This is a big year in Somerville city elections! Somerville Bicycle Safety asked the candidates about two of the most important things that they can do to advance safe bicycle infrastructure in the city. Here’s how they responded:
Candidates for Mayor
In your first year, will you commit to submitting a budget that fully funds the completion of Somerville’s bike network plan?
Will you commit to supporting a bicycle safety ordinance, similar to Cambridge’s Cycling Safety Ordinance, that mandates all road resurfacing projects include complete streets improvements, including the creation of protected bike lanes when called for by a citywide bike network plan?
Katjana Ballantyne
YES
YES
Wilfred Mbah
YES
YES
Candidates for City Councilor
In your first year, will you commit to supporting a budget allocation to fully fund the completion of Somerville’s bike network plan?
Will you commit to supporting a bicycle safety ordinance, similar to Cambridge’s Cycling Safety Ordinance, that mandates all road resurfacing projects include complete streets improvements, including the creation of protected bike lanes when called for by a citywide bike network plan?
At-Large
Willie Burnley Jr.
YES
YES
Virginia Hussey
No Answer
No Answer
Charlotte Kelly
YES
YES
Justin Klekota
No Answer
No Answer
Tracey Leah Pratt
No Answer
No Answer
Eve Seitchik
No Answer
No Answer
Councilor Kristen Strezo
YES
YES
Jake Wilson
YES
YES
Ward 2
Stephenson Aman
YES
YES
JT Scott
YES
YES
Ward 3
Ben Ewen-Campen
YES
YES
Ward 5
Tessa Bridge
YES
YES
Beatriz Gómez-Mouakad
YES
YES
Ward 7
Becca Miller
YES
YES
Judy Pineda Neufeld
YES
YES
In addition, the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition and the Great Neighborhoods Network developed a comprehensive 2021 election questionnaire covering transportation, safe streets, housing, and other issues. Here we highlight a few of the most important questions for bicycle safety, and how the candidates answered the questions. We will add more answers if additional candidates answer the questionnaire. All answers are copied directly from the candidates’ questionnaires.
In Somerville the mayor determines when and where bike infrastructure is built, so the vote for mayor is by far the most important vote you can make to support safe bike infrastructure. The preliminary election (Sep 14) will narrow the field to two candidates.
Question: In recent years, the City of Somerville has had strong Mayoral leadership on transportation issues that has been crucial in moving key projects. Often street projects designed to improve safety and public transit infrastructure face opposition due to removing on-street parking or reducing the number of vehicle travel lanes. As Mayor, how will you be a strong advocate and leader on transportation issues amidst pushback?
I’ll continue to advocate for our pedestrian, bus and bike lane improvements. Eight out of ten cars on our streets are commuters driving through our city. Our transit network should support Somervile first. Pedestrian, bus and bike features make our streets better for local users, including residents and businesses, and not for commuters driving through. Data shows that these features encourage walking, biking and bus use, so they reduce traffic leaving more parking available. More pedestrians means more shoppers in local, shops and more diners in local restaurants. In the past, some business owners were reluctant to lose a parking space to a bike share, bus lane or to a dining corrals. Now however, more and more businesses and residents are beginning to see positive change in our streets and they are becoming more supportive of the benefits to complete, accessible, safe streets as our experience begins to confirm the predictions of data and planning.
I believe that we must prioritize bus improvements, protected bike lanes, and accessible pedestrian routes whenever we are redesigning a street, as well as upgrading curb cuts to make Somerville a more accessible city for our neighbors with disabilities. If we build a road for cars, more cars will come. If we build a road for bikes, more bikes will come. The challenge for the next mayor will be threading the needle to ensure our city can safely accommodate both cyclists/pedestrians and some working people and families, as well as people with disabilities who depend on cars.
There is understandable pushback whenever a plan is proposed to replace parking with a more equitable use of roads, but by listening to the concerns of our neighbors and working together, I believe we can achieve a final result that is embraced by the neighborhood. We must also make sure that those who are ill-served by our current streetscapes, including seniors and neighbors with disabilities, are at the front and center of these conversations.
Question: Somerville has just initiated a process to create a citywide bicycle network plan which will show how street space will be allocated to create bike infrastructure for people of all ages and abilities. How will you work to ensure that this network will be built in a timely manner?
