Narrative Questions
Describe your vision of a healthy, safe, equitable transportation system for the Baltimore Region and the roles walking, biking, and public transportation play in that vision.
In this answer and throughout the questionnaire, I am committed to providing you with answers that I will hold concretely to as governor, rather than saying yes to everything only to backtrack once in office. No other candidate has established a track record of consistent and unequivocal candor matched with decades of public service as I have, and that should give you the assurance that these answers are offered in good faith.
In that spirit, the strength of our State’s economy is the number and quality of its connections. I am committed to building a world-class transit system that is safe, sustainable, fast, and reliable. I will invest in developing high quality public transportation, pedestrian, and cycling infrastructure, especially in areas like Baltimore City. I have always said that you cannot have a great state without a great city. Baltimore will be the epicenter for economic prosperity, and that starts with improving people’s mobility. My vision is for all Marylanders to share in the prosperity of the State, and our transit system is critical in achieving this goal. As Comptroller, I have had a collaborative approach toward governance, and will continue to have that disposition as governor. Organizations such as Bikemore will have a seat at the table and resources to guide my administration decision making and hold us accountable. At its best, I believe that a high-quality transit system can benefit our economy, give people true commuting choices, and improve the health of our environment.
The fastest and most economical way to address climate change, improve public health, and create equal access to opportunity is to reduce dependence on private automobiles. What are the biggest barriers to getting people to choose walking, biking, and public transit instead of personal vehicles for daily trips, and what would you do to address these impediments?
I believe that the greatest challenges to get people to choose a more sustainable mode of transportation are accessibility and safety.
Accessibility:
Public transportation must give Marylanders a guarantee that it will be accessible, which includes cost effectiveness, and run in a timely manner- currently this is often not the case. For example, in the Baltimore region, only 9 percent of jobs are accessible by public transit in an hour or less. Improving our public transit standards and outcomes will require experienced leadership to turn bold-ideas into results. As governor, I will invest in high-quality rail, as well as cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, with competent oversight and accountability to ensure that this can be accomplished. Concretely, my administration will commit to the following actions:
In Baltimore, I will break ground on a transformational East-West mass transit line, while ensuring it is part of systemwide improvements that improve transit service for everyone in the Baltimore Metropolitan Region.
I will bring Baltimore and the Washington region closer together through upgrades to the MARC commuter train, as well as support for transit-oriented development (TOD) and connections at key commuter hubs.
I fought to ensure the state’s Purple Line commitment is maintained, and will revive the Red Line project for Baltimore.
I will improve suburban transit service, including WMATA and local transit services.
I will explore new rail and mass transit connections for Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, and the Eastern Shore to ensure every community has access to the full range of Maryland’s opportunities and services.
Finally, via public private partnerships and our grassroots organization, I will ensure greater access to affordable bike and scooter share stations, particularly at a local level where bike and other pedestrian infrastructure is a vital part of the connectivity not just for work commutes, but for entertainment, trips to the grocery, etc.
Safety:
In order for people to feel motivated to walk or cycle to their destinations we must change the driving culture and invest in better infrastructure. My administration will be people driven and I am committed to giving Marylanders a variety of safe transit choices. One of the concrete actions my administration will do to address this issue will be to expand the #DrivingItHome program. In fact, one of the reasons I chose Monique Anderson-Walker to be my running mate was due to her commitment to addressing problems holistically.
The devastation stemming from roadway fatalities involving vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists led Monique to develop the #DrivingItHome Campaign during her time on the Prince George’s County Council. Launched in February 2019, #DrivingItHome focuses on changing driving culture and saving lives. The popularity of the program led to its expansion beyond Prince George’s 8th District, growing regionally into Montgomery County, the District of Columbia, and Fairfax County, Virginia. Four months after the #DrivingItHome initiative was launched as a pilot program, and Prince George’s County established its Vision Zero initiative to reduce roadway fatalities to zero by 2040. For her accomplishments in this arena, Monique received the Washington Area Bike Association Vision Zero Award in 2020.
My administration will continue to build on the work Monique has started to implement a similar program state-wide. As part of this initiative, we welcome the opportunity to work with organizations such as Bikemore, the Transit Alliance, and Transit Choices to help us develop solutions to make our roads safer.
Maryland and its jurisdictions continue to spend money on road and highway widening despite overwhelming evidence that it actually increases traffic and congestion through induced demand. Justification for widening is often that it will improve road safety, which is also discredited. What is your position on Maryland and its jurisdictions spending money this way, and would you support a moratorium on road and highway widening?
In areas that have a greater density, such as Baltimore City, I believe that road and highway widening is not the best option to alleviate traffic and congestion. I also believe that the more we reorient our approach to development around transit hubs and improved density, the more we can proactively create new infrastructure that orients around walkable neighborhoods and transit primacy. The best way to alleviate congestion and reduce traffic will always be long term and sustained commitment to investing in high-quality public transportation, bike and pedestrian trails.
Describe your understanding for the need of a Baltimore Regional Transportation Authority. Do you support creation of a regional authority, and if so, how would you legislate or guide the state’s role in creating and sustaining it?
