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

At the heart of public safety is access to safe, reliable public transportation. The current administration has not prioritized investing in infrastructure, making our streets safer, or maintaining CTA service levels, and the community has suffered. Ghost buses run rampant, security is lacking, schedules are inconsistent; these issues lead to a myriad of other problems. Over 25% of Chicago households don’t have cars, and we must invest in the public transit and road infrastructure we need to support our city.

As State Representative, I lead the charge to get 20 percent of the state’s motor fuel tax increase dedicated to transit, 90 percent of which comes to Chicago. I’ve been fighting for the funding we need in Springfield to address these challenges, and I’ve put together a comprehensive plan to address them as Mayor. I will make sure that we create an accessible, reliable, equitable transit system that services people across the city. You can read the full plan at www.kamformayor.com/4-star-plan/transportation/.

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?

I’m an avid CTA rider – I grew up riding the CTA and continue to ride it regularly. I also walk along our sidewalks and bike whenever I can. I will travel by car if I need to, but it’s not my preference. My family faces the same barriers that the rest of Chicagoans face when it comes to public transportation – trains and buses are unreliable, they don’t run on time, and they are not well maintained. If I knew I could count on the train or the bus to come when it said it was going to, and I knew my riding experience would be safe and clean, I, like other Chicagoans, would take the CTA all day, every day.

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

I learned to love transit from my dad, and he learned to love it because when he was a young man and they began construction of the Dan Ryan it displaced much of his family. He always felt like a ditch was dug in the middle of his community. He wanted his kids to feel that connectivity that he lost, so we did a lot of train and bus and bike riding to give us a sense of understanding and ownership of the whole city. As I got older, I realized the inequities in transit and how it has been used to fuel racist practices. I realized it was more than just connectivity: good, accessible, safe, reliable transit is a justice issue. This is deep-rooted: the civil rights era became a national story based on what happened on a Montgomery public bus.

I’ve always been focused on transit issues, as long as I can remember. I’ve always had a passion for it and my lifelong history of riding on the CTA is what has made me an avid transit rider and transit advocate.

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’m in favor of implementing a universal citywide sidewalk snow and ice removal service. I’ve called for this publicly as well.

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?

I’ve recognized that these issues exist for my entire life, as I mentioned earlier about my experiences riding the CTA with my father. We have to use public transportation as a way to reconnect our communities. There’s also an opportunity to build land bridges between neighborhoods through green spaces, tree planting, and more. The Federal government has offered some money to do this work, but it hasn’t been enough. We need to lobby for more funding so we can do this right.

In my transportation plan, I’ve committed to rebuilding and expanding the CTA Forest Park Blue Line branch as part of the larger reconstruction of the Eisenhower expressway. This will help us reconnect communities that were disconnected by the highway.

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

Transportation plays a huge role in overall environmental health. My commitment to a well-functioning public transportation system and safe pedestrian and bike-friendly streets comes with many environmental benefits. If our people can rely on public transit, they can reduce car usage and lower emissions. If we create a way for our people to safely walk or bike, we can broadly encourage and incentivize these commuting options. My administration will also look for ways to prioritize non-automobile infrastructure and create incentives that will get more people out of cars. My transportation plan also calls for electrifying our bus fleet, another step towards a more environmentally sound transportation system.

Beyond transportation, I’ve released a comprehensive environmental plan outlining my commitment to an environmentally just Chicago. You can read it here: https://kamformayor.com/4-star-agenda/environment/

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?

As a State Representative, I represent a district that stretches along the Lakeshore, so I know how important it is to preserve our lakefront. In fact, I founded the Lakeshore Caucus in Springfield: this group works to address erosion issues on Lake Michigan and create solutions across our state.

Current proposals presented by IDOT fall short of the imaginative, bold changes we need to make to protect people in our city and preserve the lakefront. I’ve advocated to keep the lakefront unencumbered. As Mayor, I will look for ways to open the other four miles of the lakefront, prioritize safety and accessibility on the trail, and reimagine Lakeshore Drive to improve transit access and make pedestrians and cyclists safer.

I recently worked as an intermediary between CDOT, IDOT and select aldermen after talking to road safety advocates about Lakeshore Drive and Balbo where a bicyclist, Gerardo Marciales, was fatally struck by a vehicle last year. I demanded improvements and these groups recently came together to put in some traffic easement in the space. It’s not enough, but it’s a start, and it’s proof that with the right leadership, groups can come together to make swift decisions to make our roads safer.

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?

There are clear bureaucratic barriers when it comes to safe streets infrastructure on roads owned by the state, like Irving Park. I have called for CDOT and IDOT to work better together so we can break down these barriers and create the safe, accessible streets we need.

I’m the only candidate in this race who has a proven ability to get things done in Springfield. I’ve worked hard to build the reputation as a person who can work with people to get monumental legislation, like the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and the Ghost Guns Ban, across the finish line. I will use that same collaborative approach to work across the city and state to overcome the challenges that continue to plague the current administration.

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?

This deal has been problematic from the get-go, and now we have no control over our streets: if we want to do the things we need to make us safer, we now have to ask for permission if it involves moving a parking meter. Though we are under contract, as Mayor I’ll look for ways to renegotiate the deal.

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?

We have relied heavily on penalties like red-light cameras and speed cameras, but those solutions haven’t done enough to make us safe. We need to prioritize infrastructure that makes safety the baseline, not a choice. Instead of just trusting people to drive slower, I would work to make our streets slower by instituting lower speed limits. I’m currently working on legislation to enable slower streets overall across our city – that’s how we fix this.

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?

Vehicles of a certain size, weight and speed do not belong on residential streets. I’m a proponent of passing city ordinances to regulate that.

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

I’m committed to building a bike grid in Chicago – a dedicated, protected bike lane across our cities to make our roads safer for those traveling by bike. I was the first Mayoral candidate who committed to the Bike Grid Now proposal, and one of only two candidates in this race who has signed on. You can find my commitment here: https://bikegridnow.org/2023-election

Beyond just signing onto the Bike Grid Now pledge, I have committed to it as part of my overall transportation plan, among other pro-biking provisions. This will be a dedicated effort in my administration. You can find those at https://kamformayor.com/4-star-agenda/transportation/.

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

I’m in favor of creating select pedestrian-only street; I’ve always been a fan of the Barcelona-style “super blocks” that allow pedestrians to walk through big commercial corridors safely and without automobile traffic. As Mayor, I’ll look for specific streets that would benefit from this change and work to implement some of these streets in my first term.

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

Implementing dedicated bus lanes in high-traffic corridors can support this. I will also make sure there is better transparency in bus schedules – the “ghost buses” have gone on for too long. We also need to work towards enabling all-door boarding, off-board fare collection, and traffic signal improvements. Implementing the Better Streets for Buses Plan will also help our bus service.

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?

I’m working on this right now in Springfield. I’m calling for the state and RTA to not only institute an extension of the farebox recovery ratio, but tie that extension to a commitment to more reliable service, improved safety, and increased transparency about how we are achieving these goals. We need both real solutions and real ways to track our progress if we’re going to be serious about improving our public transit.

If I can get it done before I become Mayor I will, but if I can’t I’ll make sure to work with Springfield to get it done.

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

I’ve committed to establishing dedicated bus lanes in high-traffic corridors to enable rapid bus rapid transit in my transportation plan: https://kamformayor.com/4-star-agenda/transportation/

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

Yes