1. 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.

   A healthy, safe, equitable transportation system is one that is responsive to the needs of Baltimoreans as they move around the city. This system must be multimodal and should include a mix of transportation by foot, bike, bus, rail, car, and water taxi with an ability to transition between and among different modes. Given that one in three Baltimoreans lack access to a car, it is critical that our transportation system not punish those residents by restricting access to grocery stores, jobs, schools, etc. to drivers alone. Our movement toward the ideal system includes rail infrastructure, commitment to the Bicycle Master Plan for a protected bike network, and completing the Green Network trail.

2. 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?

   We need to start by recognizing that, given equity and access disparities, not everyone has the luxury of choice in using a car versus other transportation modalities. We owe it to those residents to make sure their commute is safe, affordable, and convenient. That said, I believe that the biggest barriers to Baltimoreans using non-car transportation are safe, protected walking/biking routes; clean, reliable, and safe public transportation; and an absence of incentives (in the workplace or multi-tenant communities) to help nudge them toward non-car options. I will add that not enough attention is paid to barriers that prevent women from accessing public transportation – especially safety. Sexual harassment and violence against women and girls while using public transit frequently goes unaddressed by policymakers, which is something I intend to work on when I am elected.

3. 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 agree with the Baltimore Bicycle Master Plan and 2017 Separated Bike Lane Network Addendum recommendations. I think the challenge is the increasing institutional will and community buy-in, two factors identified within the plan as well. I agree with the plan’s priority of building out the low-stress network, to allow safer and more convenient access to the corridors of public transportation, employment, and retail across the major east-west and north-south corridors. Some of the initial low-stress area build plans fall with the First District and I support working with regional partners and use the plan’s proposed community input process to engage neighborhood associations and community influencers to build support and community ownership of the plan and its expected outcomes.

4. 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?

   A transportation system that centers on human beings is what our City needs and deserves. Centering on human beings means that everyone has options that enable them to get around efficiently, safely, pleasantly, and sustainably without dependence on a privately owned vehicle. No one should ever be hit by a car and injured or killed while moving to get around Baltimore.

5. 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?

   As a trained social worker, my work and education have provided me significant insight to the very real human and community costs of air pollution, especially at the levels we see in Baltimore. While there is no clear or easy solution, and blanket prohibitions generally fail to address the complexity of the needs of our communities, my plan to address this is two-fold. First: I will loudly advocate for greatly increasing the attractiveness of non-car transportation options (outlined above). Second: I will work with properly credentialed scientists, academics, and environmental advocates in the planning phases of relevant legislation to understand air pollution impacts, especially on lower-income communities and to seek mediation and contingencies, but also to vote against projects where those considerations aren’t adequately addressed.

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

   I walk often! I have the advantage of living in the First District, which is one of the most walkable districts in the city, something that I plan on prioritizing as a factor in decisions on transportation, housing and development. Not including the walking that I do door-to-door every day for my campaign, my last walking trip was yesterday morning to a meeting at a coffee shop in Fells Point.

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

   Yes. I primarily take the Navy, the 65, and the 63 MTA bus lines, though I usually defer to whatever the Transit app recommends I use. I most frequently take the bus when I need to go downtown, or if I’m going out in the evening and I do not want to walk or pay for rideshare.

   From 2014-2015, I worked in DC and took the MARC Penn Line every day. I continue to use the MARC whenever I go to DC.

   The last time I used public transportation was two days ago when I went to the Board of Elections to drop off voter registration forms. I took the 65.

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

   Yes. I tend to use my bike for recreation more than transportation because it is usually inconvenient for me to bring a change of clothes when riding. I have not used my bike for transportation in a few months since it has been winter. The last ride I can remember was riding to the Tidemore offices in Mt. Vernon in the fall.

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

   
   Agree or disagree?
   

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

    Agree
    Transitioning away from single-occupant vehicles is critical to a safe, healthy, and equitable Baltimore. There is plenty of research that shows that increased parking options harm instead of help this progress. That said, we must increase the availability and safety of non-car options in coordination with removing street parking to maintain buy-in during this necessary transition to a greener future.

11. 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
    The data show is clear that minimum parking requirements are a waste of valuable land resources, are an unnecessary burden on especially small businesses, and non-car options less safe. I support the elimination of minimum parking requirements in conjunction with an improved non-car transportation infrastructure.

12. 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
    The plans to improve our transportation infrastructure require doing everything we can to encourage flexibility. Mandating cash payouts for parking subsidies is a relatively low impact way to do so.

13. 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
    The science is well-settled that building density is a significant contributor to a greener future, safer and easier transportation, and improved health outcomes. The key to moving to a denser Baltimore requires transparency, community buy-in and engagement and a significant focus on equity over displacement. Building more homes and mixed-use developments that bring jobs and amenities to Baltimore is a good thing, if done correctly and responsibly. A simple key to making sure everyone benefits from new development is to embrace the benefits of higher densities and eliminate unnecessary rules like parking requirements, which can increase the cost of rent by hundreds of dollars per unit. I was particularly concerned last year when my opponent, Councilman Zeke Cohen, introduced legislation to establish a building height overlay in the Fells Point neighborhood which would have hindered development and diversity. Luckily this initiative was defeated, but had it gone forward it would only have served to perpetuate the racial and economic segregation of our neighborhoods by making it nearly impossible for affordable housing to be built in that area.

14. 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
    Expanding incentives for dense development, centered around available public transportation, both encourages investment in our communities and increases use of non-car transportation networks.

15. 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
    Not only is the elimination of Single Family Residential Zoning a path to increased density, but addressing past and current racial inequity in housing is critical to our success as a community.

16. 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
    This is part of the solution mix to building a non-car dependent transportation network, but our government, at both the city and state level, must match these changes with robust investments in bikeways, bus routes, light rail and walk route protection.

17. 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
    When elected, I will continue the work that Councilman Ryan Dorsey has championed to make our streets more pedestrian-friendly, and this certainly includes mandating that cars drive slower.

18. 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
    Turns on reds do little to increase traffic flow but do greatly increase the chance of collision with pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers. Ban them!

19. 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 agree with the caveat that transparency in process and enforcement, as well as an equitable use of the resulting income, is critical for community buy-in.

20. 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, but we need to make sure that the impact of this change is equitably distributed. We must make sure that it does not disproportionately burden those in underserved neighborhoods.

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

    Agree
    100%, and for bike lanes as well. An investment in and prioritization of bus routes in Baltimore should be a large part of our non-car transportation system improvements and keeping bus and bike lanes clear is a necessary step to making them more reliable. We all see how frequently bus and bike lanes are impeded making them essentially ineffective; cameras would be a smart way to reduce the frequency of this happening.

22. 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
    I agree, and will always work to make sure that DOT takes efforts to involve local stakeholders such as neighborhood associations. I know from experience that whenever the possibility of taking away parking comes up in the First District, it is important to make sure that you get as much community buy-in as possible.

23. 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
    As I have stated in my policy plan (https://parisbienert.com/plan-economic/), I am in support of the Greenway Trails Network and the impact it will have on reducing our dependence on a car-focused transportation infrastructure.

District-Specific Questions: 1st District

1. Baltimore was recently awarded a Maryland Bikeways grant to design an all-ages separated bike lane on Wolfe or Washington Street, part of the 2017 Separated Lane Network Addendum plan connecting Southeast Baltimore to Johns Hopkins Hospital, the all-ages separated lane on Monument Street, and eventual facilities on St. Lo Drive and Harford Road. I support building an all ages separated bike lane on Wolfe or Washington Street, even if it means relocating or removing some parking.

Agree