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Riders deserve to feel safe on the CTA: Steps to a safer transit system
By Noah Wright
March 9, 2026
A conversation with Active Trans’ W. Robert Schultz III: We must improve public safety on the CTA. What’s the best way to accomplish that?
Interview by James Porter, introduction by John Greenfield
January 16, 2026
CTA board signs off on smoke mitigation pilot, discusses public safety challenges
On Wednesday, the CTA board had its first meeting of 2026, and there were some hot topics to discuss.
January 15, 2026
Yes, CTA needs to be and feel safer. But despite what the U.S. transit czar implied, Trump shouldn’t use that as an excuse to send in National Guard.
Yesterday, Trump's Federal Transit Administration chief Marc Molinaro scolded Chicago leaders about crime on public transportation in a Tribune op-ed titled, "The CTA has become a rolling symbol of abdication. Riders don’t feel safe." Read it on the Tribune website, Bluesky, or Twitter.
September 30, 2025
Forest Park branch revisited: J. Niimi checks the pulse of the Blue Line route, two years after he stopped commuting on it
Two years ago when ridership was lower, taking the train across the West Side after work meant frequent encounters with smokers and drug users. What's it like now?
October 22, 2024
Asked about CTA at debate, Johnson focuses on reliability, Vallas calls for more cops
Johnson's response mostly focused on strategies to make transit operate more efficiently, while Vallas said "Public safety is the overriding issue."
March 8, 2023
Vallas’ platform has little about transportation. His campaign provided a bit more info.
His website has little to say about transit, other than calling for more policing of the CTA, and next to nothing about traffic safety and bike-pedestrian issues.
February 26, 2023
Banning parking as a public safety strategy? Use the space for walking, biking, or dining
Rather than asking, "How will our customers be able to drive here?" merchants should ask, "How can we make it easier for customers to get here?"
January 31, 2022
Recent events highlight urgent need for Chicago to address homelessness, CTA crime
News items about stabbing and a robbery on the 'L', along with discussions of the increase in unhoused people sheltering on trains, smoking, and littering underscore the need for a prompt and humane response.
January 24, 2022
75th Street Boardwalk controversy shows public safety is essential for livable streets
It's impossible for streets to be truly livable unless we can provide basic standards of public safety in all parts of town.
June 29, 2021
