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

I believe Public Transportation safety, affordability, and connectivity are the greatest challenges facing the City of Chicago right now. I will propose addressing these issues by working with public transit professionals and experts to research solutions that are cost-effective, equitable, and beneficial to all parties involved from the customer to the CTA.

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?

Most of the adults in my family drive their vehicles, but some of the younger members of my family who don't own vehicles use public transportation or use ride-share services. Does this correspond with your preferred/ideal modes of getting around? Growing up in Chicago All of my life, these seem like the common experiences for most people that I know and others in my community. Personally, my family may not, but others in my community are very concerned about safety traveling Chicago streets in general whether it's on public transportation or in their vehicles.

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

I considered myself and my family blessed because I can't think of a particular issue that directly affected us. However, working for the city as an aldermanic staffer I am aware of many situations on public transit or with drivers who have experienced terrible criminal activities while commuting in traffic.

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 think a universal city-wide sidewalk snow/ice removal service is great and I would support that initiative. Should I become the 8th Ward's new Alderman, I had considered organizing a group of individuals who could use such employment to clean problem areas in the Ward.

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?

Equitable transportation is key. As a lifelong Southsider I have personally experienced how long it takes to get downtown or to the northside, the infrequency of bus and train arrivals as well as the customer service and cleanliness of the public transit. The south and west side deserve the same level of service that the north side has experienced for decades.

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

I think it plays a significant part. Harmful auto emissions from public transit vehicles only add to hurting the environment. And yet here in Chicago our population relies on our public transit service. It would be nice if we can work towards clean energy-efficient public transit vehicles. I would support those initiatives and seek those funds from the state and federal levels that would lead us in that direction. I think Chicago is on the right path with the increase in bike lanes and safe spaces for riders. It would allow help if we increase our capacity for walkable neighborhoods.

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 it could be a good opportunity to improve northside traffic and beautify our northern Lakefront. Which ultimately can be good for our city in general. However, we must keep an equitable eye on such developments. Because what we don't want is to make such grand investments on the north side, but then let 2-3 decades go by before we even think about doing such improvements on the south or west side. I would support the North DuSable Lakeshore Drive improvement, but as a city, we should also look towards making those same types of improvements on the Bishop Ford, I-57, and 290 as well.

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?

I think some studies should be done to observe bottlenecks and trouble spots in our expressways. I think we need to talk to and listen to the residents that live in those communities and travel those roads. Those commuters would have valuable insight that should be considered that someone looking from a macro perspective wouldn't understand. The improvements that need to get done should make sense and make travel more efficient for everyday commuters. I think by not having those conversations IDOT prevents the city from having meaningful conversations and getting valuable insight that would improve the lives of Chicagoans all around.

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?

We need to examine what options are available to get out of this deal. What would it take to satisfy the terms ahead of time if possible?

Otherwise, we can: 1. work with the owners of the parking meters and see how we can work around their barriers to enact safe street designs or 2. secure funding by seeing what city accounts can be cleared to utilize funds to work without the owners and enact safe street designs.

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 would support more education for new drivers in preparation for their driver's license, city-wide public promotion of safe driving practices(through print, social media, and radio ads), CDOT, CPD, and City Council sitting down to talk about best practices, observing other places with high successes rates of safe driving (to imitate what is being that we are not doing) and commissioning traffic safety experts to tell us what equitable and efficient changes we can, make that will benefit our driving public as a whole.

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 don't have a position on this particular topic. I would need more information on the pros and cons of the matter. I can understand though how the constant weight of a vehicle can affect our streets which stay in a constant state of repair when particularly coupled with the cold and snow removal that takes place every year. If anything, this would lead me to consider the 18-wheel trucks that travel our inner city streets and the ones that also park and sit on certain main streets throughout the city. I do think there should be more regulation around that issue because not only is it taking away residential parking, and potentially damaging streets that were not meant to accommodate such weight but it also presents a safety hazard as motorists often have a hard time seeing around such large vehicles parked on city streets.

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

I would support that initiative. As a frequent world traveler, visiting places like Amsterdam, which is the biking capital of the world, I can understand the importance, efficiency, environmental and health benefits as well as the traffic safety that is associated with improved bike travel. I think that would be great for our city and its residents as a whole. Other cities across the globe have long supported such initiatives. It's time for us to catch up.

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

I am not sure that that would be a good idea considering the density of our city. To a certain degree, we are crammed for urban spacing as it is. I would imagine taking away driving space would probably add to traffic congestion which would be detrimental.

Alternatively, I would be in support of increasing sidewalk space in designated areas to increase walkability in our neighborhoods. I think that would be important.

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

Well, we would first have to address the need of making our public transit safer for drivers and passengers. The next step would employ more drivers to fulfill those vacancies and other employee shortages that appear to be causing ghost routes. It would also be beneficial to make sure that the tracking systems are updated and working properly to give riders the most accurate information possible. I would pretty much like any policies that address those measures.

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 would support seeking funds from the county, state, and federal levels for assistance. But in addition to that I would also recommend that all three agencies unite to make ridership more seamless for passengers. I think this would go a long way in improving revenue for them all. For decades this has been an idea that has floated around but has never been enacted. It only makes sense that a passenger can transfer seamlessly using all of these forms of public transit.

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

CTA is a huge issue in itself to deal with now. I can't imagine other "CTA's" being in the mix. I know that competition is good, but I wouldn't support it in this case. We need to improve what we have first - our long-standing central means of moving people throughout the city.

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

Yes