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

The greatest transportation challenge is public 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 regularly use sidewalks and take transit.

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

The 5$ additional rider fee on the blue line when departing from O'Hare. I am a regular rider of CTA. I have utilized all train lines and many, many bus lines. The Blue Line is an embarrassment to the city. The cars are extremely outdated, there are no digital times or stops to know where you are exactly at any given moment, it is extremely dirty and plagued by intravenous drug use.

Welcoming home residents and visitors to our city on this train line with an additional 5$ fee on top of the regular ridership fare is shameful. I have voiced this to the top of the CTA. As alderperson, I will seek to repeal that fee.

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?

The idea sounds great, but there are already ordinances in place that require sidewalks to be cleared by property owners. The City should be responsible for all public ways but has budgetary issues. For the 5th Ward I am proposing a Community Patrol + Response team that will address this issue within our Ward. We will also seek to use opportunities like these to create jobs within our Ward, for our Ward residents.

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?

There is no way to overcome physical divisions that have already been put in place. But as human beings, we should seek out those of our communities whom we have been divided from and form alliances and support groups for localized issues. Moving forward, all proposed projects must look at this division as a real issue. I will work to block projects that seek to unjustly divide communities.

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. Greenhouse gas emissions emitted by vehicles is a major contributor to our planet's current environmental crisis. With the unreliability, cleanliness and safety issues with the Chicago Transit Authority, many have moved away from public transportation, adding more vehicles on the road, contributing to the decline in our environmental health.

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?

There are pros and cons to each of the five proposed designs. I believe the proposed design to add bus lanes, and give buses priority overall is a huge plus. Each proposed plan improves transit mobility and transit reliability. Vehicular mobility is also improved in most designs, and where it is not is, gives priority to buses, which is a good thing. Congestion will be improved at the junctions, particularly the Chicago Ave bottleneck. Each plan substantially increases overall greenspace, which I'm a champion of, but would love if it could happen without losing our famous S-curve.

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?

Barriers include funding. As of now, proposed projects are on hold due to lack of funding. I would work with or on finance committees to seek additional revenue sources, revised budgets and increased access to funds from state budgets.

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?

Per the Chicago Sun-Times: "With 61 years left on the 75-year lease, Chicago Parking Meters LLC now has recouped its entire $1.16 billion investment and $502.5 million more...the privatized Chicago Skyway generated $114.3 million. That’s a 24.2% increase in revenue and well over the $92 million in annual Skyway revenues in 2019, the year before the stay-at-home shutdown...Not a penny of those revenues went to ease the burden on Chicago taxpayers, who had to absorb a $76.5 million increase in the city’s property tax levy after a $94 million hike in real estate taxes the year before."

Per the usual, Chicago taxpayers are left footing the bill with no real perceived benefit.

Aside from waiting out the 99-years, we need ordinances that protect public ways by allowing for safety improvements, including those for bikers, pedestrians and transit riders. There needs to be clear distinction between public ways, such as highways, main and through streets that serve the public, and the privatization of public ways, which allows for private entities to make money from public ways. There should also be limitations on what private entities can and cannot do on public access ways, and should be required to pay a portion of revenues to the City of Chicago's transportation fund and/or a property tax relief fund. Property tax/rent relief is a day one agenda item for me. Unjust, high property taxes contribute to increased rents, and displaced homeowners. IL property tax is second highest in the nation for four years in a row.

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?

Speeding is a huge issue in areas of my ward. I'm not a fan of red light cameras, for many reasons, but there has to be some consequence or deterrence in place in local communities. In my ward, mitigating speeding zones is listed on platform. Before seeking to add cameras I would use creative signage to warn of what could have been, and if not going to respect our streets when traveling through our ward, will eventually be made to pay for that lack of respect.

Distracted driving is an issue that needs deeper thought on a solution.

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?

We must protect people and our roadways within limits.

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

I love it! Again, private entities benefiting from the privatization of our streets should be required to pay a portion of revenues to the City of Chicago's transportation fund. The funds can be used for safe pedestrian and bike infrastructure, which would also reduce our carbon footprint, improve safety and personal health.

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

I'd need to see exactly which streets. But pedestrian-only areas in certain commercial corridors could be a good thing.

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

I have actually recently, reached out to the CTA and the board regarding issues affecting my ward as well as suggestions. To comfortably list policy solutions, I would want to tour CTA operations first for at least a week.

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?

Private entities, benefiting from the privatization of meters and streets, should be required to pay a portion of revenues to the City of Chicago's transportation fund.

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

As a regular rider of public transportation, I support this wholly.

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

Yes