City Council Survey (District 29): Melquiades Gagarin

Mel Gagarin - cropped2.jpg
Political Party:
Democratic Party

http://www.GAGARIN2009.COM

Candidate Submitted Biography:

Melquiades Gagarin was born in Elmhurst, Queens to a diverse family background. Mel was raised by his grandmother and mother, a nurse, who emphasized the value of hard work and service to others. Mel carries these values with him into his campaign to represent the 29th Council District.

Mel is a graduate of Archbishop Molloy High School, in Jamaica and received his degree in Political Science from the American University in Washington D.C. After graduation Mel worked for the National Foundation for Women Legislators, a non-profit organization that assists female state legislators develop leadership skills.

In the fall of 2005, Mel and his future wife Aleda returned to New York and moved to Kew Gardens where they would start their family. Mel served as the Communications Liaison to New York State Senator José Serrano before being hired by Congressman Anthony Weiner as his Community Representative. As the Congressman’s Community Representative Mel was dedicated to assisting constituents and working to solve their problems.

Mel now serves as the Media Manager for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, where he is responsible for spreading the organization’s message of equality and justice for all Americans. He lives in Kew Gardens with his wife Aleda, son Micah, and daughter Zoe Frances.

City Council Survey (District 29): Melquiades Gagarin

Question 1:
What is the most important transportation need in your district? As a Council Member, how would you work to address this need?

As our district continues to see growth we have had a growing need for more residential parking. I would address the issue by exploring the feasibility of residential parking permits coupled with incentives for those who would use alternative modes of transportation as opposed to using motor vehicles. The illegal conversion of basements into apartments has also led to the increase of people with cars in our neighborhoods taking up additional spaces and I would work to ensure that the DOB is enforcing existing laws to curtail the growth of this problem. Finally I would explore the possibility of mixed-used development in the district to create additional spaces with parking permits for members of the community and that would also be available for use by those coming to do business in our neighborhoods.


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Question 2:
The intersection of 108th Street and 71st Avenue is one of the most dangerous in your district, where 1 people died and 49 people were injured between 1995-2005 (NYS DOT). As a City Council member, what traffic enforcement policies or physical changes to the intersection infrastructure would you support to make this intersection safer for everyone who uses it (pedestrians, cyclists and drivers)?

I believe using a countdown timer on the don't walk signs may help ensure the safety of pedestrians. Currently there is signage at the intersection warning pedestrians of the danger of the intersection, as well as "wait for walk signal" signs, but the addition of a "count-down" signal may be more effective in preventing future accidents. We would also like to see a study done on the feasibility of a protected bike lane to ensure bicyclist safety along QB and that intersection in particular.


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Question 3:
According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles' most currently available data, in 2007 speeding was a contributing factor in over 3,000 motor vehicle crashes in New York City. Furthermore, the same data showed that the top human contributing factor to the 264 fatal crashes in New York City during 2007 was also speeding. Given these figures, what measures, if any, do you support to redress this problem? Finally, do you believe that New York City’s current speed limits are safe?

I agree with the past findings of Transportation Alternatives and see an urgent need to review our local residential speed limits. In a district like ours where there are so many young families present we must do everything we can to protect our children from harm’s way. A strong policy of incident reduction as the main focus of our traffic safety plan will put us in the right mind set for combating dangerous road conditions. Recklessness on the part of drivers cannot continue to persist and must be met with increased police enforcement and stronger traffic laws so they can tackle this concern with the proper support.


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Question 4:
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's website reports: "In New York City, obesity is epidemic: more than half of adult New Yorkers are overweight (34%) or obese (22%). Data show that obesity begins early in life: nearly half of all elementary school children and Head Start children are not a healthy weight. In New York City, 1 in 5 kindergarten students, and 1 in 4 Head Start children, is obese." Do you believe that increasing walking and biking in New York City would improve public health? If yes, how would you work to increase walking and biking in your district?

Any and all efforts to encourage physical activity in our youth from an early age are important toward promoting a healthy lifestyle. Preventive measures from all angles must be applied in stemming this epidemic, which includes regular exercise as well as a balanced diet. The promotions of local youth sport organizations supported by the expansion of public spaces and bike lanes can be influential in turning the tide for this current health crisis.


