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

One of the greatest transportation challenges is equitable access to safe, high-quality public transportation. This means that regardless of zip code, dis/ability, age and income, everyone who lives, learns, works and plays in Chicago should be able to travel across the city with dignity, safety and certainty. As alderwoman of the 20th ward, I advocate, and will continue to advocate in my second term, for these transportation principles to guide policy.

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?

Yes, my family and I regularly use a combination of ways to get around the city. I do not drive, so I walk, use public transportation, and get driven to the places I need to go, so having affordable, dependable and safe public transportation is very important to me.

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

I took a bus during a time when covid rates were high in the city. The bus was packed and I didn’t feel safe. It made me realize how those of us who serve in government must think about the connections across the departmental silos of government. For example, thinking about how to promote public health on public transportation not simply by advertising but to supply riders with the masks and sanitation needed to keep everyone safe on those buses. And when buses are full, that more buses are dispatched to alleviate overcrowding.

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 a universal city-wide snow/ice removal service. We have a significant number of seniors living in the 20th Ward; many of them have to walk or depend on public transportation to get around. So it is imperative that the sidewalks are cleared not just for the safety of our seniors but for all people in my ward and across 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?

I was born and raised on the South Side so I see first-hand how highways have segregated Black communities from other parts of the city. To connect segregated neighborhoods, we do need a fully funded, equitable, high-quality–and ideally free–public transportation system so that communities like the one I grew up in have guaranteed and dependable transportation to work, school and recreation.

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

There is no doubt that fossil fuels contribute to climate change. As part of a broader climate justice agenda, our city must commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This means not only fully funding equitable and high-quality green (i.e. electric buses) public transportation, but also creating incentives for people to drive less. We must create walkable/accessible neighborhoods including smooth and well maintained sidewalks and wheelchair friendly curbs and clearly marked crosswalks. We need to create more green space across the city but especially in south and west side neighborhoods that have been neglected. And for those who drive, we should provide monetary or tax incentives for electric vehicles.

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?

IDOT should do more street studies and bring various proposals to Chicago communities to discuss how best to rebuild North DuSable LSD so that it doesn’t exacerbate pollution, and is safe for the families that live and visit the area.

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 needs to have better communication and collaboration with the City Council and the communities that Alderpeople serve in order to understand how best to design and invest in transit.

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?

From day one, I have worked with my colleagues in the City Council to find a way to end this deal–one of the worst deals ever–and I will continue to look for ways to end it. In the meantime, I believe it is imperative for the city council to act and legislate safeguards that the parking meter company must abide by in order to protect the people of Chicago.

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?

It is critical for CDOT to consult with communities and the alderpeople about how to reduce speeding and distracted driving. For distracted driving specifically, I think it has to be a combination of education and fines. Certainly drivers education programs teach about the dangers of distracted driving and as a city, we can do more by directing resources toward public education campaigns and programs to dissuade people from distracted driving.

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?

No response provided.

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

The City of Chicago should direct funds from its fines and fees revenue stream and direct it toward safe pedestrian and bike infrastructure.

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

I would be open to this but need to discuss this with my constituents first.

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

I have advocated for and will continue to advocate for CTA leadership to be more in touch with the people who use their services. They should have quarterly meetings around the city to ask communities about their experiences on the CTA and their transportations needs, and to seek feedback on areas where the CTA needs improvement, especially regarding improving the dependability of services. CTA leadership should also have better relationships with their drivers, not just supervisors, and seek their feedback on where CTA can make service improvements; this is an important perspective to have since CTA workers interact with riders every day. The CTA should also have direct access to funding to support homeless people who regularly seek shelter on CTA trains and buses and around CTA stations.

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?

The Chicago City Council and mayor’s office must work together to demand corporations pay their fair share of taxes in order to fully fund services, especially public transportation, that are a benefit to all residents of the Chicago metropolitan area, including corporate workforces.

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

I would be open to this but need to discuss this with my constituents first.

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

Yes.