What types of transportation do you use during an average week, and how has this shaped your view of transportation policy?

I use a mix of driving, walking, public transit, and rideshare depending on my work and community responsibilities. Growing up in underserved neighborhoods where reliable transportation wasn’t always available shaped my understanding of how transit directly impacts opportunity.

Today, when I ride CTA buses or trains, I see many of the same challenges families face in my district: unpredictable wait times, safety concerns, inaccessible stations, and a lack of pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.

These experiences taught me that transportation is more than movement, it’s access to jobs, education, healthcare, and community life. Our policies must prioritize reliability, safety, accessibility, and affordability so every resident can fully participate in their city.

What are some transportation challenges in your district?

My district experiences aging infrastructure, unreliable bus frequency, and several corridors that are unsafe for walking or biking. Residents rely heavily on CTA buses and trains, but service gaps, bunching, and inconsistent schedules make commutes unpredictable.

Sidewalks, crosswalks, and intersections still lack the accessibility upgrades many seniors and people with disabilities need. Protected bike lanes are limited, which increases the risk of traffic violence for cyclists. Because so many residents depend on a reliable transportation network, these challenges disproportionately impact working families, youth, and low-income residents, reinforcing inequities. Addressing these gaps is essential for mobility, safety, and economic opportunity in our communities.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) plays a significant role in transportation throughout the state, in Chicago, and Cook County. What is your opinion on their role with the Chicago Department of Transportation, Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, local communities, and the impact that has?

IDOT has significant influence, but historically its priorities have leaned toward vehicle-focused planning rather than multimodal safety and community needs. This often results in state-controlled roads that prioritize speed over pedestrian safety, transit efficiency, or bike infrastructure.

There can be a disconnect between IDOT decisions and the priorities of CDOT, Cook County, and local communities, leaving residents with streets that don’t reflect how people actually travel. To better serve neighborhoods, IDOT must collaborate more closely with local agencies, center community input, and adopt safety- and accessibility-first standards to ensure transportation investments meet real community needs.

How do you view the Illinois General Assembly’s role in setting IDOT’s priorities for public transit, passenger rail, and strengthening accessibility in transportation?

The General Assembly plays a critical role in guiding IDOT’s priorities and ensuring transportation policy reflects modern values of safety, accessibility, sustainability, and equity. Legislators must push for stronger commitments to public transit, passenger rail, and multimodal infrastructure, not just further road expansion.

Through legislation and oversight, the Assembly can ensure IDOT:

• prioritizes safety over speed

• adopts Vision Zero principles

• supports local multimodal projects

• improves ADA accessibility

• expands reliable, frequent transit

• reduces emissions

• modernizes design standards

• meaningfully incorporates community input

The Assembly must champion a clear vision: transportation systems should serve people first, focusing on safe, accessible, equitable mobility for all residents, not just vehicle movement.

States like Colorado, Minnesota, Virginia have passed legislation that has shifted their transportation infrastructure spending towards projects that prioritize safety, transit and cycling, and greenhouse gas mitigation. What’s your position on Illinois’ current transportation infrastructure spending, and if you could change anything, what would it be?

Illinois needs to modernize its transportation spending by shifting away from car-first planning and toward investments that prioritize safety, equity, climate resilience, and sustainability. Too much funding still goes toward widening roads rather than strengthening transit, improving sidewalks, expanding protected bike networks, or creating safer intersections.

I support adopting modern performance metrics that prioritize safety, mobility, and greenhouse gas reduction over vehicle speed. Redirecting investment into transit reliability, ADA upgrades, protected bike lanes, and pedestrian-focused design will help Illinois build a transportation system that works for everyone.

I would direct more investment toward:

• reliable bus and rail service

• pedestrian and ADA infrastructure

• protected and connected bike networks

• traffic-calming measures

• dedicated bus lanes and BRT

• Vision Zero–aligned safety improvements

• climate-friendly, people-centered street design

Illinois should follow states that are prioritizing mobility, safety, and environmental responsibility over vehicle expansion, and build a transportation system centered on people, not cars.

This fall, the Illinois General Assembly passed a historic investment in transit operations – as well as significant governance reforms in the establishment of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority. How do you view the Assembly’s role in ensuring both the short- and long-term success of this legislation?

Passing significant transit investments and governance reform was a historic step, but the Assembly’s responsibility doesn’t end there. Long-term success depends on strong oversight, transparency, community accountability, and stable operations funding.

Lawmakers must ensure the Northern Illinois Transit Authority follows through on its commitments to equity, reliability, accessibility, and regional coordination.

The Assembly should:

• monitor implementation and performance • ensure stable operational funding

• support efforts that improve safety and rider experience

• maintain oversight and public accountability

• strengthen federal and regional partnerships

• require measurable progress toward equity and accessibility goals

This legislation has transformational potential, but only if it is supported by sustained leadership, continuous oversight, and a long-term commitment to building a modern, safe, and reliable transit system for our region.

What is your position on investing to expand passenger rail service in Illinois, including the development of high-speed rail?

I strongly support expanding passenger rail and advancing high-speed rail in Illinois. Rail is essential for economic development, reducing emissions, improving regional mobility, and giving residents across the state reliable alternatives to driving.

A modern rail network would strengthen tourism, reduce highway congestion, create jobs, and connect communities more efficiently. Illinois is positioned to be a Midwest leader in rail expansion, and we should pursue this opportunity with urgency and long-term planning.

Federal funding for Illinois transportation projects – such as the Red Line Extension and Red-Purple Modernization projects – has come under threat from the Trump administration. How can legislators shore up funding for critical infrastructure projects under a hostile federal climate?

Legislators must take a strategic, proactive, and multi-layered approach to protecting critical infrastructure funding during a hostile federal climate. That means building cross-state and bipartisan coalitions, strengthening Illinois’s own financial commitments, and using state bonding authority more effectively to reduce vulnerability to federal fluctuations.

Illinois should prioritize shovel-ready and equity-focused projects, secure contingency funding mechanisms, and demonstrate clear economic, safety, and mobility benefits to make key projects harder to undermine. Leveraging strong partnerships with local, county, and regional agencies is also essential to maintaining momentum when federal support is uncertain.

Illinois cannot allow federal politics to derail essential transportation improvements. A united, coordinated state approach is critical to ensuring that long-term mobility, safety, and infrastructure progress continue regardless of federal climate.