Describe your vision of a healthy, safe, equitable transportation system for Baltimore City and the roles walking, biking, and public transportation play in that vision.

My vision for transportation in Baltimore is of a city where the hundreds of thousands of people who depend on public transportation are able to get around reliably, easily, and safely. And a city where all the different modes of transportation are well-linked through transit hubs and connections.

Build a modern day streetcar on North Avenue from Milton-to-Hilton to move large numbers of people along North Avenue day and night, shopping, visiting, participating in city services and programs (health, education, libraries, recreational), which will help grow businesses and jobs. Move towards a self-sustaining water taxi and circulator. One way is to identify who is using these modes of transportation to identify corporate partners – businesses whose employees use the circulator at a significant rate, retail businesses whose customers ride the circulator, hotels whose clients have access to the circulator, and anchor institutions that asked us to come to their sites and work out a service fee to alleviate the strains on the current budget.

Baltimore has come a long way since issuing its bicycle master plan in 2006. And maybe some would say not enough. As Baltimore becomes a sustainable city, it must embrace the role of biking and walking. And in order to do that, we must respect our bicyclists and pedestrians. Once more bike lanes are installed, a robust public relations/educational campaign should take place throughout the city. Offering more activities at our parks will increase walking and biking, bike share near our parks will all play to improving the lives of our residents. Even knowing where recreation is available is important and as mentioned above, often it is a matter of educating citizens as to what is available.

The fastest and most economical way to address climate change, improve public health, and create equal access to opportunity is to design a city that reduces dependence on private automobiles. What are the biggest barriers to getting people to choose walking, biking, or public transit instead of personal vehicles, and what would you do to address these impediments?

Tradition, current infrastructure, work commutes and presumed convenience. Some of these involve personal choice or professional necessity and will not be changed drastically. Baltimore has come a long way since issuing its bicycle master plan in 2006. And maybe some would say not enough. As Baltimore becomes a sustainable city, it must embrace the role of biking and walking. And in order to do that, we must respect our bicyclists and pedestrians. Once more bike lanes are installed, a robust public relations/educational campaign should take place throughout the city.

In 2017, the Planning Commission approved the Separated Bike Lane Network plan that connects 85% of Baltimore’s neighborhoods by creating safe, protected places to ride a bike. Do you agree with the plan’s recommendations, and if so, what would you do to ensure that we fulfill the plan’s promise to build a minimum of 17 miles of bike lanes per year? Are there specific areas of the city where you would prioritize implementation?

I support the recommendations, but frankly need to catch up to what has gone into the thinking and planning of this and be able to make informed decisions on next steps.

I am also supportive of bike sharing in Baltimore. I believe the critical component will be usage to prove it is a viable service to city residents. My concern comes with the designation of neighborhoods receiving the service. I would prefer to see more communities close to parks as a high priority. The focus seems to primarily on downtown and mid-town, whereas most of our parks are on the outer skirts of the city. I believe for this to be successful, these outer neighborhoods must participate in the program.

Approximately 50 people are killed on city streets each year while walking, biking, or driving, with another 9,000 people injured. What is your plan to reduce the number of Baltimoreans injured and killed in traffic every year?

Eliminating right turns on reds at pedestrian crossing and eliminating left turns on red might be a start. Encouraging convenient public transportation and ride sharing would support the goal, also.

Approximately 800 Baltimoreans die early every year from preventable diseases related to carbon emissions, more than double the city’s murder rate. Thousands more are hospitalized each year as these emissions trigger asthma and other respiratory diseases. There is a strong correlation between hospitalization and proximity to major car commuter routes. What is your plan to reduce carbon emissions from automobiles in order to decrease the number of Baltimoreans hurt by and dying from emissions-related diseases?

I would work with our state officials to apply tougher auto emission standards, while also working with them to greatly improve public transportation.

Do you walk for transportation? If so, for what purposes, how often, and what was your last trip walking?

Sometimes. I walk to eateries in my neighborhood and adjacent communities, as well as grocery, pharmacy and barber trips. I do so about three times a week.

Do you use public transportation? If so, for what purposes, how often, and what was your last trip by public transportation?

Almost never.

Do you ever ride a bicycle? Is it for transportation, recreation, or both? What was your last trip by bicycle?

I do not.

Baltimore’s urban areas have limited space on streets. In order to increase safety and improve mobility, some modes of transportation must be prioritized over others to make the most of this limited space. Please rank how you would prioritize different modes of transportation on city streets, using numbers 1 through 7:

1. Public Transportation
2. Walking & devices that aid people with a disability
3. Bicycles & Scooters
4. Ride Hailing Services (Taxi, Uber, Lyft)
5. Freight and Delivery
6. Parking
7. Personal Automobiles

Agree or disagree?

I support removing parking on a street if it would improve safety and increase mobility of people using that street.

Agree

Minimum parking requirements are shown to increase housing costs while limiting potential density and making neighborhoods less walkable. I support following the lead of other cities that have removed minimum parking requirements from new development.

Neither agree nor disagree
I would need more personal study.

Some cities require employers that subsidize parking also offer an option for employees to receive that subsidy as a cash payment. I support a mandate that employers offer parking cashout so that employees can choose to pocket that money, use it for alternative transportation, or continue using that cash to pay for parking.

Agree

Increasing density in areas of opportunity is proven to help individuals escape poverty. I support taller, denser, or larger buildings in areas they are now prohibited by zoning.

Neither agree nor disagree
Cannot make a blanket assessment across all neighborhoods.

Transit oriented development can expand access to areas of opportunity by locating housing and retail along high frequency transit. Current zoning code only identifies these zones along subway and light rail routes. I support expanded Transit Oriented Development zoning to include areas within a quarter mile of high-frequency bus routes.

Agree

It is now widely accepted that Single Family Residential Zoning was historically created to maintain racial segregation. I support removing Single Family Residential Zoning categories, allowing both single family and multi family residences to be built in all residential zoning areas.

Neither agree nor disagree
Prefer not to support blanket policy across all neighborhoods. It is proper to have community input.

I support allowing existing residences to be split into apartments in all zoning categories without having to pass legislation for each conversion, increasing density in neighborhoods that were traditionally single family homes.

Neither agree nor disagree
Again, community input is critical

At 20mph, 90% of pedestrians survive being hit by a car. At 40mph, only 10% survive. I support enforcing a maximum speed limit of 25 mph on arterial streets, and 20 mph on local streets.

Neither agree nor disagree
I need more education on what is safe and pragmatic.

Allowing turns on red is a contributing factor in increased pedestrian injury and death. I support banning turns on red at all intersections that allow pedestrian crossing.

Agree

Automated Speed and Red Light Enforcement Cameras are widely proven to reduce fatal collisions. I support using these cameras on any street, not just near schools and construction sites.

Agree

The Automated Speed Enforcement Camera current threshold is 12 miles per hour. I support cameras being able to issue citations for those traveling 5 miles per hour or more over the speed limit.

Disagree
The cameras are consistently unreliable.

I would invest in automated enforcement cameras that will issue citations to private automobiles for being stopped or parked in bus lanes.

Agree

Dedicated bus lanes and bus boarding islands are proven to dramatically improve bus reliability and boarding times. I support removing parking or travel lanes to create bus lanes and boarding islands to improve bus performance.

Agree

The city adopted the Greenway Trails Network plan that will connect existing trails such as Gwynns Falls Trail and Herring Run Trail to create a 35-mile trail loop that connects 80% of Baltimore’s neighborhoods to greenspace and recreational trails. I support the construction of these trail connections, even if it requires using grass medians or taking road space or parking space away from private automobiles.

Agree