As Mayor I will be committed to creating complete, accessible, safe streets in Somerville that work for all Somerville users first and foremost. Our streets should accommodate bicycles, buses, pedestrians, and our streets should serve the needs of Somerville residents, institutions and businesses as a priority. As Mayor I will advocate for funding and implementation of the planned citywide bike network and I will:
Work with neighborhood advocates and SBAC to design a bike network that connects every neighborhood, every square, every school etc. The plan should follow NACTO “All Ages & Abilities” guidelines: physically protected bike lanes on major streets, but can do neighborways on quieter streets or for local access.
Ensure adequate funding and staffing for Mobility, Engineering, and DPW to design, build, and maintain bike lanes.
Require the bike network plan be followed during street reconstruction, similar to Cambridge’s 2019 Cycling Safety Ordinance
Require City staff to build a certain mileage of protected bike lanes per year, similar to the 2020 amendments to Cambridge’s Cycling Safety Ordinance
I am very happy that a resolution I sponsored that called for funding a city-wide bicycle network was ultimately funded, and am committed to seeing the project through as Mayor. As we turn to the planning phase, making sure the bicycle network is inclusive of our pedestrian and transit infrastructure needs is critical. There are many mobility plans underway in Somerville, and they must work together to achieve the transportation priorities that reflect our values. I am interested in exploring what aspects of Cambridge’s ordinance on network implementation could be applied to Somerville.
Question: SomerVision 2040 mobility goals include reducing Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and prioritizing walking, biking, and transit access. How will you continue to implement the City’s Complete Streets Ordinance for both short-term and long-term projects?
To impliment the SomerVision 2040 mobility goals on long and short term projects I will:
Work to define and implement specific requirements to improve our streets so that we can accomplish our goals according to a clear plan of action. Somerville’s Complete Streets Ordinance sets excellent goals, as mayor I’ll work to get this done.
Advocate to include durable, long lasting materials like planters or pre-cast curbs in our quick-build projects. So that short term projects help to achieve our long term goals.
Somerville’s projects are too often either short-term paint-and-flexposts projects that provide insufficient protection,or full reconstructions that take many years to deliver safety improvements. We can do better and as mayor, I’ll work build our complete, accessible, safe streets in both short term and long term projects.
As mentioned above, I am committed to prioritizing walkability, accessibility, MBTA bus infrastructure, and protected bicycle lanes in any new street redesigns, and making sure that those who are ill-served by the status quo, including seniors and neighbors with disabilities, are at the center of these conversations. I intend to use my leverage over the city budget as Mayor to ensure that a Complete Streets approach that encompasses these priorities is implemented.
Question: Are you supportive of an ordinance similar to Cambridge’s Cycling Safety Ordinance which would require protected bike lanes designated in the upcoming bike plan to be built on city streets when they are being reconstructed?
Strongly Support - I supported the resolution to fund the bike plan, and as the bike plan and other plans (parking study, bus network, etc.) are completed, Somerville will have an integrated vision for how the streets can be more equitable and supportive of our long-term goals.
City Council
City councilors do not have direct control over bike infrastructure in Somerville. However councilors still have the ability to cut funds from the budget which can affect bike infrastructure, they can speak to the public as advocates, and they can require action from City staff through an ordinance.
There are eight candidates running for four at-large seats on the city council. There is no preliminary election for at-large seats, and all candidates will be on the ballot for the Nov 2 election. Incumbent(s) are marked with *
Question: Often street projects designed to improve safety and public transit involve removing on-street parking or reducing the number of vehicle travel lanes to make space for people walking, biking, and transit infrastructure. With a new mayoral administration taking over next year, how would you be a strong advocate and leader on the council on transportation issues, even amidst pushback?
Transforming public safety holistically has been a core theme of my candidacy and my advocacy as a resident. As someone who used to frequently walk through what has been recently dubbed "the corridor of death" to get my groceries when I moved to Somerville, I know that there we need to make structural changes to our streets in order to protect our neighbors. I have had conversations with every major mayoral candidate and they each know that I am deeply committed to my principals. I will make it clear to the incoming administration that moving forward the City Council is a co-equal branch of government, that we were elected on an agenda that included creating infrastructure for all, and that we will be steadfast in our commitment to deliver for the pressing needs of the community. I've spent my life as a Black organizer that has called out institutional and systemic racism. I'm not worried about pushback. My greater concern is losing another neighbor to a traffic fatality.
