Cambridge City Council

Candidates

• Ron Benjamin
• Josh Burgin
• Dennis J. Carlone*
• Olivia D’Ambrosio
• Jan Devereux*
• Samuel Gebru
• Richard Harding
• Craig Kelley*
• Dan Lenke
• Ilan Levy
• Alanna Mallon
• Marc McGovern*
• Gregg Moree
• Adriane Musgrave
• Nadya Okamoto
• Hari Pillai
• Vatsady Sivongxay
• Jeff Santos
• Sumbul Siddiqui
• Denise Simmons*
• Bryan Sutton
• Sean Tierney
• Paul Toner
• Tim Toomey*
• Gwen Volmar
• Quinton Zondervan

*incumbent

Sections

• About the Candidates
• Policy Proposals
• Yes/No Questions

About the Candidates

Do you personally walk to destinations in your community? If yes, how often do you do so?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
Yes	Yes	Yes
Our family owns a car so my wife can get to work in Danvers. I walk, use transit and rideshare for the majority of my personal and professional transportation needs. Fitbit reports 50–60 miles walking each week.	I walk in my neighborhood (just off Mass Avenue, south of Porter Square) every day, and once to twice weekly to Harvard Square.	I do not own a car and walk literally every single today. Today, I just walked from a meeting in Central to my new home in Porter. Until recently, I lived within walking distance of work. Having just moved, I’ll now take the Red Line and / or Lyft Line.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
I am fortunate to live within a short walk to Huron Village where I can buy groceries, pick up great pizza and visit my bank. My gym and the shopping centers near Fresh Pond area also an easy bike ride and I have baskets and a cargo bike if I need to carry bulky items. My commute to and from City Hall is mostly by bike. In really bad weather (rain and snow), I try to catch a bus to Harvard Sq to get the Red Line to Central. If none of these options is practical (these buses run pretty infrequently off-peak), I drive my Chevy Volt EV. Since acquiring it mid-Dec 2016 I have driven it only about 1100 miles (it charges with the help of solar panels on my roof.)	I frequently walk from my apartment on Memorial Drive up to Central Square. Whenever possible, I opt to walk, take public transportation, or rideshare instead of travel by car.	every day

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
Yes	Yes	Yes
I walk to and from my office, and many meetings, daily.	I live and work in Central Sq. so I walk daily.	Weekly

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	Yes
Everyday! Being able to walk to the grocery store, go out to dinner, or to a friend’s is one of the best aspects of living in the city.	As an activist, student, and community member within Cambridge, I often find myself walking around the city daily – to class, community events, and often to frequent local businesses for a cup of coffee in the morning. As a candidate, I have been walking at least 4 miles a day around the city of Cambridge for canvassing every afternoon and early evening.	7 times/week

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
Yes	No	Yes
daily exercise	I walk to destinations within my neighborhood, but I typically drive to destinations in other parts of Cambridge when I’m with my family. I work in Lawrence so I unfortunately have to drive to and from my office daily. I have been walking all over Cambridge while canvassing since the campaign began.	I walk several times a day. I enjoy walking around our city and make it a personal practice to walk to as many destinations as possible. I walk to meetings, postal offices, grocery stores, to drop off/ pick up my son from childcare, events, visit with friends, and run errands when possible.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Yes	Yes	Yes
I walk Macy around the community for a few miles every day.	Everyday – walking is my primary method of travel	As often as I can!

Do you personally travel by/ use public transit to get around? If yes, which trains and buses do you routinely use?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes, Bus 64, 77, 70, 70a, 1, the red line.	Primarily, I use the Red Line and when continuing on to Boston, I also use the Green Line or the Silver Line. The primary bus I use is the Number One out of Harvard Square.	Red Line

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes, if it’s not possible to bike or walk and my destination is near a T stop. I have a Charlie Card and regularly use the Red Line and buses (#72, 73 & 74 stop relatively near me but service is infrequent). I don’t go to Boston very often but if I do I sometimes wind up on the Green Line.	I regularly take the Red line and bus routes #1 and #47	redline

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
Yes	Yes	Yes
I regularly use the red line, green line, and MBTA bus lines.	Not always, but when I can use public transit I do. Mostly the Red Line between Central/Harvard and Park St.	Monthly

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	Yes
Red line. 77 and 83, though I’ll use others depending on where I’m in the city.	I use the Red Line on the T very often, especially to get into Boston to go to meetings for my work with PERIOD.org (I am the Founder and Executive Director), and to meet with other students and community members in Kendall Square (I always work if the weather is permitting to Central Square).

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
Yes	Yes	Yes
red line green line Kendall Square area	I often use the Red Line to access Boston or take the 69 bus to Harvard Square or Lechmere.	I use the Red Line.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Yes	Yes	Yes
Mostly use the green and red line but also the 69 bus occasionally.	While walking is my primary method of travel, I also use the T, the 1 bus, the M2 bus	Red-line, Green-line

Do you personally bike in your community or commute by bike to other communities? If no, would you be willing to give it a try periodically, e.g. once or twice per month?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
No	No	No
I previously owned a bike that was stolen and I have not replaced it yet. We have young children and intentionally live within walking distance to school. If we could add Hubway at the WholeFoods at River and Putnam I would definitely ride to work.	I do not bike regularly at this time. As safer, protected bicycle infrastructure is further expanded in Cambridge, I will enjoy biking beyond relatively safe neighborhood streets. At the age of 14, I was in a bicycle accident, which resulted in a serious concussion. I had three more concussions playing contact sports and was advised to avoid activities with any potential for further cranial contact. My campaign manager makes extensive use of Cambridge’s existing bike lanes as he bikes everywhere he goes in Cambridge on a daily basis.	I have never been entirely comfortable on equipment with wheels, including bikes, rollerblades and skateboards, and especially in conjunction with city streets. Given the opportunity to go for a ride with a skilled guide, however, I would sign up as the first-hand experience would help me better understand the conditions our bike community currently faces.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	No	Yes
Yes, I get around Cambridge almost exclusively by bike. I’m lucky to both live and work in the same city; my bike commute takes about 15–20 minutes.	While I personally do not ride a bike in Cambridge, I have many friends and even some senior Campaign staff who regularly bicycle for commuting, exercise, and recreation. My Director of Policy and Research uses a bicycle as his primary method of transportation. I am, as a result, extremely sensitive to the interests, needs, and concerns of cyclists.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
Yes	No	Yes
I currently bike around my community. My family and I are avid bikers; my husband works at a bike start up in Kendall Square, and my son bikes daily to and from school from our home in mid Cambridge to his school at Vassal Lane. I am deeply invested in the safety of our biking community because it affects my family and every other family in Cambridge.	I don’t bike.	Monthly

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	Yes
I have been a long-time bike commuter to downtown Boston - for well over 10 years in the Cambridge/Somerville/Boston area. (I’m also an avid road cyclist.) I grew up commuting on bike with my family, and I still commute by bike today. I find that it’s the most convenient and fastest way to get around the city, especially for areas that are not well served by public transport - like getting from North Cambridge, where I live, to Inman Square or the rest of East Cambridge.	I also skateboard around Cambridge as well!

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
Yes	No	Yes
yes for exercise work out of my home and business across the street	I do not bike currently, but I love biking in general and hope to commute by bike when I can, using Hubway.	I bike at least eight times a week around Cambridge/Somerville.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Yes	No	Yes
Biking is my primary mode of transportation around Cambridge and Boston.	I would be willing to give it a try, although I am not an expert rider.	I’m temporarily disabled but I’ve been bicycle commuting since I was 12 and hope to get back on my bike next year after hip replacement surgery.

