Garcia, Durbin call for safety improvements for CTA employees, passengers

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are turning up the heat on Chicago’s CTA.

Congressman Chuy Garcia and Senator Dick Durbin are calling for safety improvements for employees and passengers.

The lawmakers sent a letter to CTA President Dorval Carter urging him to implement a provision required by the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act that will help improve safety on the mass transit system.

The letter urges the company to work with the unions to establish a joint management safety committee as soon as possible.

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Crime on the CTA is up 40-percent compared to a year ago.

Last month, CTA added more unarmed security on buses and trains but they have yet to be fully deployed.

Senator Durbin says safety can't wait.

"Imagine your vulnerability as a CTA bus driver, pulling over in the dark of night at some bus stop and opening your door to anyone who cares to enter. And sadly we've seen too many instances where bus drivers have been threatened, harassed, and injured as a result of it. We've got to do more. We owe these women and men the very best when it comes to safety, and certainly to every passenger on the CTA," Durbin said.

The CTA responded with a letter saying a joint safety committee has already been established and just last month, Chicago police and the CTA announced significant new resources to address an uptick in crime, including strategic deployment of police officers on trains and buses and a doubling of security guards across the system.