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.

As councilperson, I would make sure that our transportation system is safe, convenient, inexpensive and available to everyone of all socioeconomic backgrounds without targeting and profiling of Black and Brown people by Law Enforcement.

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?

As it relates to my neighborhood and most of my district, we cannot access what we need by walking or bike. Add the fact that many residents suffer from respiratory illnesses and cannot ride a bike or walk far. Public transportation does not run as frequent as other parts of the city, especially nights and weekends. Until the city decides to invest in communities again, especially those in the southern end of the city that have been collectively and intentionally ignored for decades, we have to depend on cars or car services such as Lyft or Uber. Also, bicycles appear to be a precursor for gentrification and/or displacement so until we see our neighborhoods riding bikes or leading the conversation about biking in our community, we may continue to see resistance.

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?

The only part of the SBLN plan that I don't agree with is that only the span of Patapsco Avenue in Brooklyn was included. Considering that there is a major light rail station on Patapsco Avenue, the entire stretch from Washington Blvd to Potee St should have been included. I believe it was a missed opportunity to slow down traffic where drivers speed upward of 60 mph. Street planters and other public art could be included to make the heavy industrial area safe for cyclists and pedestrians and make the area more colorful and attractive.

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?

Work with the State to improve the drivers education curriculum with as much emphasis on cycling as we do pedestrians and tractor trailers. As councilperson, I would fight to allocate funds to do a comprehensive driver education via social media, local TV commercials, radio commercials, community outreach, and improved signage and increased tickets and citations if the driver is found at fault.

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 live in Westport where Annapolis Road is a major thoroughfare for heavy industrial trucks, CSX freight train that travels close to residential homes, Light Rail, thousands of cars, and imperfect roads which causes noise pollution from dump truck buckets rising and falling which disturbs are peace and our sleep. This is a problem common in District 10 and as councilperson would work to make our neighborhoods less noisy. The noise begins as early as 4:30am. I would strongly recommend that we work with employers to offer telecommuting opportunities for their employees, offer flexible work shifts to balance incoming and outgoing traffic, post signs in neighborhoods like mine with heavy industrial zoning to be mindful of residents who live here. Also, work to close BRESCO to end incineration. It should have never have been allowed to be built within the city limits.

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

I do not get the opportunity to walk for transportation because I don't live near many businesses or restaurants. In my Council District, most our our neighborhoods are isolated from amenities enjoyed by residents who live above I-95. As my neighborhood redevelops and businesses return, I look forward to being able to walk to a restaurant or a bank.

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

Because I work outside of the city, I use public transportation as a means of not wanting to drive downtown and add to the congestion. I tend to use the Light Rail since it is one block from my home.

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

This summer, July 2019, I was invited on a bike study trip to Memphis, Tennessee. It was the first time I recalled riding a bike in 20 years. Although I thought I was going to die, given the humidity and the fact that I was out of shape, I made it. I found that private car owners in Memphis were far more polite and accommodating to cyclists. If I lived downtown or north of downtown, I could see myself riding a bike more often. In the southern end of the city, I am surrounded by interstates and a very old bridge (Hanover St Bridge) which makes conditions dangerous. I am interested in purchasing a used bike to transport to a park or area without cars to regain experience and to eventually, feel comfortable riding a bike among cars and heavy duty commercial vehicles.

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

Agree or disagree?

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

Neither agree nor disagree
I agree but it is contingent upon areas with nearby street traffic to accommodate people with disabilities and young families.

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.

Disagree
Removing the parking minimum makes me nervous even for new development. Especially in areas that are not in the where public transportation is not as easily accessible. We want to be sure that we are not creating a barrier for families who rely on a car or people with disabilities.

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
I support the mandate too. I believe it is time to go beyond reimbursing employees for parking in garages. Incentives could and should be provided for those who can walk, cycle or use mass transit for work.

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
This may be true but in lower income neighborhoods in cities, this translates as gentrification and ultimately, displacement.

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
I agree with the expansion and my neighbors and I are currently working on this with DOT and Neighborhood Design Center. My agreement is contingent upon ensuring that the inclusionary housing minimum is enforced. If not careful, existing residents could be displaced.

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 believe this would keep immigrant families, blended families together and could lead to reducing the amount of vacant housing we have. My biggest concern is ensuring safety of each resident in the event of a catastrophic event such as a fire or inclement weather.

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

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
Many drivers block pedestrian crossings which leaves people having to walk around or wait. With this revised law, it should force cars to stop at prior to the crosswalk because we will not be able to turn on red.

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
I fully agree with this because one fatality is too many regardless if it occurs near a school or construction site. Some of the past few notable cyclists killed by cars in Baltimore did not necessarily happen near either site.

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
Yes. I agree that the threshold is way too lenient.

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

Agree
Yes. Although I don't believe enough education has been done to make drivers in private automobiles understand bus and bike lanes, too often I see people parked in an obvious bus lane painted in red refuse to move.

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
Yes. Especially on abnormally wide streets on our main thoroughfares and newly constructed streets.

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
Not only do I agree but my organization, Harbor West Collaborative is already supporting this effort. Both Jim Brown and Avery Harmon keep us informed of the status of this project as well as invite us to meetings and other related working sessions.