As an organizer, I have extensive experience bringing people together around an issue and trying to build consensus, even when people don't see eye to eye. The new mayor and council will have major mobility infrastructure plans to devise, which will require robust community engagement in order to build consensus around the future of our streets in Somerville. I am committed to building comprehensive infrastructure plans instead of piecemealing solutions. We have to repave our roads and build a citywide bike network to keep bikers and drivers safe, as well as expanding pedestrian and bike paths to connect East Somerville to West Somerville. We have to pilot fare-free buses and eventually free-at-point-of-service public transit across Somerville. We can work with the MBTA to expand bus routes and bus frequency. We have to work with small businesses to understand their clients’ mobility, transit, and parking needs in order to equitably distribute parking here in the city. We have to explore solutions like microtransit to address problems like the lack of parking near the high school and the lack of transit connecting the north and south parts of the city.
Many voters in our City ask this question, and I always emphasize the need to find the right balance to support all modes of transportation. In my opinion, it is a false choice to choose one mode of transportation over the other: different streets in Somerville can accommodate different combinations of transportation alongside street parking. Not everyone is able to ride a bike or live within walking distance of the subway, so we need to support multiple transportation options including vehicles and street parking: in particular, we need to be considerate of the needs of residents with limited mobility, the elderly, families with children, and residents working at night. Somerville is a progressive City, and there is a general recognition that vehicles speeding through our City on the way to Boston metro does not benefit us in terms of safety, pollution, or economic growth. Removing extra vehicle lanes from certain roads or making certain streets one-way gives us the opportunity to add bus lanes and an adjacent bicycle lane, while slowing high-speed traffic. I also support the creation of a citywide bicycle lane network and extension of our Community Path to East Somerville.
I’ve been a lifelong pedestrian and public transportation user. Naturally, I support projects designed to make me feel safer as I walk about Somerville. Practically, I realize that a pedestrian, I need to share space with cars, bikes and publication. As mentioned above, I’d want to serve on a transportation subcommittee that tackles investigating these issues. My concern is that the city doesn’t look at these “improvements” from all angles. For example, if parking spaces are lost because of bike or bus lanes, then where will people park to shop at local businesses? If the city is losing vehicle travel lanes, are they giving thought to traffic patterns or use of traffic lights to control the traffic. We all have to share streets and sidewalks and I think with innovative ideas we can come up with solutions that work for everyone.
As City Councilor, I have built relationships with members and activists in the community and know to whom I should turn to gather support for transportation issues. As the only incumbent running, these resources and connections I have built will be invaluable as a new administration takes over. In my current term, I have supported collaborative, community-based approaches on how to keep Somerville safe, such as Shared Streets, and have continued communication with our pedestrian, bike, and mobility commissions. I have also introduced a resolution condemning the recent MBTA transit cuts which went to the Governor and the director of the MBTA and have supported and will continue to support and work with the Mobility Division to increase bike and bus lanes in Somerville. The work I have done in my current term and connections I have made with neighborhood residents will allow me to continue to be a strong advocate and leader on transportation issues as we work to ensure that Somerville is accessible and safe for all residents.
The tough decisions facing us when allocating space on our sidewalks and streets need to be made in the fairest and most sensible way, then communicated effectively to the public.
As a City Councilor I’ll be focused on improving mobility here in the following ways:
We must reduce automobile cut-through traffic by disrupting this behavior with prohibitions on the routes favored by these
drivers and the satellite navigation services. The city should use aggregated cellular phone data to identify driving patterns and address them.
I believe public transit should be publicly funded and that no fares should be collected to ride MBTA buses and subways. Cities like ours must push for this at the state level.
The development of a bicycle network must move forward with protected bike lanes wherever possible and enforcement of
bike lane restrictions elsewhere.
We need additional pedestrian safety measures like shortened and highlighted crosswalks and traffic calming measures on
our city streets.
And all this must happen with our legal obligations to the ADA and moral obligations to our disabled community members
in mind, as well as the needs of seniors who depend on car transportation.
Question: Somerville has just initiated a process to create a citywide bicycle network plan which will show how street space will be allocated to create bike infrastructure for people of all ages and abilities. How will you work to ensure that this network will be built in a timely manner?
The need to create a comprehensive network of protected bike lanes is evident for cyclists, such as myself, and should be clear to all drivers who fear interacting with bikes in the streets. Currently, our City is currently assessing opportunities to reshape our government processes through charter reform and I hope that this process leads to a more equal distribution of power between the City Council and the Mayor's Administration. Under the current structure of our government, this is an area where the City Council needs to be a check on the Administration's ongoing work. We should be mandating annual reports from the Administration and relevant department heads to update the City on progress or explain lack thereof. Additionally, there is a lot we can learn from our partners to the South. Cambridge has mandated both a timeline for its bike plan and that any streets being rebuilt that along its proposed 20-miles network of separated bike lanes must include those bike changes at that moment. Somerville should pursue both of these opportunities.
