Political Party:
Democratic Party
http://www.kenbaer2009.com
Candidate Submitted Biography:
I have been a Brooklyn resident and Park Slope Food Coop member since 1979. I am an accountant and have been an environmentalist my whole adult life. I was Chair of the New York City Group of the Sierra Club for 2 years in the 90’s while fighting against the city’s plan to incinerate garbage, and was Chair of the New York State chapter of the Sierra Club for 5 years until early 2008.
I have been a long-time T.A. member, who has been an advocate for mass transit and car-free parks.
Question 1: What is the most important transportation need in your district? As a Council Member, how would you work to address this need? The most important transportation need in the 33rd C.D. is to improve subway service on the G and F lines. I will address this need by discussing issues relative to these lines at press conferences, hearings, and through resolutions I will introduce proposing how service can be improved. I would like to sit on the Transportation Committee. Another critical issue is the establishment of residential parking permits so that neighborhood people can find parking more easily rather than spending lots of time searching for a space on the street.
Question 2: The intersection of Adams Street and Tillary Street is one of the most dangerous in your district, where 0 people died and 39 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)? The amount of time alloted to pedestrians to cross both Adams and Tillary Streets needs to be increased. A well publicized camera needs to be installed at this intersection so that drivers running the red light coming off the Brooklyn Bridge can be caught. This deterrant would significantly improve safety.
The amount of time alloted to pedestrians to cross both Adams and Tillary Streets needs to be increased. A well publicized camera needs to be installed at this intersection so that drivers running the red light coming off the Brooklyn Bridge can be caught. This deterrant would significantly improve safety.
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? Enforcing the laws on the use of cell phones (and other hand held devices),red light-running and speeding are critical to improving safety on NYC streets. I will work with each of the police precincts to let them know that this is an important issue. Installing speed bumps on side streets and other traffic calming measures would also reduce the speed of vehicles and enhance safety.
I believe that the speed limits should be reduced.
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, I believe walking and biking in NYC would improve public health. Citywide we need to look at the issuance of bus passes to students who live in close proximity to their schools. Additional bike racks in the communities would encourage bicycling. The creation of walking clubs is something that I would initiate if elected.
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 favor congestion pricing and worked with the Sierra Club in the effort to get it passed by the state legislature. Yes, I think that a road pricing strategy would change New Yorkers' travel choices since everyone is looking to save a buck. To implement such a plan, mass transit needs to be improved so that drivers have a viable alternative in terms of travel time and convenience. Backups would be reduced. Other benefits of reduced vehicular travel would be a reduction in asthma and other respiratory afflictions, as well as the amount of greenhouse gases emitted.
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? Yes, reducing the number of parking spaces that new buildings are required to have would reduce neighborhood traffic congestion. Any law,regulation, or cost that discourages residents from owning vehicles is beneficial.
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? I favor permanent repurposing of street space for pedestrians and cyclists.
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. Yes, both Bus Rapid Transit and a bike share program would enhance the city's transportation network. Bus Rapid Transit with the use of dedicated lanes, level boarding, and off-bus fare collection would reduce travel time. This would encourage people to forego the use of their auto if it was quicker to travel by BRT. A bike share program based on membership and a smart card would encourage people to bicycle betweeen a mass transit point and either work, a business destination, or home. The bike share program would also provide residents with an opportunity to get more exercise.
Submitted by KBaer on Wed, 08/12/2009 - 17:07.
Submitted by KBaer on Wed, 08/12/2009 - 16:18. |
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