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

While more and more residents use and rely on bicycles for transportation, our bicycle safety mechanisms, however, have lagged. Our city averages almost 3,000 bicycle-related injuries and dozens of fatalities a year. Sadly, last year we lost a young child who was killed in an Uptown bicycle crash with a truck due to an obstruction. The number of annual bicycle-vehicular accidents in Chicago has reached an unacceptable level and any preventable fatalities are too many.

Local grass roots organizations like Chicago, Bike Grid Now! have proposed an innovative plan to link bicycle friendly streets together in a grid that covers 10% of city streets. Bike Lane Uprising users have highlighted automobile obstruction of bicycle lanes by reporting over 50,000 instances of such non-compliance. Another group, the Active Transportation Alliance, is working to make biking, walking, and public transportation safe and equitable options for moving around Chicago. This group has fought for the use of concrete curbs for protected bicycle lanes. These ideas and others like it represent the future of Chicago.

As Alderman, I will continue to be a strong advocate for bicyclists and other alternative forms of transportation. I will work to grow our local network of bicycle lanes in the 46th Ward while also exploring route-enhancing options such as contraflow and a ward-wide grid option. We all want safer streets in our communities, and my commitment to bicycle safety and expansion will help us achieve that goal.

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?

My wife and I are long-time CTA Red line commuters. My daughter takes a bus to school. I also walk about five miles a day on city sidewalks. We occasionally drive when making longer trips or for grocery shopping. I appreciate Chicago's network of CTA buses, but I find the service time reliability wanting and this often discourages me from using them for time sensitive matters.

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

I often use the Sheridan Red line station and while climbing two steep flights of stairs was never ideal, I did it to take the train. A few years ago, I was speaking with a friend about how convenient it must be to live close to the Sheridan station. That friend responded that they could never use the Sheridan station, despite living a few doors away, because it was not ADA compatible. My friend suffers from a neurological disorder that makes climbing stairs very difficult. That conversation reminded me that we still have L stations in our City that are not accessible to all of our residents. When I decided to run for alderman, I prioritized rehabilitating the Sheridan L and adding an elevator so that the entire population can utilize it.

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 this concept. As a frequent pedestrian, I have fallen on ice obscured by snow many times. Our residents deserve clear sidewalks.

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?

The 46th Ward is one of the most diverse wards in the city of Chicago and maintaining that diversity is a worthy goal. Other parts of the city, however, have suffered from highway bifurcation and disinvestment. Strengthening existing neighborhoods through the true investment of resources within the context of a coordinated city-wide plan is a first step in righting past wrongs, but this effort will be long and challenging.

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

Transportation plays a significant role in Chicago's greenhouse gas emissions and is a key factor in the city's overall environmental health. According to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, transportation accounted for about 34% of the city's total greenhouse gas emissions in 2017, with the majority of these emissions coming from cars and trucks. Therefore, reducing transportation-related emissions will be a crucial aspect of the city's efforts to address climate change and improve environmental health. To address this issue, the city must continue to support and strengthen initiatives such as promoting public transportation, encouraging the use of electric and low-emission vehicles, and implementing bike-sharing programs to reduce the dependence on cars, improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions. As Chicagoans we have an obligation to prioritize the reduction of our contribution to climate change produced from GHG emissions to preserve the prosperity, health, and well-being of all our citizens.

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?

The Redefine the Drive project has been a source of great consternation in our Ward (which stretches from 3450-4880 north along the drive). Despite numerous meetings on this subject, most area residents are either unaware of various proposals or are uncertain as to where we are in the process. Information on the Redefine the Drive website is infrequent, sparce, and oblique. Based on the current proposals that I have review, I do not believe that the proposed designs will reduce congestion, improve transit access, or make pedestrians and cyclists safer. Lakefront access will be reduced as current plans call for removing all tennis courts and a playground and instead adding a bus turnaround in their place (adjacent to a bird sanctuary no less). I am disappointed in the bleak and unimaginative design proposals.

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 control of many of our city streets has for too long been an impediment to achieving complete streets where pedestrians and cyclists can feel safe sharing the road and space with automobiles. IDOT’s primary focus on finding the most efficient ways to move cars through our city streets, at times, compromises the safety and security of pedestrians and people pursuing other modes of travel. I will work with IDOT and local state legislators to ensure that state infrastructure funding is able to be properly flexed to all modes of travel including additional necessary funding for transit infrastructure. I will pursue and advocate for policies that incentivize investment in complete streets where IDOT must consider the needs of individual communities and neighborhoods when planning road improvements including considerations around slowing traffic, adding bike infrastructure and prioritizing lanes for bus travel. While continued investment and maintenance of our city road infrastructure is important, IDOT must take a holistic view when planning projects and allocating funds.

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?

The parking meter deal has been a disaster for Chicago and it only grows worse over time as 1,800 more parking meters have been added in the last 3.5 years. The mayor promised to take a look at the parking meter contract, but so far no progress appears to have been made. In Uetricht v. Chicago Parking Meters, LLC, the Plaintiff argued that the parking meter deal, in essence, created a monopoly that violated anti-competition laws. A federal district court judge dismissed the claim and it now sits on appeal at the 7th Circuit. Pending the outcome of this suit, the next mayor and city council must be prepared to revisit the parking meter deal and try to effectuate a more equitable outcome.

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?

I believe that lower speed limits have proven to reduce accidents. Distracted driving, especially in the age of cell phones and texting, is an increasing concern. The solution to this issue is not simple, but education efforts (especially among those trying to get licenses for the first time) in the license certification process along with compelling public service announcements coupled with stronger enforcement measures (such as higher fines) are two steps in the right direction.

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?

My position would depend on the specifics of a proposed ordinance. However, because we live in a dense urban area, I support reasonable attempts to regulate vehicle usage to protect public safety.

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

Pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure is a high priority of mine. Chicago needs a comprehensive transportation vision that incorporates and supports pedestrians and burgeoning bicycle usage. The commonsense approach of encouraging these forms of transportation has several immediate impacts such as supporting a reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to individual citizens' exercise regimens resulting in improved health outcomes. I would support dedicated funding for these priorities.

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

I support both pedestrian-friendly as well as pedestrian-only streets. As we emerged from COVID, Chicago saw how closing down streets encouraged pedestrians to frequent restaurants and businesses. We should explore creating permanent pedestrian plazas and streets where feasible.

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

I also advocate for enhanced and modernized technologies, like signal prioritization, to keep buses moving faster throughout the city. We must prioritize global positioning system technology to provide customers with more accurate information about bus locations rather than relying on antiquated scheduling criteria. If staffing shortages impact transit reliability, then we need to efficiently hire new employees as well. Overall, the system must be reliable, but flexible enough to change with the demands of the customers. In order to ensure these improvements in our public transportation system, we must hold our CTA leaders accountable, because the alternative is unacceptable.

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?

There are three ways to deal with the looming transportation deficit. The first two are raising fares or cutting services. Both of these options defeat the goal of maintaining a robust and effective public transportation system, make Chicago a less enticing locations for businesses, and may adversely affect low income communities. The third option is to look at public transportation as a public amenity, like roads, airports, schools and libraries. This perspective opens up opportunities for other funding options that are not currently on the table. Because public transportation covers the entire metropolitan area (not solely Chicago), funding options should include all of our municipal and county partners.

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

I am fully supportive of these measures.

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

Yes