As a cyclist, I know our streets need massive improvements in order to make bicyclists, pedestrians, drivers and everyone moving through our city safer. I will fight to add more bike lanes and bus lanes. I would work with the Bike Safety Committee to ensure the needs of bikers are centered in the implementation of SomerVision. We have to work on building an actual bike network instead of piecemealing together bike lanes across the city. Streets like Highland Avenue, Elm Street, Summer Street, the West Somerville end of Broadway, and Medford Street need to be assessed for putting in protected bike. However, this must be within a larger project of creating a bike network plan like our neighbors in Cambridge have built. I will use the Committee on Traffic and Safety and Committee on Public Safety to hold the city accountable to updating residents on the progress and implementation of the citywide bike network plan.
I support creating a citywide bicycle lane network and funding for all of our infrastructure projects including this. In Somerville, City Councilors organize community meetings to enlist community feedback regarding proposed redevelopment and infrastructure. If I have the opportunity to serve, I will continue this practice of enlisting community feedback on proposed infrastructure and work with our City government professionals to expand our infrastructure to support pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit. Our City needs to grows its business tax base by attracting new businesses in life science and green tech to the City, and in doing so, our City will have the financial resources it needs to expand and modernize its infrastructure including creation of a citywide bicycle lane network.
Since Vision Zero involves safer streets in general, it’s hard to prioritize bicycle networks above other plans but I’d like to think of the bicycle network a part of a whole that we would not leave out.
As City Councilor, I have continually supported increasing bike lanes in Somerville, working closely with the Mobility Division. I have pushed for state funding to expand bike lanes and safe community paths as well as have continued a community dialogue on where and how a safe bicycle network plan can be implemented. My work with respect to increasing bike infrastructure in my current term has allowed me to build connections and relationships with community members and gain the support of strong advocates of bike infrastructure. Now that the urgency of the COVID pandemic has subsided, I am interested in focusing on the pressing issues within transportation, particularly bike infrastructure and am grateful to have the support of Great Neighborhoods Network and Vision Zero Coalition as we advocate for equitable and sustainable transportation networks.
This is great news, albeit late. Our neighbors in Cambridge have been working on their bicycle network for years now, and sadly are beating us to the punch in this area. Having a holistic approach to transportation is key. The administration is saying all the right things about involving cyclists and bicycle advocates in the planning process. I’m hopeful this leads to bicycle routes being chosen that align with how people actually bike around Somerville. As a cyclist, I know the importance of flatter routes over routes with a lot of hills. But sometimes the city engages in wishful thinking when it comes to bike routes. Ideally the coming charter reform will give the City Council a more active role in things like transportation planning. In the meantime, as a City Councilor I’d make funding this initiative a priority. I’d also be interested in serving on the Committee on Traffic and Safety, who should be getting frequent updates from the administration on their work in this area.
Question: SomerVision 2040 mobility goals include reducing Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and prioritizing walking, biking, and transit access. How will you continue to implement the City’s Complete Streets Ordinance for both short-term and long-term projects?
I think we need to move with more expediency on these goals and, quite frankly, improve the Complete Streets Ordinance. There are several spaces and tactics that I think will help us move on these goals. As a city councilor at-large, I will be somewhat uniquely positioned on the council to both work closely with those re-evaluating both Elm Street and Union Square as spaces that can be more pedestrian, cyclist, and public transit-centric. Transformative projects like these will both help us reduce VMT in our city and imagine a future in which cars are not seen as a default. I am also interested in temporal zoning on some roadways to improve VMT.
The aforementioned ordinance states ""Bicycle, pedestrian, and transit facilities shall be incorporated, when applicable and practical, in all street projects, reconstruction, repaving, and rehabilitation projects"" before listing several significant exceptions which can be prohibitive for including separate or protected bike lanes. I would like to supersede some of these exceptions by passing a Cambridge-style ordinance that requires building separated bike lanes whenever roads are being redone.