The Baltimore Regional Transportation Authority (BRTA) is an example of the local initiative that is needed to make Baltimore the beating heartbeat for economic prosperity. Most of the great transit systems around the world are planned, governed, and funded at the level of the metropolitan region and not the state. When there is a governor who is very supportive of transit, the current model works great. However, a different model is needed to ensure predictability and responsiveness to regional needs no matter who is governor.
I support a BRTA, and I believe that it is important for the Baltimore region to control its destiny on this issue. Relative to the BRTA, my focus will be:
Providing the support needed to substantially implement the BRTA within my first term.
Committing the state funds necessary for it to be successful.
Ensuring that Maryland continues to have a strong statewide approach to transit including fostering connections between the different regions and localities of the state and making the MARC train a world class regional rail.
Better connections between our state’s two largest economic centers, Baltimore and the Washington region, will lead to greater economic growth, and the BRTA will play an integral role in securing this vision for the state. Moreover, the BRTA must be clear in its mandate to manage transportation at a regional level, which must explicitly include connectivity to and support from the counties that surround Baltimore. Transportation, particularly public transit, is an inherently regional concept that requires a truly regional approach.
Since the 1990’s federal surface transportation authorization laws have set the rules and formulas for federal transportation funding flowing to states. Two of the largest categories, the Surface Transportation Block Grant program and the National Highway Performance Program, can be used for many forms of surface transportation including highways, transit, bike, pedestrian, and ADA infrastructure. However, state departments of transportation, MDOT included, have used them almost exclusively for highway projects and much of its new capacity. That has resulted in growth in traffic volumes, travel times, and carbon pollution. In your view, why have those trends continued?
Funding towards building a sustainable transportation sector has not been a priority in past administrations, and initiatives to improve public transit have become overly politicized and halted projects such as the Red Line. I believe that Maryland’s economy is poised to lead in the 21st century, but until investments are made to build a world-class transit system, including our bike and pedestrian infrastructure we lack a key driver for that economic growth and a means through which all communities can benefit from it. I will be a governor that will provide a modern vision and through my extensive experience as a Delegate and Comptroller, which has been hallmarked for efficiency, I will hold our state agencies accountable and deliver results to achieve our transit goals. If the governor is truly committed to world class transit infrastructure, from rail projects and circulators to bike lanes and pedestrian friendly streets and sidewalks, there is tremendous leverage in how these funding streams can be applied. We just need a governor who is willing to keep their promises, rather than blame inaction and foot dragging on external circumstances.
How do you typically commute to work or run errands? Describe the last trips you made by walking, biking, and public transit.
For my commute from Takoma Park to Annapolis, I commute via car. This is in part because of convenience and reliability in lieu of sufficient public transportation between Annapolis and the rest of the state. When I am in my neighborhood of Takoma Park, I regularly run errands by walking to places like our local food co-op and the pharmacy. Walking is an everyday occurrence for me beyond errands, as a source of health and an opportunity to think. I am acutely aware of the traffic dangers walkers face even when they are on sidewalks, let alone at poorly constructed or regulated intersections and crosswalks.
Agree/Disagree Questions
Maryland and its jurisdictions should be required to “fix-it-first,” funding deferred maintenance of bridges and roads and safety retrofits like road diets, sidewalks, ADA compliance, and other infrastructure prioritizing vulnerable road users before spending on new roads and infrastructure.
Agree
Maryland should adopt a funding rubric for all transportation investment that follows a modal hierarchy prioritizing pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders over personal automobile use, and mandates that these investments prioritize racial and economic equity.
Agree
Highway User Revenues continue to decrease as cars become more efficient, and semi-autonomous driving technology is allowing more comfortable long distance commutes. To address this, Maryland should introduce an income-based Vehicle Miles Traveled tax.
I cannot commit to this without having a concrete proposal that outlines core details like rate, and whether it would be applied even to lower income earners.
Maryland should require and fund all-ages-and abilities bicycle infrastructure in retrofits of existing roads and construction of new roads, including fully separated infrastructure or side paths/trails on collector roads, arterial roads, state highways, and interstates.
Agree
There has been a dramatic increase in car crashes that injure and kill people walking and biking, who are then frequently sued by a driver’s insurance. Maryland should move from contributory negligence to a strict liability model for crashes involving vulnerable road users.
Agree
Paired with a requirement for income-based fines, Maryland should authorize jurisdictions to utilize additional types of automated enforcement like bus lane cameras and stop sign cameras, remove geographic restrictions, and allow a reduced threshold for triggering speed cameras.
Maryland should allow local jurisdictions to lower their own speed limits based on roadway typology instead of based on expensive engineering studies for each road segment, and should set a statewide upper urban speed limit of 25 miles per hour.
Agree
Maryland should require employers provide “Parking Cash Out,” valuing the cost of parking subsidized or paid for by employers and allowing employees the option of taking that benefit as a cash payout in the amount of the parking subsidy instead.
Agree
Maryland should require jurisdictions to eliminate parking minimums and institute parking maximums in new development, as well as require the cost of parking be unbundled from rent, giving individuals the choice to rent without paying for parking.
Agree
It’s widely accepted that single family zoning advances racial and economic segregation. Maryland should ban single family zoning at the state level, allowing both single family and multifamily residences to be built in all zoning areas.
Agree