City Council members sparred with representatives of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority yesterday, charging that the MTA is not moving fast enough in making security changes to its infrastructure.

The general counsel to the MTA Capital Construction Company, Veronique Hakim, told Transportation Committee members that most of the $591 million earmarked for security improvements three years ago has been awarded out in contracts to add cameras to the subway systems and strengthen bridges and tunnels. Upon finding out that a $212 million contract with Lockheed Martin to add smart cameras to the system would take until 2008, several council members expressed dismay at the MTA’s rate of progress.

“September 11th was an act of war,” Council Member Michael McMahon of Staten Island said at the hearing. “It’s disconcerting that it will take at least seven years to see this security system in place.”

Council Member Dan Garodnick, who represents Manhattan’s East Side, took an even more accusatory tone.

“My main frustration here is that the MTA lacks a sense of urgency,” he said.

Ms. Hakim told council members that the MTA was operating as fast as it is able to without rushing important assessments and testing of technology.

The campaign coordinator for the Straphangers Campaign, Neysa Pranger, said considerable progress has been made since some of the earlier committee hearings with the MTA.

“They should definitely be further ahead than they are now,” she said. “They seem to be doing all the right things. … There’s nothing they can do right now but proceed at a brisk rate.”