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.

The candidate provided a speech, which you can find here.

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?

Education. we need to start educating children earlier. And we need lots of proselytizers at the top who have a bully pulpit (politicians, athletes, community leaders, etc.)

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 recommendations. In order to make progress, we would need to get buy-in from community leaders, politicians, and the general public. To do that, there are several things I would recommend. One would be a Summit meeting with representatives from across the city, feature speakers who have successfully expanded bicycle networks in their respective cities, run workshops on how to do it here in Baltimore. I would also lobby the likes of Lamar Jackson and other celebrities to get behind the bicycle movement. It is important to get the powers-that-be off their derriere's and start bicycling. Already, there are lanes that have been done fairly well. Get folks to start using these lanes. Note: I would set as a priority, the poorest districts in the city -- namely zip codes 2017 and 2013. People need to be convinced that a bicycle is often a faster way to move around.

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 couple of things: helmets, lights in the front and back of the bicycles. As for pedestrians, start with children in schools. They need to be educated as to how to keep safe. One area of concern I have is texting that so many people -- young and old alike — text while walking and walking. One of my students at Boston College a couple of years sustained a major head injury by walking into a pole while texting. And as I have been campaigning on the streets of Baltimore, I have seen scores of people texting not just at stop lights but as they turned corners, cruised slowly, etc. The police need to start cracking down in a serious way on texting. Many in the public complain about squeegee kids who are a nuisance and put themselves in danger but worse are drivers who text.

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 apologize not turning this survey in late. I need much more time to think through a response to this question. Be back to you shortly.

Do you walk for transportation? If so, for what purposes, how often, and what was your last trip walking?
I am a frequent walker and prefer walking to driving a car. But truth to tell, I prefer cycling to walking. After a 9-hr bus trip from Boston several weeks ago, I got on bicycle and cycled from Patterson Park avenue where I live to a meeting in West Baltimore.

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

I use public transportation often. Right now, I teach in Boston one evening twice a month at Northeastern University and I take a bus. It's roughly $60 round trip and for 9 hours, I gain access to the Internet and I read and work. My next trip is this Wednesday morning.

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

I ride a bike virtually every day for recreation, for transportation….my last trip by bicycle was a day or so ago and it was to downtown Baltimore.

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

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.

Neither agree nor disagree

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

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
Read “Not in my Neighborhood” a book we all should read.

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
We need a whole new batch of City Council members who have bolder visions.

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
But we also need ways of enforcing it, and I am a big advocate of automated coverage of those who break laws governing speed. I've seen it work on my last 2 trips to Germany.

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
Very important -- e.g. at the entrance to the shopping mall on Boston St where Target is located. Treacherous.

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
Agree and would push hard for this.

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
This would improve safety and increase revenues.

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

Agree
Again, I thought it worked well in Germany and would like to see it done here as well. And again, we need a new crop of leaders in Baltimore -- especially on the city council not to mention the mayor.

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
I use some of the lanes already established and we should encourage expansion and sometimes we have to make unpopular choices to assure safety.