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 transit vision is the most comprehensive of any candidate. First and foremost, it shifts us away from car dependency through an expanded CC Circulator, and provides more space on our roads for buses and bikes. What's more, my Poverty Erasure and Community Enhancement (PEACE) Zones plan is an aggressive reinvestment into Black Butterfly communities, making biking, walking, and busing to work and other resources even easier.

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?

The largest barrier is the Class 5 segregation of our city for decades. In maintaining this, we've placed jobs and recreation far away from large communities that have seen little to no investment. This would change under my administration by investing $18 million across six different communities every year into small businesses - this would including altering zoning laws in all-residential neighborhoods. My PEACE Zones policy also includes $18 million across six different communities annually to fix sections of key roads in communities and fitting them with protected bike lanes. What's more, I will revamp the routing of the Circulator and extend its hours - ultimately, running every 10 minutes during peak hours, and 20-25 minutes at non-peak. Finally, I will enhance the bus-only infrastructure over the next four years, while also minimizing parking availability and charging more.

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 absolutely agree with these with this plan's recommendations! The greater the connectivity, the better. As mentioned, communities in my PEACE Zones, located throughout the Black Butterfly, are my priority. As a continuation of question 2, I will work to garner a private match for all PEACE Zones funding, which means up to $36 million could be invested annually into building complete streets.

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 believe we must approach these unfortunate statistics in multiple ways. We must protect more of our bike lanes annually, for sure. Concurrently, we need to engage community associations, rec centers, libraries, and the like with programming on biker and pedestrian safety. Next, we need to take more points off, suspend licenses, and administer income-based fines for harm caused by someone's vehicle to a pedestrian or biker. I am happy to add more measures!

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?

Baltimore ranks as the 19th-worst place to live with asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation. The illness costs the country $82 billion in lost productivity and medical costs - $156 million for Baltimore. In 2017, we were ranked seventh for the number of poor ozone days in the country. Enhancing our transit system - specifically, with electric buses - and our biking network is crucial to fighting this issue. We also must push back against facilities like Wheelabrator, our largest air polluter. It emits enough NOx to equal over 123,000 cars, and enough CO2 to equal about 57,000 cars. I've been working on this for the last few years, and my org and other activists had the Baltimore Clean Air Act pass in 2019.

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

I walk to the grocery store and some recreational activities! Charles Village is good for that, and I want to makes sure every community has the same ability.

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

Yes! I use public transport to go to City Hall for work meetings and some recreation. I do have a car, which I primarily use for Uber/Lyft on weekends. I'd love to give it to my mom in SC year, though!

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

I don't have a bike right now! I'd love to acquire one, though, once my finances are stable!

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
2. Bicycles & Scooters
4. Ride Hailing Services (Taxi, Uber, Lyft)
5. Freight and Delivery
6. Personal Automobiles
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
Absolutely! See my transit plan, as it starts to get us there: dcs4bmore.org/transit

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.

Agree

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.

Agree
We also need to create mixed-income neighborhoods, which is why my PEACE Zones include housing for folks making 14-32K annually, and for those making 33-57K annually.

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
Hell yeah!

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.

Agree
I also want to implement rent/utility subsidies for residents who will occupy the 14-32K income homes in my PEACE Zones policy to build wealth (akin to the whites-only Federal Housing Act of the 1930s). I also will implement rent control of 4% + inflation to fight gentrification.

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.

Agree

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
My policies also include implementing a five-tier fine system to avoid one ticket from severely impacting the economic well-being of a working-class Baltimorean. Implementing my transit plan will discourage personal vehicle dependence to help with this as well.

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
I think this can be implemented with both cameras and traffic enforcers. For example, I want to have people who choose to park in the bus-only lane during peak hours on Charles to have a ticket ASAP. And those who block the box should know they're being written up immediately.

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
Bus lanes will be my priority, with my islands being presented where ideal. One of the most important bus lanes to be installed first will be on Greenmount from downtown to Northern Parkway. As we on every road but the Interstates, we need the leadership to make it happen!

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
I also want to increase greenspace downtown, which will include removing driving access on Howard Street from the northside of Pratt to MLK. The city will work with multiple local entities to create a pedestrian-oriented strip adjacent to the LightRailLink.