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Policy Proposals

How will you work to establish funding for the infrastructure changes needed to slow traffic on your community’s streets, and improve crosswalks and intersections to make them safer for people who are walking and using mobility assistive devices?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
The primary function of the City Council is to make budget determination and set priorities. The council is also able to work MBTA, the state of Massachusetts, and Federal Government to coordinate activities, to lobby for grants and other funding to promote safety, and accessibility.	As an urban designer/architect, I believe this policy is fundamental to improving quality of life and community desirability. All my professional work incorporates a similar approach, whether for the East Cambridge Riverfront Project (1976 – 2000), public housing, master plans for downtown Plymouth and Winchester, upgrading the Charles River Basin, or in neighborhoods. I personally led efforts to lower the speed limit in Cambridge beginning in 2013. As Councillor, I have insisted that the city budget process include significantly expanded financing and planning for such improvements. Furthermore, I was one of the leaders in the neighborhood group to upgrade the pedestrian environment along Mass Avenue between Harvard and Porter Squares. It seems to me an obvious objective for the city to do everything in its control (and it does own city streets and sidewalks) to balance transportation options in a fair, equitable, and safe manner. While I was the Chair of Transportation and Public Utilities Committee, I led such efforts in expanding the city’s responsibility and strongly supported Community Development’s efforts for Vision Zero and expanded infrastructure.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Even before formally committing to Vision Zero in 2016, Cambridge had begun using street reconstruction projects to create complete streets with curb extensions, narrower travel lanes, bike lanes (some protected, some painted with and without buffers, some with only sharrows) and more accessible sidewalks. Over the past two years, with the support of more effective grassroots advocacy and my leadership on this issue, Cambridge has significantly increased its budget for traffic calming infrastructure, traffic enforcement and education, and has improved bike facilities including adding parking-protected bike lanes in several areas as demonstration projects. The City Council also adopted a 25mph speed limit citywide and has authorized the traffic director to designate additional 20mph speed zones, as appropriate. We have installed a couple of HAWK crosswalk signals and when new crossing signals are installed they are replaced with ones that provide sound for the visually impaired. With the design support of advocacy groups, the Council voted to increase budget for the redesign of the very dangerous Inman Square intersection from around $4M to $6M to completely configure it to include separated bike lanes to accommodate a high volume of cyclists, reduce distances and delays for pedestrian crossings, and improve access and efficiency for bus riders. The project also includes significant improvements to public open space in the square, which should encourage more visitors to come on foot and bike and to linger. I played a leadership role in ensuring that this project got the funding and the accelerated schedule it deserves. Link to PDF. I was a member of the stakeholder group that worked with consultants and state officials to study the dangerously congested Mount Auburn St/Fresh Pond Parkway corridor and develop a plan that, when funded by the state, will include traffic calming features, separated bike lanes, bus priority lanes, and much safer and shorter crossings for pedestrians as well as new public open space. I also sponsored a policy order to reduce the speed limit to 25mph on Fresh Pond Parkway, which DCR is currently considering. (Link). I will continue to take the lead on remaking streets and intersections. As a first-term councillor I have established myself as the Council’s strongest advocate for Vision Zero improvements, including having pressed to form a Vision Zero Advisory Group to work with staff and raise public awareness. I was able to lead on this issue while not even having been named a member of the Transportation Committee (the mayor controls committee assignments; the chair of the committee has held only one hearing this term). If re-elected next term I will seek to chair this committee and to use that leverage to keep Vision Zero at the top of the agenda.	I will vote to direct the increased revenues from dynamic meter pricing and increased enforcement of bike lane and other traffic violations to improve our public infrastructure. I will partner with our universities and city nonprofits to implement pilot programs to increase mobility in their neighboring areas. I am open to doubling the parking permit fee from $25 to $50, but am hesitant to immediately implement such an increase for the reasons discussed in question #11. I would be open to working with state leaders to find additional funding sources beyond Chapter 90 funding to be directed toward local and regional transportation infrastructure, one example being regional ballot initiatives for transportation. I am intrigued by the possibility of working with existing business associations to implement a Business Improvement District to direct funding toward necessary improvements in key areas. Most of all, I would like to work with regional and state leaders to explore the possibility of implementing income- or wealth-proportional traffic violation fines, looking to successful examples in Finland, Denmark, the U.K., and other European nations for guidance.	Cambridge form of government, Charter Plan E, a very strong city manager and very weak city council, which doesn’t have the authority to establish funding. They can suggest the City Manager improve infrastructure, by raising cross walk, which would both serve as traffic calming measure and improve crosswalk. I am committed to supporting, and speeding up, Cambridge’s infrastructure changes as per the City’s commitment to vision zero network.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
In Cambridge, the City Council cannot establish funding, just set budget priorities. That being said, safe streets in our city are one of my foremost priorities. Cambridge has many plans both in review and in motion to improve the quality of our streets, and I am committed to ensuring these goals are met.	One of the great things about Cambridge is that revenue/ funding is not our biggest obstacle. The City has a five year plan to improve our sidewalks, I am consistently advocating for proper striping and signage. I also co-sponsored a policy order to reduce the speed limit in Cambridge.	Better signs and markings.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
The most important way to get funding is by having a united council in support of an initiative as well as buy-in from our city staff. Fortunately, we have the latter here in Cambridge. If I’m elected I will support improvements to make our streets safer.	In efforts to make streets safe, especially for pedestrians, I will advocate for more funding opportunities from corporate franchise taxes, business license fees, and vehicle-related fees (includes parking fees and rental/lease fees). I am open to allocating funds from corporate franchise and business license revenue because much of the foot traffic around Cambridge is on behalf of transporting people to and from work and businesses here. As a longer-term solution, I will also advocate for funding to come from sales tax on motor vehicle-related expenses. With higher frequency, there is also the opportunity of building more revenue from advertising fees for spaces integrated onto public transportation.	Here are some ideas to slow down traffic: make streets narrower – one way to do this is with bike lanes that are protected

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
working with state and federal leaders. Also will advocate on my radio show.	I will support capital investments in parks, transit and other local infrastructure. One of the biggest challenges facing Cambridge related to public infrastructure is the challenge of incorporating safe bicycle lanes into Cambridge. Promoting bicycling in Cambridge is a priority, as it reduces the usage of cars, thereby reducing carbon emissions, car accidents, and traffic. It is a far healthier form of transportation than cars, and I will promote policies that foster safe bicycle lanes in Cambridge. Incorporating bicycle “traffic lights”, like those on Western Avenue, to other separated lanes, could help limit cyclists’ speeds, and decrease the number of collisions with pedestrians.Many cyclists are also not aware of the traffic rules they must follow. An information campaign at busy intersections reminding pedestrians, cyclists and drivers of their expectations could help prevent accidents from running red lights or cutting through crosswalks.	As City Councilor, I would support an increase in city and state funding to ensure the implementation of our Vision Zero and Complete Streets goals. To ensure that sidewalks and intersections improve and are safer for pedestrians and users of mobility assistive devices, I would advocate for and request tracking and updates on the progress of the projects to ensure that planning and implementation results in planned improvements.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
I think the most effective way to establish funding is to garner public support for the need and create a specific amount and target. At the same time I will work with the City Manager to establish the funding.	Our cross and sidewalks are in bad need of repair. In several locations near my home and work I have witnessed people in wheelchairs/on crutches walking in the street because the sidewalk is unpassable. This could be resolved with a simple audit of the city’s sidewalks and intersections, instead of relying solely on resident reports submitted through Commonwealth Connect.	I successfully advocated for raising the residential parking permit fee from $8 to $25 a few years ago and I’m currently proposing to raise it by $5 per year over the next 5 years. In Cambridge all those funds go to VMT reduction!

