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

The crime on public transportation must be addressed with real, proactive solutions. The continued development of safe bike paths is a critical issue, we must create a public campaign to create the awareness, and also have very high fines for violation of blocking the bike paths. Increase more locations for electric vehicles to charge. The street repairs in the communities, on and off ramps on the highways we must demand the city and state make an effort to repair.

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 support the increase use of bikes, electric bikes, safe walking paths and sidewalks, I use them and my family also makes use of public transportation, bikes and walking. We need to improve the infrastructure to support and encourage more bike transportation, use of side walks and access for persons with disabilities.

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

I witnessed a crime on a CTA bus, I was horrified. The safety of our elderly, the person who can not defend themselves is paramount on our public transportation. Our elders, youth and those who use Public transportation the most must feel safe. We must increase the criminal penalties, make it a felony to engage in a crime while on public transportation of any kind, and or placing riders in danger or at risk. Chicagoan's must feel safe when using public transportation. We must make it a good experience to use Public 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?

This must be a policy, a program and we must make it safe by avoiding that people need to walk on the streets because the sidewalks are impassable and full or blocked with snow. I will support snow and ice removal from side walks as a service and program of the city.

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?

First and most important is that we be honest, factual and expose these practices of the past. it is critical we make it known and public that these strategies were implemented by city and state managers, and planners of highways. This will avoid we use the same strategies in the future. We should ten make all effort to reconnect, streets like Ogden, and others and memorialize these acts. This is the beginning of taking corrective action.

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

Althugh we have a great grid, design of streets, we must explore how we can improve on processes to plant more trees on the streets, create natural barriers, and commence a process to redesign the street with less green, natural environment. Any new street development and design must have street dividers, trees and green space. Transportation design and planning plays an important part.

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 will support a new design of LSD to be slower, friendlier and provide for safe walking, jogging, bike, roller skating and dog walking. This investment would be a great attraction to the lake front and it would create friendlier environment for all. I support increasing access to along LSD and to the lake front.

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?

The City Council need to do a better job on sharing information, data, research and the proposals of transportation projects to the public. We need to increase community input to all transportation projects. The State cannot impose and create policies or plans for the city of Chicago as it does with the more rural areas of the state. The community hearings and town hall meetings in my ward will be a regular occurrence and I will present all matters of transportation projects for public approval, comment and awareness.

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 re-visit this deal. We need to expose the details of how this preferential deal came about. And we need to make this public and reach out to the community for a demand to revisit this agreement. This now imposes on all planning efforts to improve the access, and flow of walking traffic, parking and any improvement in the next 80 years. I would support an investigation, and to change this agreement.

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?

These are driving styles, patterns that are a continuous part of a culture for speed and reckless driving. Like all patterns in culture we need to impose, strict fines, penalties, and serious consequences. If we are consistent and the agencies impose these regulations to curb a decrease in speed and follow up with the serious consequences we can change the culture of speed in the city streets. Making it safer for the children and elderly who are the most who suffer from accidents. Over a period of time we have lost the responsibility of the social media and broadcast TV to give public announcement. we need to have a continuous public campaign on this matter.

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 need to have public awareness campaigns on this issue, we need data and reliable information of the issue. I support increasing the use of private vehicles, and the technology will become safer and affordable, it is inevitable in the near future we will be using more and more private and personal vehicles. We need more data to create policy on regulating size and weight.

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

I will support the continuation of increasing Bike paths, making bike paths safer, and forcing bike riders to follow all the Road and Street driving rules. i also support fines for reckless bike riding, and excessive speeds in street bike paths. I do support funding bike paths, and perhaps a tax and permit of bike tag on city streets to fund the infrastructure development.

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

I support pedestrian only streets where possible. We must remove motor bikes, electric bikes and other dangerous accident causing equipment on sidewalks that will interfere with the pedestrians.

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

The CTA for many years had an excellent record on schedule. The problem of maintaining schedules for the CTA is a problem with personnel, the lack of staff and hoping to provide the same service with less staff. We need to review the rot of this problem to provide real solutions.

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?

We need to review the causes of this increase. I would call for a review of the management and upper management of the transportation systems. I will support how we can manage more efficiently, increase productivity with less management personnel. Then I will support we seek to use best practices, and transformational strategies by using high tech, technology in the monitoring, and management processes. Before I support any increase in taxes and fees to riders, I will explore how to improve the management and decrease the cost of operations.

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

I would like to review the options, the consequences and the cost benefit to the community before I would support any changes. I would support a test, pilot project to explore the benefits of a Bus Rapid Transit and review where it has worked, in what city is this a practice.

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

Yes