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.

Above all, my vision for transportation in Baltimore City is one that is safe. I am committed to supporting initiatives that will ensure that Baltimore residents are safe regardless of how they choose to travel. With respect to public transportation, I support all measures that will increase the accessibility and reliability of our public transit options.

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?

Though this is a complicated issue, access, convenience, and safety are among the major barriers to choosing walking, biking, or public transit. To address these concerns, I would work to ensure that each of these alternatives is a practical reality across the City of Baltimore. This requires us to consider the unique characteristics of each Baltimore neighborhood and the residents who make up those neighborhoods.

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 agree with the plan’s recommendations. I also encourage the creation of safe and protected areas to ride a bike in Baltimore’s low-income communities.

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?

I support the City of Baltimore’s adoption of a number of proven traffic calming tactics, particularly in those areas that present the greatest risk of danger to motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

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?

The health of Baltimore is a priority of mine. I am especially interested in working with agency leaders to set higher standards for environmental protection.

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

As a member of the City Council, I often walk in the neighborhoods I represent so that I can chat with neighbors and take note of any issues that require action from my office.

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

Because of the nature of my job, I often have to travel to a number of locations within the City of Baltimore without much time to spare. In these instances, I primarily rely on a personal vehicle. Still, I try to use public transportation when doing so would save me time during my commute.

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

As between biking and walking, my personal preference is to walk. Because I am often “walking and talking” with neighbors in the 2nd District, this tends to be more practical. I am, however, supportive of making Baltimore a more bike-friendly city.

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 and Scooters
4. Personal Automobiles
5. Ride Hailing Services (Taxi, Uber, Lyft)
6. Freight and Delivery
7. Parking

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

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.

Disagree

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.

Agree

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.

Disagree
Zoning decisions require us to examine the individual character and culture of neighborhoods.

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

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.

Agree

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