How will you improve the reach, frequency, and quality of public transit in your city/town?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
I will prioritize attention and both advance and support public transportation initiatives.	Public transit fundamentally falls under MBTA jurisdiction in Cambridge. Nevertheless, Cambridge and its significant commercial sector can play an active role in both guiding and supporting budgetary objectives. Fortunately, Kendall Square businesses recognize that their ongoing success relies on their employees’ ability to get to work smoothly and without delay. The city has required that new development in Kendall Square must provide funding for transit studies and improvements. I firmly believe the city must also provide additional funding, much like they did for the new Green Line station at Lechmere. Private shuttle bus routes have been provided to serve companies and have been a Special Permit condition for development. I was part of the urban design team that mandated the Galleria shopping center to provide, at no cost, a shuttle bus connection between the shopping complex and the Kendall Square Red Line station. Its success has been well beyond expectations with over 1 million people using the free service every year. On top of such an approach, I believe the city must seriously consider providing exclusive bus ways on major thoroughfares, such as Mass Avenue, between the Arlington city line and Harvard Square. This would mean one lane in each direction becomes a bus lane allowing buses greater movement and control of traffic in their lane. The city has just begun incorporating automatic traffic signal controls for buses that will augment their movement through intersections. Additionally, the city should investigate city-run shuttle systems that provide connections between squares or neighborhoods that are not now properly represented. Furthermore, institutions of higher education now provide bus service connecting their facilities throughout the city and to greater Boston. These buses should be available to the public at no cost.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
More frequent and comprehensive public transit is a critical need since much of Cambridge’s rapid growth is premised on future residents and employees having convenient access to reliable public transit. However the Red Line is already at capacity, some neighborhoods are not well served by buses, and the MBTA is underfunded. I voted to support the city contributing $12.5M toward the new Lechmere Station that will serve the North Point development. I also supported preserving late night T service, as many of the city’s service workers need T access when their shifts end. I have supported more bike share (Hubway) locations to improve people’s access to T stops (“the last mile”) and local destinations not well-served by transit. Cambridge is working with the MBTA to install signal priority for the #1 bus route and is planning a bus priority lane on the part of Mount Auburn St where the 73 bus is most apt to get stuck in rush hour congestion. The Red Line is getting new trains and switching improvements that will increase its capacity and reduce headways within a couple of years, but without additional funding for the MBTA it’s hard to know where the next-level transit improvements will come from. Cambridge could potentially develop partnerships with MIT and Harvard and major employers to allow residents access to their shuttle buses. We could explore creating a municipal fleet of electric vans and deploying medallion taxi drivers to serve local ride-sharing needs.	I will work with the MBTA to increase service on the neglected Kendall Square bus routes and to implement transit signal priority on high-traffic streets like Massachusetts Avenue and Mount Auburn Street. I will partner with neighboring local governments to encourage a feasibility study on regional Bus Rapid Transit. I will pressure the state legislature to allocate funds toward improving the MBTA regionally, and fight privatization efforts to ensure that public transportation remains public.	I will push the City to keep the pressure on the MBTA to improve the red line infrastructure so as to support an increase number of trains. I will work hard to make sure the update to Lechemere station includes easy access to the station from Cambridge, at all hours of day and night. I will push for the City to create a fund supported by commercial development which would be dedicated to public transportation improvement.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
The red line is far too overcrowded, especially during peak commuting times on weekdays. Adding more frequent trains can help alleviate this stress and incentivize commuters to choose public transit if it is both more frequent, convenient, and comfortable. As City Councillor, I will look forward to working with our state legislature and surrounding communities to fix many of the inefficiencies and inequities in our public transit system.	Public transit is a regional issue for the most part. I will work with our state elected officials for increased funding for the T. I also supported the City investing $13 million in city funds to expand the Green Line when that project was in danger.	Act a liaison between the MBTA and the community to be sure that the MBTA is aware of any problems.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Public transit is a state issue. Unfortunately we do not have significant leverage to improve our public transit from the city council. I would like to see groups like yours join with others to amplify our need and petition our state legislators. Everyone in the Boston area would like to see the MBTA service quality improve, and I hope that you make this part of your focus. I would enthusiastically support your efforts.	If elected, one of my top priorities will be improving public transportation available in Cambridge because I see it necessary to have a safe, convenient, and affordable service to support economic diversity in our city. One of the first things that I would work to implement first is access to user information to better understand the statuses of public transportation available. To make public transportation more accessible, I will fight for more affordable options especially for students and low-income residents. To increase frequency (which is very much-needed, especially on the Red Line and some busses during peak hours) I think that City Council, in addition to advocating for more routes and longer operating hours, should consider reallocating road space to transit and biking. As a short-term solution, I hope to explore the option of opening up university transportation to allow use for all residents especially during peak hours. There are multiple other campuses that have done this, and it has shown to work well since the campus shuttles run very frequently around heavily populated areas.	– close off more streets during weekends – not just Harvard Square area – to increase frequency – have more trains – let’s make a train to bus transition free – ex: the red line train to the 350 bus is free

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
again working with leaders on the council, in the state and Massachusetts reps in DC.	I am committed to improving the quality, availability, and accessibility of public transportation, as it plays a tremendously important role in reducing our City’s carbon footprint and energy consumption.High-quality public transit provides residents with an incentive not to drive, and, should be accessed equally regardless of income, neighborhood, or ability. To improve the reach of public transit in Cambridge, I would support policies that subsidize MBTA and commuter rail fares for low income individuals, as well as bike sharing programs like Hubway. The price of a train ride shouldn’t keep anyone from making it to school or work. I would encourage more residential construction within walking distance of a T stop or frequently running bus line. For example, I would explore upzoning along Prospect St. between Central Square and Inman Square, in light of the future Green Line stop at Union Square. I would also keep in mind the populations in our community that most need access to public transit, such as disabled people and senior citizens. Infrastructure and housing should be built which accommodates these folks, because it may be harder for them to bike or walk long distances. Encouraging greater residential development where people work would also put less stress on the transit system overall.	I approach transit and access with an equity lens to ensure that everyone—including people with disabilities, seniors, youth, immigrants, people of color, and low-income populations—have affordable, reliable, and sustainable transportation options near their homes. To achieve this goal, Cambridge must be a leader in advocating for a better public transit system with an eye towards equity and environmental sustainability and ensure that our MBTA remains a public good. I would support initiatives that expand bus, bike sharing and train services–such as but not limited to the creation of a “Bus Rapid Transit” system, improvement of the Green Line Extension, and improving community outreach about the bike sharing program–particularly to underserved communities.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Changes to public transit is not done easily. Many interests need to be considered and influenced in order execute a change. The MBTA has its own leadership and also works with our neighboring cities. My professional experience includes years of bringing different groups together to achieve a goal in an effective manor.	The MBTA bus and T service is prohibitively expensive or some commuters. Cambridge could implement a discounted MBTA pass/reimbursement program for residents making below 50% AMI. Increased ridership resulting from bus and T service being fully accessible to all income levels will encourage further investment in these services, and especially support Cambridge’s effort to lobby for increased frequency and reach of MBTA services.	We have to pay for and provide more shuttle bus service in Cambridge. The MBTA is in serious trouble and we can’t exclusively rely on them to provide for our needs.

How will you ensure fast-tracked implementation of a city-/town-wide network of off-street paths and protected bike lanes* on major thoroughfares and connecting streets that are comfortable for people of all ages and abilities?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
By continuing to push the city manager and staff to fulfill the council’s existing policy.	Cambridge has recently been building protected bike lanes along Cambridge Street and partial, pilot study bike lanes along Mass Avenue. Unfortunately, the actual impetus for implementing these projects was the deaths of three bicyclists over the last few years. All new construction is painted on to the roads with flexible posts separating cars from bicycles. It is my hope that after studying the varied impacts block by block, a permanently built, refined solution incorporating curbs and buffer zones will more attractively and securely protect bicyclists and pedestrians. Cambridge is now on a committed course to implement the proposed citywide bicycle plan in the years to come. The city has shown how dramatically the number of bicyclists has risen over the last few years. Furthermore, bicyclists have organized in a professional manner to convey their needs, desires, and concerns to all city officials. This has had a dramatic impact on the speed of the city moving forward in creating a safer transportation infrastructure for all concerned people. The city’s budget for such infrastructure will increase until the system is completely built out.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
The 2015 Cambridge Bicycle Plan lays out a vision for a citywide bike network with facilities at various levels of protection based on a level of comfort survey of all streets. Unfortunately there was no timeline for its full implementation, but over the past two years, spurred in part by several fatalities of vulnerable users, we are accelerating efforts to transform our most dangerous and congested streets. We will reconstruct Inman Sq in 2018 and are planning to make some improvements to Porter Sq next year as well. But our biggest challenge and opportunity lies in reconfiguring the entire Mass Ave corridor. Some of these improvements are being discussed in the context of the Envision Cambridge citywide planning process, which is likely to recommend allowing greater density and reduced built-parking requirements for transit corridors like Mass Ave. This year we have created several parking protected bike lanes as “demonstration projects”; there has been some pushback about parking loss, but I hope that the experience is showing that the safety benefits and increased bike usage are worth it. The City is also investing in completing a greenway connection to Watertown along a former rail spur, which will be constructed in 2018. Lighting will be included to enable people to use the path after dark, an important feature for evening commuters that is not typically part of DCR projects. We should also work closely with DCR to continue improving the path along the Charles River, sections of which need repaving and widening to better accommodate with fewer conflicts more people on foot and bike. I have also lobbied to extend the Sunday closings of Memorial Drive for more months of the year. (Link)	As Councillor, I would make it a top priority to finally convene the Council’s Transit Committee, so that this and other transit issues can get the attention they deserve. We should implement the plan that is already on the table as quickly as possible, focusing on areas historically underserved by bicycling infrastructure. I will use the time between the construction of any new lanes and their completion to identify new areas to target for expansion. Areas like Magazine Street that have been identified in the Bicycle Plan as requiring decreases in traffic volume and speed should be reexamined for additional bicycling infrastructure like shared-priority lanes.	Considering the recent debates, it seems the only way we will fast track infrastructure changes, which includes off street paths and protected bike lane, is by mobilizing more stakeholders, and pushing, through policy orders, the need for the improvements. The City is currently testing different types of implementations of protected bike lanes on major thoroughfares, the result of which will help plan city wide improvements.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
Plans such as the Inman Square redesign, which have had sufficient community dialogue and participation, should move forward on schedule and with as little delay as possible so that our city’s streets can be efficiently improved. However, fast tracking implementation on existing streets is not the best policy solution. In order to pass the safest and most efficient solution without creating unnecessary divides, community input and residents’ concerns must be taken into consideration. Once solutions are agreed upon, the lack of division resulting from a robust community dialogue will allow plans to move forward quickly.	I have been pushing the city to increase the speed in which it is installing protected bike lanes. I will continue to push the city to implement these bike lanes. Cambridge has made progress recently and I believe that is due to the advocacy of the bike community as well as the majority of the City Council, including myself, demanding faster action.	Introduce legislation.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
In Cambridge we have recently implemented a high number of protected bike lanes throughout the city. I think we should continue with this effort as well as boost communication to the neighborhoods.	I think that protected bike lanes, although an ideal goal, is a longer-term fight. A faster solution would be to push for designated bike lanes that can be integrated directly into resurfacing and repaving projects that are constantly happening in Cambridge. I would like to see dedicated pedestrian streets happen in this next term, and I think that this is very possible especially on some current one-way streets in Cambridge. These pedestrian streets would not include access for any cars, but would be safe areas for people on foot or wheels to comfortably travel around without concern.	I have project management experience, and I will ensure that projects are implemented on time and on budget