As a cyclist and frequent pedestrian, I know our streets need massive improvements in order to make bicyclists, pedestrians and everyone traversing through our city safer. It is critical that the city implements SomerVision with the type of urgency it requires. The Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets has created an amazing list of demands that are in line with much of the Vision Zero plan and expand beyond that proposal. I would work with the Bike Safety Committee to ensure the needs of bikers are centered in the implementation of SomerVision. The City Council can use its Committee on Public Utilities, Committee on Public Safety, and the Committee on Traffic and Safety to hold the city accountable to updating residents on the progress and implementation of Vision Zero. The City Council can also improve the current Complete Streets Ordinance, and use the budget process to advocate for the necessary resources to improve Complete Streets Ordinances and implement SomerVision. I would specifically work to ensure the proper resources are made available to invest in traffic calming measures like speed bumps and chicanes.
If I have the opportunity to serve, I will continue this practice of enlisting community feedback on proposed infrastructure and work with our City government professionals to expand our infrastructure to support pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit.
It’s important to fulfill Somerville’s mission of creating and supporting safe, convenient, and healthier modes of transportation for all users by ensuring that Somerville's streets are designed to encourage walking, biking, and public transportation use. As councilor I would advocate for more blue bike access points and creatively finding ways of adding bike lanes in our city. The biggest thing I would fight for is incentivizing residents and workers to learn their cars at home through free and reliable public transportation.
I have continuously pushed for safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists and advocated for expanded transit access. I have put forward board orders such as monitoring the speed limits for our city’s fleet; advocated for protected bike lanes; fought against MBTA cuts all the way up to the Governor’s office; put forward orders requesting that the city investigate speed monitoring devices installed in our municipal vehicle fleets; submitted numerous orders for more traffic patrol for bus lanes, to deter cars and protect cyclists; and have continuously worked with the MBTA to enhance bus and train service. I also recognize that we have residents with ADA needs that require other transportation beyond bikes, and we must bear these needs in mind. Seniors do not always have the ability to ride bikes and must rely on their cars. I am working closely with residents in the community to hear their needs and ensure that all residents have access to affordable, safe, and reliable transportation.
Having been a part of the SomerVision 2040 process, it’s personally important to me to see that community-driven process implemented. Our Complete Streets Ordinance shows a willingness to take a holistic view of mobility into account with future transportation projects, but I’d like to see more detail spelled out. We need to recognize the variety of types of streets we have in Somerville and the different roles these streets play with the different modes of transport. I’d like to see a
classification system done on a block-by-block basis for Somerville streets, with different classifications triggering appropriate approaches when streets projects are done.
The way the current ordinance is written leaves much of this vague and open to interpretation. Specifying aspects of this --
or at minimum stating that these classifications should be done and automatically trigger the appropriate elements during the project planning would make this ordinance much more effective.
Question: Are you supportive of an ordinance similar to Cambridge’s Cycling Safety Ordinance which would require protected bike lanes designated in the upcoming bike plan to be built on city streets when they are being reconstructed?
Strongly Support - As City Councilor I have put forward board orders such as monitoring the speed limits for our city’s fleet. I have put forward safer streets initiatives and advocated for protected bike lanes all the way to the Governor's Office.
Strongly Support - We also need to spell out specific streets that we want to see targeted for this.
Ward Councilors
Somerville has seven ward councilors. Wards 2, 5, and 7 have contested ward elections this year, and only wards 5 and 7 will be on the ballot for the preliminary election on Sept 14. You can only vote in the election for your ward. Find your ward
Question: Often street projects designed to improve safety and public transit involve removing on-street parking or reducing the number of vehicle travel lanes to make space for people walking, biking, and transit infrastructure. With a new mayoral administration taking over next year, how would you be a strong advocate and leader on the council on transportation issues, even amidst pushback?
I've already done this on Washington Street, demonstrating leadership by hosting local neighborhood meetings to understand the multimodal and hyperlocal use patterns on the street and developing - with community advocates - a pilot pattern proposal. That proposal was later taken up by the city's Mobility Dept in collaboration with the MBTA to create a pilot project, creating bus slip lanes, bike lanes, and proposing crosswalk protections and shortenings, which will inform the full-width redesign of Washington St in 2023.
Similarly, on Laurel St I am working with the mobility department and local residents to create new curb extensions and traffic lane diversions to shorten pedestrian crossings and structurally reduce vehicular speeds on this problematic north-south connecting street, which will eliminate some parking spaces for the net benefit of all users of the street.
