Ryan Dorsey
Candidate for: City Council, 3rd District
electryandorsey.com
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Describe your vision of a healthy, safe, and equitable transportation system for Baltimore city and what roles walking, biking, and public transportation play in that vision.
High quality pedestrian, bicycle and public transit infrastructure and systems are the backbone of a smart, healthy, safe and equitable city. I believe that only by making these things a top priority, along with supportive land use, can we be the best version of our city, one that is diverse in its population, affordable and joyful to live in, and safe from more than just car crashes, but also from gun violence and crime in general.
To meet Baltimore City’s adopted climate goals, we must shift at least 10% of current automobile vehicle miles traveled to active transportation and public transit. What is your plan to achieve this goal?
Build out the full separated bike lane network plan and then some, and the Greenway Trail Network, and do both at a much greater pace than either is progressing now. Build more bus lanes, bus bulbs and floating bus stops, and other infrastructure - including automated enforcement tools - that prioritize bus movement, and so that frequency can more effectively be increased. Coordinate duplicative services with Circulator, and leverage higher ed shuttles to reduce redundancy. Eliminate parking minimums and enact a cash-out program for City employees. Build denser housing near commercial corridors so that jobs will locate near higher population density and more employees will walk to work.
What is your plan to continue to reduce the number of injuries and deaths on Baltimore City roadways each year?
Build out the bike network. Reduce oversize roads (and find creative ways to fund this through impervious surface conversion that creates environmental benefits). Improve street cut standards to require full crosswalk re-striping any time a crosswalk is even partially disrupted, and improve maintenance of traffic standards to maintain pedestrian priority along construction sites. Get the State to grant the City autonomy in the use of ATVES, setting of speed limits, and parking enforcement.
How often do you walk, bike or use public transit to reach daily destinations? If not often (or at all), what would make you more likely to use non-personal vehicle modes of transportation?
Nearly every day. I bike as my primary form of transportation. I take the bus to City Hall on rainy days that I have to go there. I walk or bike to my district office in the Lauraville area. I own a car that I use as little as possible.
In 2017, Baltimore City adopted the Separated Bike Lane Network Plan Addendum to the Bike Master Plan. This called for connecting 85% of Baltimore’s neighborhoods to safe, all-ages bike infrastructure by 2022. Less than 20% of this network has been built. What would you do to accelerate implementation?
Especially given a committee chairmanship, I would use my committee to hold oversight and investigative hearings that put forth a positive narrative on building bike infrastructure, support DOT implementation, and dissolve the agency's ability to delay and deliver substandard outcomes because to political undermining in individual neighborhoods and districts. I'm already pressuring DOT and the administration to apply for more bikeways grants, including for hardening of existing quick-build, so we can begin showing people what things will look like if we can just move through the first stage, which I believe will decrease a certain type of opposition based on aesthetics.
In 2018, Baltimore City received national recognition for passing the first equity driven Complete Streets ordinance in the country. This legislation contains a modal hierarchy prioritizing vulnerable road users and mandates best practices in roadway configuration and design. Are you committed to retaining this ordinance and the current practices and modal hierarchy it mandates?
Yes. I wrote it.
The traffic calming and lane reductions along Harford Road have resulted in a 40% reduction in crashes, tracking with national research showing comparable reductions on streets when separated bike infrastructure is installed. Are you supportive of the project? Are you committed to maintaining the road diet with separated bike lanes, and expanding it with more permanent infrastructure to the entire corridor?
Yes. I wrote the funding request for Hamilton, and again and again used political capital to make all of this happen more or less single-handedly.
Agree or disagree?Do you support maintaining the city’s micro-mobility program that provides dockless bikes and scooters?
Yes
Would you support creation of a government subsidized bike share system?
Yes.
Would you support local legislation to subsidize the purchase of e-bikes and membership for micro-mobility or bike share systems?
Yes. As part of the negotiating of the FY24 budget, I received a commitment from Mayor Scott to create an e-bike purchase subsidy by the end of FY24.
Are you committed to retaining every piece of separated bike infrastructure in the city that’s been built?
Except maybe the terrible infrastructure in the middle of North Ave, if we can come up with a better alternative.
Cars are often longer than a single rowhome is wide. Households with multiple vehicles compete for parking in front of other neighbors’ homes. Do you support scaling residential permit parking fees to either the size of or number of vehicles in a household so those with more vehicles parked on city streets pay their fair share?
Yes. I've inquired with law about this and found some stumbling blocks. I need to reinvestigate.
Do you support a citywide speed limit of 25mph on arterials and 20mph on neighborhood streets?
Yes. I introduced a bill to do this, and when Law determined we need State authorization, I had authorizing legislation introduced at the State. I have continued to seek support for its passage.
Do you support banning turns on red at all intersections that permit pedestrian crossing?
Yes
Do you support expanding automated enforcement to all roads that have high rates of crashes and speeding, not just near school zones?
Yes
Do you support legislation to create income-based traffic enforcement fine reductions or waivers locally?
Yes
Do you support allowing increased density adjacent to high-quality transit, grocery stores, Main Street districts, and in other high-amenity neighborhoods?
Yes
Do you support increasing Transit Oriented Development zoning to include all areas within a quarter mile of high-frequency bus routes and a half-mile of light rail and metro stations?
Yes
Minimum parking requirements are shown to increase housing costs while limiting potential density and making neighborhoods less walkable. Do you support removing parking minimums from new development?
Yes
Do you support removing single family residential zoning categories, so that people can choose to build and live in a variety of housing options citywide?
Yes