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
work with leaders get citizen involvement to put pressure on elected leaders	Studies have found that people are far more likely to use protected bike lanes than unprotected ones. I will advocate for policies that build protected bike lanes on major thoroughfares and connecting streets, and support capital investments in these endeavors. Stakeholder engagement is key to ensuring the appropriate location and use of new bike lanes. So, I would ensure that CDD makes it a priority to meet with cyclists and non-cyclists alike to find optimal locations for these lanes which will actually be used and sustained.	I would advocate for continuous open communication, outreach and engagement among residents, businesses, institutions and neighboring cities and progress tracking of the Five-Year Sidewalk and Street Reconstruction Plan, Vision Zero and Complete Streets goals. If funding is an issue, then I would look at creative funding with institutional and nonprofit partnerships, as well as community benefits agreements and other potential creative funding strategies.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Effective implementation is best accomplished when all parties are bought in to the shared idea and goal. This includes the public, contractors, city management and department personnel. I can draw from my professional career to help develop specific projects and communicate to get the needed support to be successful.	The Vision Zero movement is attracting widespread attention in Cambridge, especially due to recent implementation of protected bike lanes on major thoroughfares. This will likely generate much discussion at city council meetings as residents come to report on how the city is adapting to the new traffic patterns. By fully supporting this discussion and being open to adjustments as residents get used to the new system will be crucial to fully implementing Vision Zero in a way that doesn’t feel authoritarian.	Cambridge is committed to this and we need to hold the city manager and traffic and planning department accountable to execute on this strategy.

How will you increase access to biking in every neighborhood equally? What do you see as the major obstacles to encouraging ridership, and how will you address them?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
The obstacles I see are related to safety. While there are some high profile bike lane roll-outs in the past few months, some neighborhoods, mine for instance, have some bike lanes that only barely qualify. The bike lane along River has potholes and a seam where different pours of asphalt come together. Bike riders routinely must split the difference between the seem and the white line. While a major construction project may not be possible at this time, working to even the surface and or to paint the surface would help make it more user friendly increasing access.	The city’s Hubway program has expanded over recent years. I have personally proposed subsidizing the participation cost for low-income families and individuals. Unfortunately, the city has not implemented such a program, but I intend to once again promote the approach as an integral part of bridging the social and economic gap in Cambridge.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Many neighborhoods in Cambridge are already quite bike-friendly as a result of traffic calming and bike infrastructure improvements made over the past several years. Relative to most older US cities we have a leg up in encouraging mode share by bike. We are expanding our bike share network and offer bike education workshops for adults and school children as part of their phys ed program. The biggest obstacle remains a devotion to the car culture among older people, which is enshrined by inexpensive on-street parking for residents ($25/yr citywide). This term I suggested we consider increasing the resident parking fee and the order was sent to committee, where it was clear it did not have majority support. Many of our streets are too narrow to include protected bike lanes without removing most or all street parking, and many people still rely on owning and driving cars, and merchants insist they will not survive without on-street parking for their customers. I believe we are in the midst of a generational culture and technology change and that within a decade or so, fewer Cambridge residents will want to own and park cars. A shared autonomous vehicle fleet may provide a viable alternative to individual car ownership and driving. Another obstacle is the perception that biking is dangerous – and it remains so on some of our busiest corridors – but if we create more protected lanes and increase education and enforcement, more people will be willing to bike more places.	I will reach out to housing developers and push them to provide repair equipment and sheltered bike parking in newly constructed housing. As we implement the Bike Plan and expand our network of bike lanes, I will ensure that none of our neighborhoods are left behind, with a particular focus on Area Four/The Port. I will work with the Cambridge Housing Authority to look into the possibility of subsidizing Hubway memberships for residents of public housing, and I will work with developers to ensure that as new developments are built they are fully integrated into existing and planned bicycling infrastructure.	Security is the one real main obstacle to more ridership. The only time I feel safe when riding my bike is on protected bike lanes. I’m gone strongly advocate for a rethinking of our street, so that any future improvements to our streets will include a two way protected bike lane.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
Socioeconomic divides between neighborhoods often lead to a gap in the quality of streets between these neighborhoods. Low income neighborhoods are often subject to neglect, whereas more affluent neighborhoods have their concerns, such as potholes and other impediments to walking and biking, addressed in a much timelier fashion. Cambridge does not currently have a Pave Smart Program, which would collect data to see which streets are the most utilized, but also the most neglected, and allow city officials to prioritize the neglected areas. Fixing the hazards in these neighborhoods and making them more accessible and friendly, as well as sending the message that the City is invested in these neighborhoods could go a long way to fostering new biking communities.	One of the first orders I filed when I joined the Council 4 years ago was to call on the City to adopt the “Safe Routes to School” program, which we did. While on the School Committee in Cambridge, I also made sure that funding for a program that teaches all 5th graders in the Cambridge Public Schools was re-instated after it had been cut. I think if we make bike riding safer for all ages by installing protected bike lanes, improving our infrastructure and do a better job of adding and maintaining markings more people will ride. I think the biggest obstacle is when we have to take away parking. This is a divisive topic. I have been clear that we need to create a city-wide network of bike lanes that allow bike riders to travel safely throughout the city. That does not mean that we will have protected bike lanes on every street, but to create that necessary network, parking will have to be lost on some streets.	More bike lanes. Increasing ridership would be done by educating the public.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
I worry that our least-resourced neighborhoods are not benefiting as much from the placement of safe streets initiative and the protected bike lanes. It’s critical that we ensure that our poorest neighborhoods - the Port, Wellington-Harrington, East Cambridge, and areas of North Cambridge - see their build infrastructure improved. I’ve been spending a lot of time in these neighborhoods speaking with residents and community leaders. Many have told me - and I have seen the evidence - that they often miss out on resources. My #1 priority as a city councilor is making sure that the needs of our least-resourced neighbors are represented in City Hall, and that includes road infrastructure. I would love to talk to you more about this sub-topic.	I think that the best way to increasing access to biking in every neighborhood is making it as easy as possible for people to safely hop on a bike – this includes plans to providing more open bike racks especially in areas of high foot traffic (this will allow for easy integration of travel), and programs to make helmets and bike lights as affordable as possible. Bike racks should also be built around frequently-used transit stops. I think that the City Council could play a larger role in encouraging more affordable programs for people to get their own bikes and secure helmets and bike lights as well. Of course, adding more dedicated bike lanes and ensuring that biking is a safe option will also encourage more biking in the city (especially for the younger residents). We have seen that this works even now with the increased number of bikers on weekends when the Memorial Drive path along the river is closed off during the summer! There is ample opportunity to publicize biking as a healthier and efficient mode of transportation for residents in Cambridge. If elected, I commit to working on marketing and educational programs to promote biking for all residents.	–have bike lanes everywhere –we should have sections of the city where cars/SUVs and trucks (except emergency responders) are dis-allowed like in DT Boston