With a new mayoral administration, I see no reason to stop now. I look forward to working with Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets and other advocates to continue to improve equitable and safe access and mobility for all users of our public realm - including our streets and sidewalks.
Question: Somerville has just initiated a process to create a citywide bicycle network plan which will show how street space will be allocated to create bike infrastructure for people of all ages and abilities. How will you work to ensure that this network will be built in a timely manner?
As I've shown, I'm eager to put in the work above and beyond the city's customary public engagement process to enlist advocates and solicit input from residents who are not commonly present for those discussions. By creating those smaller engagement processes, we not only see increased engagement but also a greater willingness to engage openly and earnestly with the shared challenges and demands of businesses, residents, and all users of our street network.
With that kind of engagement, we can find a path to the common goal that most of us have in common: a safer, shared public realm.
I also think it's critical that we begin to approach these projects with a more local-hire focus as well, instead of outsourcing the work to contract firms, including out-of-state firms. We need to recognize that our infrastructure work will take decades and that maintenance is eternal - and that money and jobs should remain in our community for the betterment of all and the rebuilding of a robust working class who can afford to live in Somerville.
Question: SomerVision 2040 mobility goals include reducing Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and prioritizing walking, biking, and transit access. How will you continue to implement the City’s Complete Streets Ordinance for both short-term and long-term projects?
As said before, short-term I have worked with stakeholders in my ward (and will continue in the future) to inform the design process and advocate for Complete Streets elements which understand the context of existing street usage and push towards safer and more accessible streets for all users. In the medium-term we need to improve public transit access and safe bicycle infrastructure to make those modalities more suitable to serving more users' transportation needs.
Long term, the goal of massively reducing VMT can only be achieved by building local employment opportunities for our residents here and improving access to essential neighborhood services (like food access and other residential amenities). By creating a truly local network of services and employment, rebuilding our working and middle class' ability to live and work in a neighborhood without reliance on personal automobiles, we can transform the experience of our streets.
Question: Are you supportive of an ordinance similar to Cambridge’s Cycling Safety Ordinance which would require protected bike lanes designated in the upcoming bike plan to be built on city streets when they are being reconstructed?
Question: Often street projects designed to improve safety and public transit involve removing on-street parking or reducing the number of vehicle travel lanes to make space for people walking, biking, and transit infrastructure. With a new mayoral administration taking over next year, how would you be a strong advocate and leader on the council on transportation issues, even amidst pushback?
Transportation is the second-highest driver of energy usage in Somerville. In order to become carbon-neutral by 2030, we must aggressively invest in transportation options other than driving, so that people have legitimate options for getting around besides a car. In order to shift our reliance as a city on cars, I will advocate to improve bus reliability and accessibility, expand biking infrastructure, provide free bike lockers around the city and provide free T passes to Somerville residents.
Alongside these strong investments in non-car infrastructure, we must also shift the way we think about parking. We need to treat parking as a scarce resource and allocate it equitably so that people who need to drive because they cannot access other means of transportation have priority in accessing parking. This includes educators and other municipal workers who are commuting from towns outside of Somerville. We need to limit the number of parking spaces available across our city, particularly around transit nodes and allocate them equitably so that community members with the highest needs are prioritized.
As a councilor I would promote the rethinking of our urban roads. For too long we have thought of 0ur streets as highways for cut through traffic, which is putting lives at risk and has misguided us to prioritize cars and speed. We need to prioritize human safety in our road design not speed. If we are prioritizing human safety, we should assume that in urban areas we slow-down and priority is given to walking and biking. This will mean making way for bike lanes and removing parking spaces, but these changes should come with improvements to public transportation including increasing bus headways and routes and improvements to our sidewalks to make them more accessible. All changes to our roads should also come with an educational campaign which reinforces the need for greater road safety for saving lives, increasing health and protecting our environment.
Question: Somerville has just initiated a process to create a citywide bicycle network plan which will show how street space will be allocated to create bike infrastructure for people of all ages and abilities. How will you work to ensure that this network will be built in a timely manner?
Building thoughtful bike infrastructure is an utmost priority of mine. I will work with existing community organizations, including SAAS, and the Somerville Bicycle Safety Commission, to ensure that residents are aware of the plan and to hold the city accountable to implementing it in a timely manner. I will also push for the necessary city departments to have the resources they need to implement the plan in a short timeframe.
