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City Council Survey (District 2): Rosei Mendez
Political Party: Democratic Party http://rosiemendez.com Candidate Submitted Biography: Rosie Mendez began her professional career as a tenant organizer and then became a housing specialist at the Parodneck Foundation. Her work with tenants inspired her to go to law school. Upon graduation, she received an IOLA Legal Services Fellowship and began work at Brooklyn Legal Services representing tenants. She joined the Legal Services Staff Association and became a member of the United Auto Workers. Rosie has been director of the People's Economic Opportunities Project of the Lower East Side and had a number of internships during law school. She was elected Democratic District Leader for four terms and has played a leading role in critical issues in her district including the green grocers organizing campaign and the Williamsburg Bridge lead paint controversy. As Chief of Staff and Legislative Aide to Council Member Margarita Lopez, Rosie was known for her caring response to constituents' concerns and her mastery of key issues before the Council. Rosie received her BA from NYU and her JD from Rutgers Law School. She was born in Williamsburg to Puerto Rican parents where she lived in public housing and attended NYC public schools. In her first term in Council Rosie chaired the subcommittee on pubic housing. She has been a staunch advocate for tenants, affordable housing, LGBT issues, and issues of major concern to working New Yorkers. City Council Survey (District 2): Rosei MendezQuestion 1: What is the most important transportation need in your district? As a Council Member, how would you work to address this need?There are many important transportation needs in Council District 2, from installing more bike racks to completing the 2nd Avenue Subway. However I believe the most important need is to preserve and improve bus service. Many areas of my District are poorly served by the subway,especially east of 1st Avenue to the FDR Drive. Residents depend on buses like the M8, M14 and the M21,yet bus routes are the first to get cut when times are tight. Bus riders include high-need populations such as seniors, the disabled, and school children- so we must fight to make sure service for these New Yorkers is safe and reliable. In my 2nd term as Councilwoman I will continue to fight to improve service on local buses, and defend it when it is threatened to be cut. Question 2: The intersection of E 33 Street and Park Ave SB is one of the most dangerous in your district, where 1 people died and 165 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)?In the past, E 33rd St and Park Ave South consistently ranked first in the City with the highest number of pedestrian accidents.Despite numerous improvements to pedestrian safety around the tunnel and at the intersection, accident rates remained alarmingly high. That is why I supported DOT’s decision last year to close the tunnel to southbound traffic. I expect this bold move will drastically reduce pedestrian accidents, as the majority of pedestrians injured or killed at this location were struck by southbound cars exiting the tunnel. DOT’s future data on how this change has affected pedestrian safety will allow us to determine whether additional changes to the intersection’s design should be implemented. 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 am familiar with a number of tools to reduce speeding, from traffic calming to better enforcement. When a community calls for a speed bump, cross walk, or a red light camera, I advocate on their behalf to make sure it is implemented. Because many pedestrians are struck or killed by cars obeying the speed limit, more efforts should be made to make drivers attentive and aware of pedestrians. Safe Streets education is needed on all fronts: drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. Lowering the speed limit could be an option to explore, but it must go hand-in-hand with education. 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?Yes, New Yorkers especially children,would benefit from more physical exercise.During my first term as Councilwoman,I have been very involved in promoting bicycling and walking,and will continue to do so in my 2nd term. I have signed on to and supported numerous bicycle related bills, such as Intros 199, 234,and 871,and authored and introduced the First Amendment Assembly Act(Intro 743)to repeal the constitutionally vague NYPD rule that requires groups of 50 or more cyclists to obtain a permit. To promote cycling among children specifically,I promote and ride in the annual LES children’s bike parade.Distributing free helmets and educating youngsters on the importance of a helmet when using a bicycle a scooter or roller blades. In the future I hope to continue to fund TA’s Biking Rules! Campaign, which educates bicyclists on the rules of the road and their responsibilities and rights as cyclists. I will also advocate for the inclusion of a separated bike lanes as part of the BRT redesign for 1st and 2nd Avenues. To promote walking I will continue to fund and support Transportation Alternative’s Safe Routes for Seniors program, and work with the local community and DOT to implement traffic calming measures where needed.In addition,I fund a variety of cultural group 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?Charging a user-fee for driving would be an effective way to promote other forms of transportation, decrease road congestion, increase air quality in nearby neighborhoods, and raise greatly needed revenue. These are some of the reasons why I voted in favor of a congestion pricing pilot for the Manhattan Central Business District when the plan went before the City Council in the Spring of 2008. 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? Requiring parking for new developments encourages car ownership and use among new residents. While eliminating this requirement would discourage some residents from car ownership, it may also have the negative impact of increasing neighborhood congestion as those who do own cars search for limited, free, on-street parking. Therefore any proposal to reducing parking requirements for new developments should include requiring developments have secure bike parking, bike lanes, safe sidewalks for walking, and proximity to public transit. 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? Yes. I am proud that a number of spaces reclaimed for public use are in or near Council District 2, including Summer Streets on Park Avenue and the Madison Square Pedestrian Plaza. I also support Park(ing) day, where parking spots are turned into temporary parks, and have participated in this event myself. 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.Absolutely. Adding BRT and a bike share program would diversify our transportation network, and a diverse network is a more healthy, sustainable and safer network. I am impressed with the results of other bike share programs, such as Paris’ Velib, and would support such a program in NYC. In addition, I look forward to the numerous benefits for district residents and visitors the BRT Select Bus Service for the M15 on 1st and 2nd Avenues will bring.
Submitted by reelectrosie on Mon, 08/10/2009 - 10:15.
Submitted by reelectrosie on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 17:16.
Submitted by reelectrosie on Mon, 08/10/2009 - 10:15.
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