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
working with citizen groups and community leaders	A major obstacle to encouraging ridership is a persistent perception of unsafe riding conditions, Buffering bike lanes with flex poles, and building cycle tracks where possible, helps remove this psychological barrier. To increase access to biking in every neighborhood, I would support expanding ride-sharing options like Hubway to neighborhoods which are currently under served by them, such as West Cambridge and Strawberry Hill. Finally, the costs of bicycle accessories could scare away lower income cyclists from investing in lights and proper helmets. This could limit the use of bikes at night, or put cyclists in greater danger of injury. The City should consider a light and helmet giveaway program at schools and community centers throughout the city.	Going back to my core commitment to viewing transit and access through an equity lens, I would include access to biking as an important part of community planning throughout the city. Major obstacles to encouraging ridership, in my opinion, include, among others, financial challenges for those who are unable to afford the costs of bicycles and equipment, health challenges that may make it difficult to use bikes without adaptations, and concern for safety among residents who might be interested in riding but are afraid to ride. To address these challenges, I would look at ways to evaluate the challenges in communities, support education and access programs to engage community members and provide resources to increase the likelihood that they would become riders with accurate information that encourages ridership, explore expansion of the bike sharing program, and research alternative and new innovation for bike sharing to improve accessibility.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
The largest obstacle residents have communicated to me is the lack of [protected] bike lanes on many streets. This is a widely held idea with widespread public support. I would work with the city manager to align our goals and help him execute them.	In an urban setting, learning to ride a bike is crucial. Schools should implement a safe ridership check for all students graduating into middle school, and offer classes to those students who haven’t learned to ride.	The biggest obstacle is people’s justified fears that it’s not safe to bike in Cambridge. The best way to counteract that fear is to put protected bike infrastructure everywhere possible, combined with traffic calming and increased bike share deployment.

How will you increase funding for biking infrastructure?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
Through budget prioritization	The city budget process has recently improved to more effectively match the City Council’s wishes. I’m happy to share with you that I was one of the councillors who strongly advocated changing city goals to be more specific, including expanding bicycle infrastructure throughout the city. The next city budget will be based on the more specific goals.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
The Council recently drafted a new set of policy goals, which include prioritizing the safety of sustainable transportation modes as well as increasing enforcement. These goals set the City’s funding priorities, and I expect to see and will push for continued budget increases for bike facilities and enforcement, complemented by education and public awareness campaigns (like using the Dutch Reach). I will use my political capital to be a leader on this front and will continue to work closely with grassroots groups like Cambridge Bicycle Safety and nonprofits like Livable Streets Alliance and the Boston Cyclists Union to muster the political will and community buy-in to follow through on our goals.	Please refer to my answer for question #1. Bicycling infrastructure is a key part of my holistic vision for safe and inclusive streets.	Our form of government, Plan E, doesn’t allow me to increase funding for biking, the decision rests in the hands of the City Manager.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
I am fully supportive of the Vision Zero plan. Although Cambridge City Councillors cannot create funding, we can prioritize projects like these, and ensure that plans for safer streets are fully funded. As City Councillor, I will look forward to working with the CDD to accomplish this goal.	Again, I don’t think funding is the problem, but one way to increase funding is to require commercial and for-profit developers to pay for bike infrastructure when they build new buildings.	In the city budget.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
See answer to Q1 above.	I hope to increase funding for biking infrastructure through revenue from parking fees, potential adopt-a-path programs for private funds to be invested into building more protected bike lanes especially, and potential property tax sources as well (especially since the new developments that are both residential and commercial will be bringing in more foot traffic, hopefully by bike). There are multiple cities who will implement cooperative biking programs between planning departments and redevelopment agencies in the city to cover related costs to fast-track the process of building more bike lanes (this involves splitting costs, perhaps between the actual racks and the installation costs).	Let’s consider taxing the big corporations, the universities, and ?? a little more

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
hotel taxes	Commercial and residential developers seeking to cut their parking requirements should contribute funds to a trust designed to enhance infrastructure for cyclists, pedestrians and ride-sharing programs. The cost of a residential parking permit in Cambridge could be priced based on income of the applicant, as well. Any amount over the base cost (currently $25) could be transferred to the trust.	I am in support of the Cambridge Bicycle Plan and its commitment to integrating increased bicycle use across many policy areas, including local policies such as the Vehicle Trip Reduction Ordinance (VTRO) to make more efficient use of mass transit, bicycling, walking, and other alternatives to drive-alone trips. I would explore the possibility of local mechanisms for increasing funding such as the 5-Year Capital Program that supports infrastructure renewal and other creative partnerships and sources of funding that the City may have not yet explored. I believe biking infrastructure should be part of an overall plan and in line with the goals of the Growth Policy Document to “Encourage all reasonable forms of non-automobile travel including, for example, making improvements to the city’s infrastructure which would promote bicycling and walking.”

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
I think the most effective way to establish funding is to garner public support for the need and create a specific amount and target. At the same time I will work with the City Manager to establish the funding.	Protected bike lanes in Cambridge are designed to keep cyclists safe on the road, but they also force cyclists to ride on the extremes of the road, where trash, gravel, and other detritus can collect. We need to make sure that our roads are paved well, swept well, and maintained frequently to prevent against damaging bike tires. Fortunately, the system is already in place for keeping our roads maintained, but we need to prioritize keeping roads safe for all travelers.	Again, raise the resident parking permit fee; it’s money left on the table right now. I’ve done a detailed analysis of it that I will share with you.

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Yes/No Questions

Do you support the adoption of Vision Zero and funding for its rapid implementation? Vision Zero is an approach which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030 and has been adopted by several communities, including Boston and Cambridge.

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
Yes	Yes	Yes
	I believe we have already started this process in Cambridge. There’s no question it could be done faster, but even with other budgetary concerns, we have begun correcting the infrastructure negligence.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
I’m proud that Cambridge has already adopted Vision Zero, and I will continue to take a leadership role on fulfilling our commitment.	I absolutely support Vision Zero. Traffic-related fatalities are often entirely preventable by simple, common-sense design measures. Despite our high walkability, Cambridge is home to two of the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians in Massachusetts. Any death on our streets–whether motorist, cyclist, or pedestrian–is unacceptable. An inclusive Cambridge is a safe Cambridge for all, regardless of means of transportation.	Why wouldn’t I want to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries?

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
Yes	Yes	Yes
Adopting Vision Zero in a timely manner is essential for keeping our streets safe. The City needs to be proactive and prevent accidents (some of which are deadly) before they happen.	This makes total sense and I have always supported it.	Vision Zero is well put together.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	Yes
We have recently made very good progress to improve our roads to make them safer (raised cross-walks and protected bike lanes). The biggest challenge ahead is to redesign a few challenging intersections that create chaos and confusion for everyone - bikes, pedestrians, and cars, too. I live in Porter Square and remain unsatisfied with the bike lane change. It is a minor improvement, but it is still a dangerous intersection. Inman Square is also dangerous. Harvard Square - particularly coming into the square from the east - is not a safe environment. These are complicated intersections and we need to keep pushing forward to make them better for everyone.	I believe that Vision Zero’s mission is crucial to creating a safer and more livable Cambridge. Safety when doing something as simple as trying to get to work in the morning or cross the street should be of utmost importance to city councillors. We know that from January 2015 to December 2016, 3602 total crashes have been reported to Police Department, and out of those, 385 may have involved cyclists. These numbers are unacceptable. It’s my priority to reduce these accidents dramatically and to lay the groundwork for zero traffic fatalities in Cambridge.

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
Yes	Yes	Yes
	Vision Zero outlines very reasonable initiatives that will save lives.	Vision Zero is consistent with a key aspect of my Transit and Access platform to ensure that we have safe streets, walkable neighborhoods, and a comprehensive bike and delivery network. Safety is a foundation of this plan and Vision Zero has such an approach.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Yes	Yes	Yes
Being able to safely ride a bicycle through the city decreases congestion, air pollution and the need for parking space. Vision Zero has strong public support and city leadership has a responsibility to implement by 2030.		I’m from Suriname, a former Dutch colony. I have visited the Netherlands (as well as Denmark) many times. The reason they have great bike infrastructure there is because of this level of commitment to reducing deaths/injuries from traffic. They just did it decades ago. It’s high time we adopted the same strategy.

Do you support lowering design speeds through traffic calming measures on downtown and neighborhood streets as a means of enhancing the safety of people walking, using mobility assistive devices, biking, and driving? This may involve the expansion and enhancement of programs like Neighborhood Slow Streets (Boston) and Neighborways (Somerville).

