LNDG. WE MADE TXWY S-4 AS REQUESTED AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO CROSS RWY 9R AND AGAIN THE TERM GIVE ME YOUR BEST RATE WAS USED. AS WE APCHED RWY 9R NBOUND TO CROSS THE RWY I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS AN ACFT ON THE RWY WITH ITS LIGHTS ON AND IT WAS EVIDENT THAT THE ACFT WAS MOVING. THERE WAS NEVER ANY MENTION AS TO WHAT OTHER ACFT WERE GOING TO BE A FACTOR DURING OUR TAXI. I SLOWED CONSIDERABLY SO AS TO BE ABLE TO STOP OUR ACFT BEFORE REACHING THE INTXN OF RWY 9R AND TXWY S. I WAS THEN TOLD THAT THE TWR CTLR WAS NOT WORRIED ABOUT THAT ACFT; BUT THE ACFT ON LNDG ON FINAL BEHIND HIM. I STATED THAT IT WAS THE ACFT ON THE RWY THAT CONCERNED ME (DUE TO THE FACT THAT I HAD NO IDEA IF THAT ACFT WAS SLOWING OR ACCELERATING FOR TKOF). AFTER XING; THE CONVERSATION CONTINUED REGARDING THE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AND I INFORMED THE CTLR THAT I WOULD USE THE TELEPHONE TO CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION. THE CONVERSATION ON THE PHONE DID NOT APPEAR TO GET MY POINT ABOUT THE VERBIAGE AND THE CONCERNS I HAD ABOUT THE RWY XING. I ALSO FEEL THAT BEFORE AN ACFT IS SENT ACROSS A KNOWN HOT SPOT AT AN ACTIVE RWY MORE INFO SHOULD BE GIVEN TO ONE OR BOTH ACFT. I BELIEVE THAT THE AIR TFC CTLR WAS TRYING TO EXPEDITE OUR ACFT ACROSS THE RWY TO HELP US OUT; HOWEVER IF IT IS THAT BUSY AND WE ARE UNSURE OF THE OUTCOME; SAFETY DEMANDS THAT THE PIC TAKE WHATEVER ACTION HE DEEMS PRUDENT GIVEN THE INFO AT HAND. THE FACT THAT THIS ACFT WAS ON A LAHSO CLRNC IS IRRELEVANT IF WE DON'T AVE ANY INFO TO THAT EFFECT. ALSO DUE TO THE INCREASED EMPHASIS ON ARPT HOTSPOTS FROM THE FAA (THIS IS CLRLY HS13 ON THE ARPT DIAGRAM) ANY PLT THAT QUESTIONS A CLRNC SHOULD NOT BE DISMISSED OUT RIGHT OR NOT GIVEN A CLR AND CONCISE EXPLANATION; NO MATTER HOW BUSY IT IS.