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Question 5:
Road pricing, including such measures as non-stop tolling, fees based on vehicle miles travelled or entry into a highly congested zone, has been the source of much discussion in New York City and other major metropolitan areas. London famously uses a congestion charge to fund its transit system, Oregon recently piloted a program to replace the gas tax with a fee for miles driven and Seattle recently studied how road pricing could be introduced on a regional basis. Seattle's study, “Traffic Choices Study" (http://psrc.org/projects/trafficchoices/index.htm), found that introducing new tolls on major corridors during peak traffic hours influenced drivers’ behavior and projected that a region-wide road pricing scheme could significantly reduce vehicular traffic congestion. Do you think that introducing a road pricing strategy would change New Yorkers’ travel choices? Do you think that this would be an effective way for the City to reduce backups on high-traffic roadways like the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Gowanus Expressway or the Long Island Expressway? Finally, do you believe there are additional benefits in the surrounding neighborhoods which could be realized from the reduction of vehicular congestion on these routes?

I believe that a road pricing strategy could have some effect on how New Yorker's travel. Our primary concern is that any pricing strategy that is implemented must be done in a way that is fair to all New Yorkers, and that necessary upgrades to infrastructure to accommodate a plan are included and mandatory before a plan takes effect (i.e. addressing neighborhood parking, and ensuring that outlying neighborhoods have access to reliable public transit). I believe that a well thought out plan could have a significant affect in reducing traffic along our main highways pending that the promotion of alternative modes of transportation are encouraged and incentivized by the city. The benefits to surrounding neighborhoods would be seen in the reduction of noise and pollution.


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Question 6:
Do you believe that reducing residential parking requirements as set forth within NYC zoning regulations would affect neighborhood traffic congestion, and if so, in what way?

It is important to recognize how the City is artificially increasing the off-curbside parking supply by continuing to marry parking spot requirements with new housing developments. Our prolonged avoidance will undermine efforts to improve our environmental and air pollution concerns as well as efforts to modernize our mass transportation system while still not addressing our need for new ideas to solve the parking situation plaguing our community. We must partner the city planners, civics and business leaders to develop sensible strategies that we can all agree will progress toward a more sustainable city.


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Question 7:
The NYC Department of Transportation's Public Plaza Program, Pedestrian Street Program and Summer Streets events are intended to diversify the use of public space and provide more places for New Yorkers to recreate and socialize. Do you support the temporary or permanent repurposing of street space for pedestrians and cyclists?

The expansion of public space and recreational areas for families should be the corner stone of any responsible development. The creation of more community oriented communal areas can be directly linked to preserving the character of our cities neighborhoods. Our current model of partnering with nonprofits that have championed for such implementation is the correct first step in addressing those areas that can benefit most from a beautification of their community.


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Question 8:
The City recently released plans for Bus Rapid Transit and expressed interest in bringing a bike share program to New York City. Do you think these new projects would enhance the city's transportation network? Please explain.

Bike Sharing programs are a great way to reduce energy consumption by our mass transit systems, air pollution produced by vehicles and address one of our city's growing health problems in the rise in obesity among New Yorkers in impoverished areas. A Bus Rapid Transit system presents the possibility of providing more passenger miles with the same number of vehicles and personnel. Both ideas are essential to explore when our city has to make tough decisions on how to improve service with a contraction in our revenue. While consultation between the DOT and local community board planners will have to work on how to sow them into our existing road and street layouts, the long term saving of resources afforded by both suggestions can go to address any future issues that might occur. Both ideas are essential to explore when our city has to make tough decisions on how to improve service with a contraction in our revenue. While consultation between the DOT and local community board planners will have to work on how to sow them into our existing road and street layouts the long term saving of resources afforded by both suggestions can go to address any future issues that might occur.


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Submitted by Gagarin2009 on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 01:09.
Submitted by Gagarin2009 on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 15:25.
Submitted by Gagarin2009 on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 01:09.