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
Yes	Yes	Yes
	I have been the principal advocate for lowering speed throughout the city over the last four years and demanded Cambridge do everything it could to gain state approval. This was accomplished last year. I’m very proud of this achievement. Clearly there are other ways to reduce speed and lesson dangerous road conditions. All need to be incorporated into an overall strategy. For years, I have proposed a system of mews, where all traffic moves at 5 mph, and pedestrians and bicyclists are in control. The NeighborWays approach in Somerville is similar. All the approaches mentioned basically lower the speed of traffic to a calm, more enjoyable pace. It generates a higher quality of life that people of all ages desire. These approaches are not focused on fast movement through the city, but rather to enjoy a sense of place and safety for a large community of people.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
I believe Cambridge should adopt its own version of the Neighborhood Slow Streets program to better support the many residents who come to the Council asking us to reduce speed and cut-through traffic in their neighborhoods. It is one of the top complaints I hear as a councillor: “everyone else is driving too fast through my neighborhood!” In my short time on the council, I have sponsored and co-sponsored several policy orders to reduce speed limits and make our streets safer for people using sustainable modes. I am working with staff to explore piloting a Neighborway and feel we should make it easy for residents to initiate and implement such projects. I have been an enthusiastic supporter of the city’s annual Park(ing) Day, which helps people envision how to repurpose on-street parking spots.	I approve of the decrease of the default citywide speed limit to 25 mph. I am in favor of further lowering it to 20 or 15 mph on smaller residential streets. I absolutely support traffic calming measures at the level of engineering, education, and enforcement. It’s important to note that bike lanes are themselves traffic calming, and should be the first such measures implemented wherever possible. I would vote in favor of a resolution to bring Neighborhood Slow Streets to Cambridge and determine the best ways that we can make our communities safer and more welcoming. Besides reducing pedestrian, cyclist, and motorist fatalities, slow streets are an excellent way for people to get to know their neighbors and build a sense of community. Residents with children are already taking matters into their own hands and deploying visual warning signs to remind drivers of the lives at stake. I want to institutionalize this concern for safety and community and make such ad-hoc measures unnecessary.	All the measures proposed here are the basis for community neighborhood, ie face-to-face social interaction of residents. I think we have been neglecting the idea of community neighborhood, and have been focusing on revenue generation. This set of measure is a way to achieve a more human urban environment which is an underlying motivation for my candidacy.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
Yes	Yes	Yes
Cambridge has just lowered the speed limit to 25 miles per hour, and all new streets are designed with “bump outs”, and I am in full support of both these policies. Our streets should absolutely use design to both slow and reduce traffic, making them safer for everyone - bikers, pedestrians, and drivers included. I think surrounding communities like Boston and Somerville have been working on solutions to their unsafe streets, such as the ones mentioned above, that Cambridge can easily adopt, implement, and modify to the needs of our community.	I co-sponsored a policy order in Cambridge to lower speeds.	I support this because calming measures help prevent accidents and injury.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	Yes
We have excellent city staff who care a lot about our city - and many of them are cyclists themselves. This question gets into a technical area that I will rely on the advice of experts. As a management consultant, I would often do work on technical subjects (semiconductors being one of them, for example) and rely on the advice and experience of professionals. I strongly support the goal of making our streets safer for everyone, and I will champion the ideas that get us there in the best way.	I fully support steps taken by the city council to reduce speed limits to 25 mph on city-owned streets, but I believe that more steps need to be taken to study areas that need lower design speeds. The expansion of Neighborhood Slow Streets and Neighborways provides ample opportunity to listen to the community and implement solutions in places where it is most necessary. Some examples of traffic calming measures I would support include: textured pavements, more speed tables, raised islands to create slow points, and narrower road lanes.

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
Yes	Yes	Yes
	I think that preserving the safety of people walking, using mobility assistive devices, biking, and driving is critical.	I support such programs and am a proponent of working to build on best practices that have been adopted by other communities in the region to meet similar goals.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Yes	Yes	Yes
Public safety must always be a primary focus and the most effective way is to engineer the environment.		I think we should go further, replacing traffic signals and traffic signs with traffic calming and shared space. A dense city like Cambridge should not be designed around automobile traffic and it is time to start unwinding those poor choices made in the last century. Declining car ownership and autonomous vehicles will help reduce opposition to these ideas and we should take full advantage of those trends to redesign our city roads for people instead of cars.

One key strategy that has been proven to effectively reduce speeding, improve safety, and remove racial bias in traffic enforcement in other states and countries is automated enforcement (i.e. speed cameras and red light cameras). Do you support state legislation that authorizes the use of automated enforcement in Massachusetts, per the July 2017 recommendation of the National Transportation Safety Board?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
No	Yes	Yes
In other states automated cameras have been used more for revenue generation than public safety (examples can be found in Tampa Florida). Municipal government have intentionally changed light cycles (shortening yellow times) creating risk in order to increase revenues that are shared with the for-profit technology vendor.	I have been a major advocate for such equipment to be used to make our streets safer. Although I understand the public concern for the possible misuse of such observatory equipment, I strongly feel society, as a whole, would benefit from the resulting improved safety. Every day I see 1–3 cars or bicycles go through red lights or stop signs on every walk or trip I make. I firmly believe that speed cameras and red light cameras are absolutely necessary if we are going to calm our roadways and public spaces.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes, I do. I attended three drafting sessions with state legislators and advocates that resulted in the proposed state omnibus bill, “An Act to Eliminate Traffic Fatalities,” of which automated traffic enforcement is a component. I think this should be used on Rt 16 (Fresh Pond and Alewife Brook Parkway) where the state DCR asserts enforcement is too difficult because there is limited space for police to pull over motorists they want to cite for speeding.	Despite their unpopularity among motorists, traffic cameras have been proven to decrease traffic-related fatalities by up to 30%. I support the language of the bill cosponsored by Senator Brownsberger, and would like to see whether this enabling legislation accomplishes its intended goals before moving forward to expand it citywide.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
No	No	Yes
Replacing police officers with cameras does not eliminate racial bias from police forces. The Cambridge Police Department has a focus on ensuring that our force is well trained, and has a strong emphasis on community policing. We need to be addressing implicit bias at its roots and confronting the problem head on, not installing cameras and other automated devices, as these are only a temporary band-aid to a troubling and systemic problem.	I’m saying “no” but really I would need more details. I’m concerned about state sponsored cameras and how that information would be used. I would need more information.	It is a good recommendation.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
No	Yes	Yes
As a Cambridge City Councilor we do not have state-level jurisdiction. I think you should be asking if I would support using electronic cameras that would be required for this legislation to be implemented in Cambridge. Currently Cambridge has very strict laws that protect personal privacy, and I’m not inclined to remove them. Further, I think you should also consider that many of these automated systems are outsourced to a private company for monitoring, which means that a private corporation is serving as a policing body. The FL Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional and I think the same would happen in MA. So, while I am a strong advocate for safer streets, I don’t know that this is the best option - especially when redesigning our roads can bring substantial improvement and behavior change.	The power of automated enforcement cannot be overstated. Even in casual conversation, residents in Cambridge and in other urban areas often reference both speed cameras and red light cameras as main deterrents to speeding and other unsafe driving practices. Therefore, I support the expansion of this technology to support a Cambridge that is fair to and safe for all.

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
No	Yes	Yes
Do not like the use of speeding cameras not an effective use of achieving your goal	Automated enforcement does reduce speeding, improve safety, and remove racial bias in traffic enforcement. It would also enable police to focus their work on other priorities. I would want to be certain that this infrastructure is used only for the purpose of monitoring traffic, however.	I support this type of policy as long as it meets the intended strategy and is not used for surveillance.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Yes	Yes	No
		I think relying on traffic lights is dangerous because they create conflict. Automated enforcement is highly unpopular and will lead to backlash and minimal benefits. Traffic calming infrastructure is far more effective. We also should allow for citizen reporting of traffic violations instead of automatic enforcement. This way the police can still decide whether or not to ticket the violation but they don’t have to be everywhere in person. Citizens are already walking and biking around with cameras so we should take advantage of that instead of spending money on expensive cameras that create a revenue dependency on ticketing.

