What do you believe are the greatest transportation challenges facing the City of Chicago right now?

Our city is suffering from inadequate public transportation, extreme traffic, and lack of pedestrian and bike centered infrastructure.

CTA and PACE are unclean, unsafe, and unreliable. I believe in creating universal transportation to encourage residents to use mass transit versus personal vehicles. I believe CTA should increase their cleanliness standards and implement a program to provide services for riders who use the trains and busses as homes.

In addition, I am advocating to create a city-controlled security fleet to patrol the stations more susceptible to violence. I also believe the Ventra card system needs to be revamped to prevent problem riders from buying new cards and terrorizing passengers.

We have some of the worst traffic times in the country. On average our residents spend 155 hours per year in traffic. Mass transit is so unreliable that people choose to take their personal vehicles even if it takes longer. I believe that by addressing the issues listed above in CTA we can get cars off the street and bodies on buses.

Finally, our city is not built for bikers. I cannot ride my bike with my children because our community does not have adequate bike lanes and it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk. I support creating pedestrian centered streets, expanding protected bike lanes, and repairing sidewalks to make them safer for pedestrians

Do you or members of your family regularly use sidewalks, bike, take transit, drive, or a combination of any/all to get around? Does this correspond with your preferred/ideal modes of getting around? If not, what barriers do you and your family face in using your preferred mode of transportation?

in the winter we drive, during the summer months I bike the children to school and then drive to work. Ideally, I would like to bike more, but the lack of lanes makes it difficult to use it as an effective mode of transportation more often.

Can you share a personal experience that changed your opinion about a transportation related policy matter?

A close friend of mine was murdered last year in South Shore when a man plowed through a group of four individuals outside of a bar. I watched how that incident affected my friend's family and it made me realize how important it is to protect our city when it comes to transportation.

Chicago is a snowy city, and even one stretch of uncleared sidewalk can make it impassable – particularly for folks with disabilities, the elderly, and parents with young children. What is your position on implementing a universal city-wide sidewalk snow/ice removal service?

I support universal snow removal. I committed 20% of my salary to help homeowners maintain their homes including lawn care and snow removal.

It is now widely recognized and understood that interstate highways were used to physically divide urban communities from one another – often along racial and class lines. How do you propose we overcome these divisions to restore the urban fabric of Chicago and reconnect our segregated neighborhoods?

Mass transportation and economic investment will be key to changing decades of segregation that runs through Chicago. Currently, the far southside which is in my ward is cut off from the rest of the city. Residents don't have access to trains and buses are few and far between.

We need to take special care to make sure the redline expansion is a community-led process that allows the residents hardest hit by segregation to lead the solutions to the process.

What role do you believe transportation plays in Chicago’s collective greenhouse gas emissions, climate responsibility, and overall environmental health?

Our mass transportation system has been slow to transition to clean energy. Under our current transportation priorities, it is almost impossible to slow down the effects of climate change. We are still being forced to breathe in fumes from mass transit and cars.

What is your position on the Illinois Department of Transportation’s current proposals for rebuilding North DuSable Lake Shore Drive? Do you believe the proposed designs will reduce congestion, improve transit access and make pedestrians and cyclists safer? How do you think the current proposals will impact access to the lakefront?

I think that the new plans prioritize increasing greenspace and will better protect the lake front while decreasing congestion

What barriers do you believe the Illinois Department of Transportation presents to Chicago pursuing better safe streets design standards and transit investments? How do you plan to work with City Council, the Governor, and State legislators to overcome these barriers?

IDOT often takes a long time to do studies and implement projects. It is difficult to get through red tape as a community member and work often takes a long time. Funding is always a major issue as well. I plan to advocate for additional funding to be allocated specifically to redesign and increase safety of our streets, and work to streamline the process.

Additionally, I plan to work with our federal legislators to secure funding from the federal government for these projects as well.

The 99-year parking meter deal enacted by former Mayor Richard M. Daley has been a barrier to enacting safe street designs by privatizing large portions of Chicago’s streets. What is your plan to address this?

[no response]

Studies show us that speed and distracted driving kill. What do you think are the most effective ways to reduce driver speed and increase safe driving behavior?

1. raise streets and intersections.

2. Increase stop signs and stoplights

3. Install speed reminders NOT CAMERAS

4. narrow streets

What is your position on the City passing ordinances that attempt to regulate the size, weight, and/or safety features of personal and private vehicles?

I think city government should have the ability to regulate p.v's. Companies don't care about safety, they care about profit. Government should retain oversight to protect our families.

What is your position on establishing a dedicated funding stream for safe and universal pedestrian and bike infrastructure in Chicago?

i support this initiative.

What is your position on creating select pedestrian-only streets?

I support pedestrian-only streets

What policy solutions would you implement to ensure CTA buses operate on schedule, frequently, and quickly?

1. Yearly audit of buses and trains to make sure routes are being scheduled effectively.

2. Expedite the transition to electric busses to decrease operating costs.

Considering the role the CTA, Metra, and Pace play in providing public transportation within the city, what are your plans to address the impending fiscal cliff – a deficit of over $700 million – that the agencies will be facing in 2025?

[no response]

What is your position on establishing a network of Bus Rapid Transit lines in Chicago?

I support.

Will you commit to securing the funding necessary to implement CTA's plan to become 100% accessible according to ADA standards? (yes/no)

Yes