One challenge of implementing urban improvements are budget constraints, therefore a bicycle network plan needs to establish priorities and coordinate with street infrastructure projects to consolidate costs. Priorities also need to be established based on need, as high travel roads should be completed first to help encourage bike usage which will then provide further support for later smaller projects. Another challenge is community opposition; therefore, a strong and timely community process will be required to allow buy-in and support of stakeholders to avoid further delays in implementation.
Question: SomerVision 2040 mobility goals include reducing Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and prioritizing walking, biking, and transit access. How will you continue to implement the City’s Complete Streets Ordinance for both short-term and long-term projects?
The Complete Streets Ordinance lays out a goal of “providing for equality in use” between the different modes of transportation. While we have added bike and bus lanes it has not been enough to move away from a car-focused transportation system, which has both dire consequences for our environment and disproportionately impacts BIPOC communities who live along highways and major transportation corridors.
I will push for traffic calming measures such as a speed limit of 20 mph, speed humps on major cut-through roads, and diverters to move traffic off of side streets and onto main thoroughfares. We also need to make public transportation more accessible and desirable by providing bike lockers around the city, using city funds to provide free T passes to Somerville residents, and enhancing the bus lanes by implementing transit signal priority.
By investing in these types of infrastructure and policies we can make it easier for people to choose other forms of transportation other than cars and reach our goals.
I would encourage the city to develop guidelines similar to Boston’s Complete Street Guidelines which provide street type principles, sidewalk principles, roadway design principles etc. The ordinance itself is not enough to encourage and guide the construction of complete streets. It does reference the National Association of City Transportation Officials Urban Street Design Guide, but it would help encourage better design if specific Somerville Road typologies are used as examples. Overall I would reconsider the language or omit the section of the ordinance that notes as an exception to compliance “the cost of bikeways and walkways as part of the project would be disproportionate in cost or to anticipated future use.” Bike usage is low now and sometimes a road that is “less” traveled could be a critical connector for some users that would encourage them to bike. The overall concept of complete streets is to create a robust pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure for the future and exceptions should be limited as much as possible.
Question: Are you supportive of an ordinance similar to Cambridge’s Cycling Safety Ordinance which would require protected bike lanes designated in the upcoming bike plan to be built on city streets when they are being reconstructed?
I do want to note that this ordinance does have designated streets or major arteries like Mass. Ave, Cambridge Street identified for improvement. This should be part of the Somerville Ordinance as well as network plan similar to Cambridge’s which helps identify target areas for improvement.
Question: Often street projects designed to improve safety and public transit involve removing on-street parking or reducing the number of vehicle travel lanes to make space for people walking, biking, and transit infrastructure. With a new mayoral administration taking over next year, how would you be a strong advocate and leader on the council on transportation issues, even amidst pushback?
I support all expansions of people-focused mobility, including completing the bike lane network, safer ADA compliant sidewalks, and dedicated lanes for buses. I believe these approaches are not only necessary, but broadly popular. Transportation is the number 2 source of greenhouse gas emissions in Somerville, and we need to invest in non-car forms of transit to make it easier to get around without a car. We also need to treat parking as a scarce resource, and allocate parking to those who need it to age in place and for mobility reasons have access to it first, particularly around transit nodes, and equitably distribute parking for municipal workers, including teachers.
One of the great things about Somerville is that it is a city rich with ideas. We must make sure our streets are safe and accessible for families walking with strollers, those with disabilities, bikers, and public transit users. However, I don’t believe this must involve pitting drivers against pedestrians and bikers; there are ways to meet all needs. We currently have the action plans that could help keep pedestrians and bikers safe and create more accessible sidewalks through Vision Zero and the Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets recommendations. As City Councilor I will advocate for their thoughtful implementation using community input, and working to compromise with the parking needs of car owners and small businesses. I am committed to implementing these plans and developing a timeline that gets it done. It’s not just an infrastructure issue; it’s about safety, accessibility, and climate justice.
Question: Somerville has just initiated a process to create a citywide bicycle network plan which will show how street space will be allocated to create bike infrastructure for people of all ages and abilities. How will you work to ensure that this network will be built in a timely manner?
As City Councilor, I will push to have protected bike lanes added on all streets that are wide enough, build traffic calming measures, and reduce the city’s speed limit to 20 mph citywide. Overhauling Somerville’s streets is a top priority for me as part of my plan for a Green New Deal for Somerville, and it represents an opportunity not only to build out the bike lane network but to bring sidewalks into ADA compliance and increase the tree canopy. On roads that have been recently resurfaced or not in need of work, I will work to ensure bike lanes are built quickly, and with as much protection from traffic as is possible for the given street.