Do you support redesigning space on the street in order to improve safety for people biking by creating protected bike lanes?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
Yes	Yes	Yes
	We all have to learn to share our public resources, including road width. Good urban/street design is one way to accomplish this goal.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes, I have been a leading voice in support of the new protected bike lanes in Cambridge despite quite a bit of pushback from entrenched interests, especially in Harvard Sq. I have also been engaged in the Inman Square redesign in order to make it much safer for cyclists and pedestrians. As someone who rides my bike daily, I am both personally and professionally invested in improving safety for people biking and in encouraging more people to consider biking for at least some of their trips. This June I attended the People for Bikes conference in Madison, WI, to learn and share best practices with the bike advocacy community. (See the op-ed I wrote following the conference) I also took my family on vacation to Copenhagen this summer to experience firsthand the city’s bike network and bike-friendly culture.	Despite their unpopularity among motorists, traffic cameras have been proven to decrease traffic-related fatalities by up to 30%. I support the language of the bill cosponsored by Senator Brownsberger, and would like to see whether this enabling legislation accomplishes its intended goals before moving forward to expand it citywide.	I think I went into this in earlier question. It is obvious to me that we need to rethink our streets. Protected bike lanes are the only way to insure an increase in ridership (safety/security), which is essential if we don’t want to end up in endless traffic jams, generate by the ongoing over development.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
Yes	Yes	Yes
I do support protected bike lanes, as I think they greatly enhance the safety of our biking community, however, they need to be done in a thoughtful and efficient way. Cambridge should be studying the most used roadways and the frequency at which bikers are using these paths to get from point A to point B, and install protected bike lanes based on these results. Installing disruptive bike lanes on an ad hoc basis only furthers the divisions in our community and frustrates everyone, both bikers, business owners, and drivers alike. We need to make sure that bike lanes are appear in the most highly used transportation corridors while still allowing drivers to patronize our valued small businesses.		More bike lanes.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes! Please see previous comments. I’m a big supporter of these bike lanes - including the Brattle Street two-way lanes, which I have used several times now.	Yes, but I think that the City Council needs to be careful about which streets they are prioritizing when it comes to building these, and also makes the construction of these bike lanes a very transparent process for all residents. We have seen that these protected bike lanes make an extraordinary difference. When protected bike lanes were protected in New York City, crashes and injuries were reduced by more than 17%, pedestrian industries reduced by 22%, and there was a significant increase in the volume of bikers and pedestrians traveling on streets. Since the bike lanes were implemented, the total number of injuries dropped by 20%.

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
Yes	Yes	Yes
yes public safety for bikes and pedestrians are vital	Protected bike lanes shield bicyclists from passing vehicles, thereby protecting them from significant harm. They are proven to be safer for bicyclists and increase the number of cyclists using bike lanes.	I support the creation of more protected bike lanes. I’m happy to see the progress that Cambridge has made in installing more protected bike lanes. I’ll continue to support these efforts and work with retail businesses and residents to advocate for the optimal comprehensive bike and delivery system.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Yes	Yes	Yes
Protected bike lanes are supported by a large portion of Cambridge Residents and would improve biking safety and increase bicycle usage.		We have a lot of poorly utilized road space that basically is used for automobile storage right now. Re-purposing that space into protected bike lanes is a no-brainer. We need to do what we did on Brattle St throughout the city.

Do you support the increased use of curb extensions to improve safety and visibility at intersections, even if it requires the removal of one to two parking spaces?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
No	Yes	Yes
Curb extensions negatively impact snow plowing. I support universal signage for crosswalks, and in some cased lighted signage.	This is an important tool in the urban designer’s toolbox for making a safer and more attractive pedestrian domain. Since it is against the law to park within 20 feet of an intersection, most curb extensions do not take away from available legal parking. Some of the most creative and safe intersection designs, such as those from Scandinavia and Holland, creatively use curb extensions for bike safety as well.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
I support curb extensions even when parking is lost. However some cyclists say that “bump-outs” push them back into travel lanes at intersections, so curb extensions need to be designed to maintain safe bike travel as well as to make crossing distances shorter and safer.	I have been pleased with the effects of existing curb extensions on our neighborhood streets to improve pedestrian safety and calm traffic flow. My priority would be to focus this effort on the most dangerous intersections (e.g. Mass Ave and Norfolk St. and then proceed from there. Another effective stop-gap measure that I have noticed working well in Huron Village is signal flags for pedestrians. However I feel that pedestrian hybrid beacons (such as those on Oxford St. by Harvard Square) are more effective at getting motorists’ attention. I will work with MassDOT to further roll out high-intensity activated crosswalks (such as those at Sixth Street & Binney Street and near the Longfellow Bridge) at dangerous intersections where curb extensions are not otherwise feasible.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
Yes	Yes	No
Cambridge is already implementing a traffic calming program through the CDD, and as City Councillor I will work for its successful implementation. I think traffic calming through road designs is an example of an innovative and efficient way to significantly improve the safety of our streets. I do, however, think the program can be improved by having the city more involved, by taking an active approach in curb extension planning and installation. Right now, neighborhoods that receive these redesign treatments do so because residents request them, however, less affluent or knowledgeable areas (which may need the redesigns the most), may not make requests as frequently. I think all residents should be educated as to the safety resources this city has to offer, and Cambridge officials should be proactive in providing them.		To be fair, people need parking, too.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	Yes
We have to consider each location differently. But one of the biggest dangers to cyclists is that drivers simply do not see us! On Somerville Ave near Porter Square in Somerville, they have built a separated bike lane, which I’m excited about because I use that route often. However, I’m concerned that they might not be setting the cars back enough so that they will be able to see me. So, yes! I understand and support the issue.	The benefit of the space and visibility provided to any given pedestrian greatly outweighs the loss of a couple of parking spaces.	Yes! However, we need to also implement shared parking in Alewife

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
Yes	Yes	Yes
i support curb extensions but not at the expense of parking spaces we need more not less parking spaces	Preserving the safety of people walking, using mobility assistive devices, biking, and driving is critical. As curb extensions improve safety and visibility at intersections, I support the initiative.	Safety and visibility at intersections is very important and I support curb extensions in areas where they will meet this goal.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Yes	Yes	Yes
There are many intersections in Cambridge where it is impossible to see oncoming traffic without entering the intersection. Safety should take precedent over extra parking spaces.		On street parking is the worst use of road space, it is unsafe and dangerous and we should reduce it as rapidly as we can. Car ownership is declining, resident parking permits issued are declining per my analysis, and so there is a lot of opportunity to incrementally reduce on street parking and repurpose it for traffic calming and safety.

Do you support full implementation of the City’s Bike Plan in all current and future road reconstruction projects, including but not limited to the five year street and sidewalk plan?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
Yes	Yes	Yes
	Absolutely. No question.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
Whenever streets are reconstructed we need to use the opportunity to improve bike safety. We missed an opportunity with the redesign of Huron Ave, which was planned in 2012 but not fully implemented until 2017. I feel that had the street been designed this year it could have included a parking protected bike lane. The current design with a 3’ buffer between the bike lane and the door zone is a positive step in the right direction, and I hope that in time we will be able to build public support for creating parking protected lanes.	I am completely behind the full and rapid implementation of the Cambridge Bicycle Plan. I firmly believe that increasing number of Cantabrigians using bicycles for work, recreation, exercise, and transportation will help to reduce local motor vehicle usage and . If we can correctly implement the measures already included in the current Bike Plan, then there is no reason why we cannot replicate such efforts for all future road reconstruction projects in the city. As soon as a road is repaved, it should also be repainted with dedicated or shared-priority bike lanes, counterflow lanes, and high-visibility bike boxes. Now that the Concord Ave Sewer Separation project is nearing completion, Garden St. is an ideal location for a priority bike lane, not merely the shared-priority lane identified in the Bicycle Plan, and one should be implemented as soon as possible.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes, I fully support all current plans to enhance bike, driver, and pedestrian safety in our city.		It is good.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	Yes
Our city does excellent planning that takes into consideration best practices, our own city data analysis, and community stakeholder conversations. We know that almost everyone feels unsafe when there are no road designations. This is a top priority to change and the bike plan gives us the steps to do so.	Absolutely. Along the last few months, my campaign team and I have been canvassing all around Cambridge, knocking on hundreds of doors almost every day talking to constituents about what issues they care about. Bike lanes and the need for safer streets continues to come up naturally in conversation. In hearing the demand for a better bike infrastructure in Cambridge, I as a potentially City Councilor, absolutely support full implementation and more for the City’s Bike Plan.

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
Yes	Yes	Yes
it is a solid plan	Yes it is necessary to reach goals outlined in Vision Zero.	I support the City’s Bike Plan. It is in alignment with my deep commitment to comprehensive community planning.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Yes	Yes	Yes
It is much more cost effective to implement a plan during reconstruction projects rather than at a later date.

