In an effort to educate voters, we will be posting responses to our candidate questionnaire. Questionnaires were emailed to each candidate running for City Council, President of City Council, and Mayor. Candidates have until March 4th to submit. We are publishing results in the order they are received.
How frequently do you use a mode of transportation other than your car to navigate the city? Based on your experience, where should the city prioritize resources for transportation?
CE: Bike riding at least 2x per week and public trans once a week. Running 2x per week
What role do you believe biking and walking improvements can play in creating a safer, healthier, more livable Baltimore?
CE: Biking and walking improvements and alternatives would obviously cut down on emissions pollution via vehicle reduction, but the other obvious outcome in facilitating physical transportation is the exercise benefit of exertion.
Are you supportive of the city’s plan to implement bike share in 2016? If so, what do you believe to be the critical components of success?
CE: The backlash is best handled by offsetting the necessary losses with unexpected gains. Offsetting the loss travel lane or parking with a beatification project is one example.
Recent audits have discovered that the Department of Transportation struggles to measure key performance indicators. The city’s procurement and project management processes have also faced scrutiny. This has led to significant delays of key improvements to bicycle infrastructure in Baltimore. How will you work to improve performance and accountability of city agencies like the Department of Transportation under your leadership?
CE: The department of transportation, like many others first, needs periodic audits with attached managerial accountability.
A recent study by Harvard economists found that the single strongest factor affecting the odds of a child escaping poverty is not the test scores of his or her local schools or the crime in the community; it is the percent of workers in his or her neighborhood who have long commutes. How do you plan to improve transportation options and commute times for our most vulnerable residents?
CE: Most long commutes have less to do with transit and more to do with more employment opportunities being moved out of city centers. To improve these commute times we need to improve our public transit footprint comprehensively but also do more ambassadorship.ht
Often road redesigns that improve the safety for people on bikes or people walking do so in a way that removes priority for single occupancy vehicles. This can look like removing lanes for travel or decreasing available street parking. Can you describe how you would manage public expectations during project implementation, and handle any backlash from constituents that don’t share in the City’s vision for complete streets?
CE: The backlash is best handled by offsetting the necessary loses with unexpected gains. Offsetting the loss travel lane or parking with a beautification project is one example.
What other information about your candidacy would you like to share with our members?
CE: That I do not discuss this simply to gain the support of Bikemore, but that as a result of having these same questions, having the same issues and conversations as a rider and user of public transit, this was one of the areas which prompted my candidacy.