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.

Baltimore should be a city that works for its residents, students and employees, including a great transportation system. My vision for Baltimore includes more people living and working in the city, reducing reliance on car ownership and improving healthy lifestyles. Car ownership should not be a requirement for employment, grocery shopping or making sure your child gets to school on time. At the core should be an efficient, affordable and reliable bus system. Walking, biking and new modes of transit like scooters should be encouraged with a focus on safety and accessibility, so everyone in Baltimore can benefit. I support the Complete Streets initiative to elevate the priority of pedestrians and cyclists and look forward to their 2020 report.

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?

One of the biggest barriers is that people need to think of public transit as a first, simple option for everyone rather than a last resort. To do that, we need to make transit in Baltimore fast, user-friendly, and reliable. Transforming the city's transit system requires vision and leadership from within a City Hall that makes reducing reliance on automobiles a goal. A first step is promoting a "live and work" in Baltimore campaign to reduce commuting. A second barrier is safety: we need to ensure people who bike, use e-scooters, and walk are safe as they share the streets with cars. A third barrier is that people often don't think transit gets them where they need to go. A more robust bus rapid transit system in high priority areas, with special equity consideration for low-income areas, can address that concern.

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?

Yes, I appreciate the Plan's focus on increasing the continuity of bike lanes. A series of gaps in infrastructure frustrates riders and deters people from considering biking a viable option. Communities that lack bike lanes and rely predominantly on public transit should be prioritized. I would also make the central business district more bike friendly.

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?

First, I think we need to increase enforcement of speeding and red light violations. But we should also be looking at ways to design streets so that pedestrians and cyclists have are given as much priority as cars, if not more. I would support more protected infrastructure, speed bumps, curb extensions to make turns less dangerous, and signal priority for bicyclists.

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?

We have to reduce our reliance on automobile as the first choice of travel. Increasing the attractiveness and efficiency of public transit will lead to a reduction of cars on the road and less pollution. I will focus the city's transportation and and health departments on this issue and promote a "live and work" in Baltimore campaign to reduce reliance on automobile commuting. It's also important to acknowledge the health disparities that persist in Baltimore. The communities in Baltimore with the highest asthma rates are also less well-served by our public transit system.

Do you walk for transportation? If so, for what purposes, how often, and what was your last trip walking?
Yes, I walk and run to get to my office which is 1.5 miles from my home.

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

When I first moved to Baltimore and lived in Bolton Hill, I was able to take the subway to work downtown. My principal means of public transit today is rail. I take the MARC train to Washington D.C several times a month. I occasionally use city and shuttle buses, but the lengthy commute time makes it impractical for a daily option. And that's part of the problem with transit in the city. I have the option of driving my car, but not everyone has that ability.

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

Yes, I bike for recreation and occasionally to get to my office from home. Last September I trained for and rode in a 45 mile bike trip..

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. Personal Automobiles
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.

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
This must be pursued with strong community engagement and in concert with housing policy.

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 agree conditionally. This would be need to be done with strong community support for mixed development.

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
This would have to be done with strong community support, particularly with an understanding of how transportation will be impacted.

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
I do support banning right turns on any street, but not every street. We should use a combination of historical traffic incidents and community outreach to identify intersections that are especially unsafe for pedestrians and discourage shared use of the street.

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 do support the use of traffic cameras on any street, but not every street. We should use a combination of historical traffic incidents and community outreach to identify intersections that are especially unsafe for pedestrians and discourage shared use of the street.

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 believe an appropriate threshold is between 5 and 10 miles per hour over the speed limit.

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

Agree
Dedicated lanes are essential for reliable, rapid bus service. I support increasing enforcement of bus lane obstructions.

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