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CTA Safety Plan

Chicago Deserves a Safe, Clean CTA

Five common-sense solutions from a daily rider — not another study, not another talking point.

The Problem

The CTA is failing Chicago's residents, commuters, and visitors.

Last year, aggravated assaults and batteries on the system hit a 24-year high, with nearly 2,900 crimes reported at CTA stations and platforms — almost double the rate of a decade ago. Cook County Sheriff's Police found fare evasion rates of 80 to 90 percent on some lines, costing the agency an estimated $22 million in lost revenue, while the system simultaneously careens toward a projected $771 million annual budget deficit. This summer, the CTA begins its first major service cuts in modern history, laying off as many as 1,800 workers as federal pandemic relief expires over the next two years.

The Johnson administration's response has followed a predictable pattern: deny, deflect, and minimize. After a woman was set on fire on a Blue Line train and the Federal Transit Administration rejected the city's safety plan outright, Mayor Johnson told CBS Chicago: "Violence continues to be a challenge on the CTA, but progress has been made. There's more work to be done. No one is patting themselves on the back." When pressed on specifics, he pivoted to affordable housing and job opportunities, calling it a "holistic approach" that offers little comfort to anyone waiting alone on a platform after dark.

2,900

Crimes at stations and platforms last year — a 24-year high

80–90%

Fare evasion on some lines, costing an estimated $22 million

$771M

Projected annual budget deficit as pandemic relief expires

1,800

Workers facing layoffs as the CTA begins historic service cuts

You don't need a report to understand the problem. Hop on any train, any time of day, any direction.

Cigarettes and cannabis are smoked openly in cars next to strollers and the elderly. Riders shuffle between trains or bail at stops to escape unruly passengers. The smell and the anxiety have become as much a part of the CTA experience as the delays themselves.

The Plan

Five common-sense solutions that work now

Joe rides the CTA every day. Like millions of Chicagoans, he has witnessed screaming commuters, trash and human waste on floors, seats, and windows — riders moving freely between cars hawking goods, drinking openly, harassing fellow passengers, and committing acts of violence. What he is proposing is not based on holistic approaches or costly studies. These are solutions that work in cities across the country, and they can be implemented now.

Solution 01

Clean the trains

When riders sit in cars that reek of urine, their first thought is whether they can take an Uber next time. That choice is expensive for riders and catastrophic for the system. Low ridership makes the CTA less financially viable, which leads to worse service, which drives more riders away. The fix is a fleet of roving cleaners who board and exit mid-route rather than waiting until terminal turnaround. Spot-cleaning the worst cars in real time costs far less than losing riders permanently.

Solution 02

Modernize the station gates

Fare evasion is too easy, and CTA station employees are neither prepared nor equipped to stop groups jumping turnstiles. Chicago should install floor-to-ceiling entry gates like those deployed in New York. They open when fare is paid, they are harder to defeat, and they are actually more accessible for riders with mobility needs. Controlling entry to the system is the root of the problem. Fix the door, and you change who gets through it.

Solution 03

Install smoke sensors

The CTA has cameras throughout the system but no smoke sensors. Being hotboxed on the way to work or absorbing secondhand cigarette smoke across town is not acceptable, and it is preventable. NYC, Denver, and Albuquerque have all installed sensors that alert conductors and transit security to smoking in real time. It is a low-cost, high-yield intervention that can produce results quickly.

Solution 04

Put security on the trains

Most incidents happen on trains, not on platforms where officers are typically stationed. We are resource-constrained, so blanket coverage is not realistic, but data-driven, randomized deployment is. Concentrate security on the routes and times with the highest incident rates, but randomize it enough that riders never know when an officer might step through the door. Berlin, a system comparable in size to the CTA, has operated this model for decades. Fare evaders and disruptive riders face an on-the-spot fine. The psychology is straightforward: if you think an officer might walk through at any moment, you are less likely to test it.

Solution 05

Build a rapid-response technology layer

The CTA already has cameras. Add smoke detector feeds, a simple rider-reporting app for flagging issues in real time, and door sensors to track movement between cars. Centralizing these inputs gives dispatchers an actual picture of what is happening on the system at any given moment and the ability to respond before a situation escalates. Other cities have built versions of this. We have the infrastructure to start. We need the will to connect it.

These are tested solutions. The next mayor of Chicago must make CTA a priority, not a talking point.

One million people ride this system every day. They deserve to feel safe doing it. The psychological fabric of this city runs through its transit system, and any mayor worth the office should know that — ideally because they ride it themselves.

Sources

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Ride it. Fix it.

One million riders a day deserve a CTA that is clean, safe, and reliable. Help us make it real.