As City Councilor I will put pressure on the administration to ensure the timely construction of our citywide bike network. This is a critical safety and mobility issue for our City, and it is important that everyone has the option to travel around Somerville by bike. I will ensure these projects are prioritized by the Department of Infrastructure and Asset Management, and that when the City is doing work on our streets as part of other projects, adding a bike lane is incorporated into their work.
Question: SomerVision 2040 mobility goals include reducing Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and prioritizing walking, biking, and transit access. How will you continue to implement the City’s Complete Streets Ordinance for both short-term and long-term projects?
As a city councillor, I will plan on fighting for complete streets as part of my vision of a municipal Green New Deal. I will push for better pedestrian infrastructure and total ADA compliance, traffic calming, completing the bike lane network, dedicated bus lanes, making the T free and more reliable and desirable to residents, and improvements to bus stops.
Somerville has taken the important step to invest in the development of the comprehensive Somerville 2040 plan for a more sustainable and equitable future for our City. As City Councilor I will work to hold the new mayoral administration accountable for implementing these vital steps to prepare for Somerville’s future. I will hold hearings and will publish regular updates on the progress of both the short and long term provisions of the Complete Streets ordinance, and will push for more aggressive accountability measures for sustainability and equity.
Question: Are you supportive of an ordinance similar to Cambridge’s Cycling Safety Ordinance which would require protected bike lanes designated in the upcoming bike plan to be built on city streets when they are being reconstructed?
Strongly Support - To increase accessibility in Somerville, I’ll push for the allocation of funds to build protected bike lanes. Requiring all new construction to include bike lanes will be an important and effective cost saving measure to allow the timely implementation of an integrated bike network across the city.
Ward 3
Ben Ewan-Campen *
Ward 3 is not a competitive race, and incumbent councilor Ben Ewan-Campen is running unopposed. Ben is the only unopposed candidate who completed the questionnaire. See full response.
Question: Often street projects designed to improve safety and public transit involve removing on-street parking or reducing the number of vehicle travel lanes to make space for people walking, biking, and transit infrastructure. With a new mayoral administration taking over next year, how would you be a strong advocate and leader on the council on transportation issues, even amidst pushback?
Whenever we are redesigning a street, I believe that the default must be to prioritize MBTA bus improvements, accessible pedestrian routes, and protected bicycle lanes, period – its a matter of life and death. Two recent examples: when the Mayor’s office proposed a Highland Ave redesign without bike lanes, I worked closely with advocates (and, directly with Liveable Streets – thanks!) to push for protected bicycle lanes. Ultimately, we succeeded in winning a public commitment from the Mayor to pursue protected bike lanes. Similarly, the Spring Hill Streetscapes redesign that is planned for a large portion of Ward 3 includes several major improvements which require parking reductions, and I have worked hard to build community support and to address concerns that have been brought up, without sacrificing elements of the proposal.
Each time that a plan to replace parking with a better road use is proposed, there is always understandable fear and strong push-back. Yet, once the work is done and the public sees the final outcome, it is nearly always embraced. I believe it is my job to respectfully work through those fears and concerns with neighbors, without sacrificing our values.
Question: Somerville has just initiated a process to create a citywide bicycle network plan which will show how street space will be allocated to create bike infrastructure for people of all ages and abilities. How will you work to ensure that this network will be built in a timely manner?
I was very proud that my Resolution calling for funding a citywide bike network was ultimately funded (http: //somervillecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?ID=20845), and now that the planning is under way in earnest, I am committed to seeing it through. I am particularly interested in learning what aspects of Cambridge’s network implementation Ordinance can be applied to Somerville, and I want to make sure that our bicycle network is also inclusive of our transit infrastructure needs and pedestrian infrastructure.
Question: SomerVision 2040 mobility goals include reducing Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and prioritizing walking, biking, and transit access. How will you continue to implement the City’s Complete Streets Ordinance for both short-term and long-term projects?
In addition to being an outspoken advocate for a Complete Streets approach, even when there is pushback, I am committed to using my leverage on funding requests to ensure that any new street redesigns prioritize MBTA bus infrastructure, walkability, accessibility, and protected bicycle lanes.
Question: Are you supportive of an ordinance similar to Cambridge’s Cycling Safety Ordinance which would require protected bike lanes designated in the upcoming bike plan to be built on city streets when they are being reconstructed?