Do you support the creation of the joint biking-pedestrian Grand Junction Path and Somerville Community Path through mandates, resolutions or zoning ordinances targeted at adjacent property owners?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
Yes	Yes	Yes
	I have been the Council leader in promoting the Grand Junction Path and connecting it to the Somerville Community Path since 2013. As the former Chair of the Transportation and Public Utilities Committee, I held committee meetings that focused on freeing up any impediments to implementing the Grand Junction Pathway. At those meetings MIT specifically was requested to provide a clearer understanding of how they could participate in the project’s implementation. As the Chair of the Ordinance Committee, which oversees all new zoning, I have informed MIT that they must resolve any problems related to the pathway and work with the city to implement the pathway as soon as possible. I have said that I view this as one important condition needing resolution prior to approving MIT’s zoning proposal for the Volpe site in Kendall Square. I believe I have full Council support for gaining this important condition as an integral part of MIT’s rezoning.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes, I think both paths are critically important to the continued growth of the region. With the Volpe rezoning, Cambridge should require MIT to commit to a timetable for completing its section of the Grand Junction Path.	I support efforts to create a safe and environmentally-friendly commuting and recreation corridor for bicyclists and pedestrians, and see Council mandates and resolutions as the best way to accomplish this. I would want to do so in way that does not preclude the possibility of future passenger rail service. A potential connection of the Worcester line of the commuter rail to North Station, as has been proposed in recent years, could make good use of that right of way, and I would want to make sure that the Grand Junction Path does not preclude potential expansion of our mass transit network that could take more cars off the road.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
Yes	Yes	Yes
This is a project that has had sufficient study and community input, and will provide a valuable route connecting many of the Greater Boston communities. Bikers and pedestrians will be able to enjoy using the path to travel between cities, and this path for their exclusive use will greatly increase the safety of the roads.		Less traffic means less pollution.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes, absolutely! Grand Junction Path would help eliminate such a dangerous yet highly-traveled route. I used to commute from Porter Square to BU when I launched the university’s Global Operations & Strategy group, so I intimately know how challenging this route is in its current form. We also need to improve the sidewalks at the upper end of Memorial Drive. They are in extremely poor condition and are far too narrow.	Yes, I do support working in partnership with adjacent property owners because there are so many residents who live in Cambridge but shop and work in Somerville, and vice versa. There are also many graduate students who attend school and work in Cambridge, but because of a lack of quality and affordable graduate student housing available, are living in adjacent cities as well. I definitely believe that we should invest in supporting these residents transporting back and forth in a sustainable manner.

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes this goes along with my	Yes, and I am supportive of the fact that Cambridge has allocated $10 million in funding towards designing and constructing the northern portion of the path to the Somerville line.	I support this project and commit to looking at the best ways to achieve the goals of the project with options such as mandates, resolutions or zoning ordinances as part of an overall planning process.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Yes	Yes	Yes
There is a need for an easy North/South transportation route along the Grand Junction Path. It will also help the commercial area along Cambridge Street between Lechmere and Inman square which will lose some T accessibility with the Green Line extension.

Will you address age-friendly walking in your community – an issue raised by many seniors as critical to their ability to “age in community”? If yes, how?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
Yes	Yes	Yes
	I am already doing this with regard to safer pedestrian crossings at traffic light intersections where many elder and young pedestrians feel they are in danger with concurrent crossings. This is when a pedestrian begins crossing and cars have the right to turn into the pedestrian crossing path at the same time. We need to track and adjust traffic and walk signal timing across the city. I would be in favor of including a simultaneous “pedestrian only” phase in every direction, especially at our larger intersections. Frankly, a number of pedestrians also complain of near misses with bicyclists going through red lights or stop signs. Most of these pedestrians are in their mid–70s to mid 80s. We will need to examine better enforcement of traffic laws with regard to bicycle traffic at intersections.	As with all community organizing, the role of allies is important. As a young person, I would use my voice to advocate for our seniors.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
My husband is over 70 and we are fortunate to live in a neighborhood that is quite walkable and which has a small shopping district nearby. As we plan our city’s growth, we need to encourage and preserve mixed use districts, so that new residential development is close to neighborhood retail and health services, attractive public open spaces, and indoor places to gather (so-called “third places”), so that seniors aren’t isolated. It’s not enough to make sidewalks that are ADA accessible and crosswalks that are more pedestrian-friendly if there is nowhere interesting for people to go on foot. Access to shared cargo tricycles could also help seniors get around without cars and to age in place.	Efforts should include installing benches alongside existing shade trees and planting further shade trees on streets that sorely lack them; repairing and maintaining existing sidewalk infrastructure to prevent falls and other accidents; and installing curb extensions at dangerous intersections and particularly wide streets. Pedestrian hybrid beacons, as I mentioned above, are another key measure to be implemented at dangerous crossings that lack traffic signals. Huron Ave and Appleton St. is one such intersection that comes to mind, though there are many others throughout the city.	I’m not sure. I’m not familiar enough with the requirements for age friendly walking community. I will support any initiative to keep our neighborhoods multigenerational, i think it’s an essential part of our diversity.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
Yes	Yes	Yes
I have heard feedback from many of our seniors about the difficulties of navigating our sidewalks. I would also like to add that our disabled residents and parents with strollers are also affected by these difficulties, so this is truly a community wide issue. The City needs to take note of the sidewalks that pose the most obstacles to safe walking and repair them, ensuring that loose and uneven bricks, tree roots, or large cracks in the sidewalks aren’t a hazard in our neighborhoods.	Improving side walk infrastructure. Assessing timing of traffic and walk signals. Enforcing traffic laws.	I will go to the senior centers and help them get around.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	Yes
The city is a great place to grow old because so many amenities are within an easy walk. However, seniors frequently say that there are not enough benches on the street for them to use. So I would advocate for more benches.	Yes, absolutely. I care deeply about making sure that every resident, regardless of their age (young or older), feels safe walking around their home city of Cambridge. If elected, I would push to make streets safer by senior citizens especially by extending pedestrian crossing times and more pedestrian safety islands, especially around areas with older residents, to accommodate for walking speeds. I think that for all residents, we could create safer streets by also looking at where in Cambridge it would be beneficial to decrease the speed limit, install speed cameras, and potential speed bumps.	Perhaps the biker’s path and joggers should have their own lanes and walkers should have their own lane

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
Yes	Yes	Yes
This is a very important issue and demographic that needs to be given equal thought when making trains, cars, bikes and pedestrians all come together in close proximity.	Given the high population of senior citizens in Cambridge, it is important to address age-friendly walking. We can start by building pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure that is compatible for both uses, such as “cycle tracks”, and introducing free or reduced-cost taxis to public transit. Promoting walkability and accessibility is essential for our seniors.	Equitable access to opportunity throughout the lifespan is a foundation of my platform and one of the main reasons that I am running for city council. Age-friendly walking is a policy that is consistent with this and is part of my larger commitment to make walking a more viable form of transportation with safe sidewalks and open space. I will advocate for the inclusion of age-friendly walking as part of any discussion about pedestrian and transit options.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Yes	Yes	Yes
I would like to hear from the senior community on the improvements they would like to see.	Our sidewalks must be wide enough to support mobility assistive devices (such as wheelchairs and walkers) and must be maintained such that they are passable for seniors. The city needs to also take seriously its commitment to enforcing sidewalk shoveling laws so that sidewalks and streets are accessible during the wintertime.	In addition to traffic calming we need to adjust our zoning to ensure basic services are available to people within walking distance like groceries, etc.

Do you support the restriction of on-street parking during rush hour on major thoroughfares in order to provide lanes for the exclusive use of buses?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
No	Yes	Yes
I could be persuaded to support this idea, but from what I’ve seen in Cambridge the city does not have the space for dedicated rush hour BART lanes. I’d like to see the feasibility study and what it would cost to implement.	This would have to be studied, given the varied road networks in the city. Perhaps even going beyond the stated policy above is the notion of rebranding one lane of a multi-lane road as a bus-way with right-hand turn only for all vehicles. This approach has been used in other cities and is being considered for portions of Mass. Avenue. Given that half of the automotive traffic going through Cambridge does not originate or end in Cambridge, I see such an approach eventually winnowing out the pass-through traffic that crowds our roads without stopping to visit what Cambridge has to offer. Clearly, this latter proposal would need study and may (initially) receive a negative public response but I believe over time it will provide a more sane, balanced approach to our road design and infrastructure needs.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes, we could try this on parts of Mass Ave. and on Mt Auburn St.	I support the idea, and would look to Massachusetts Avenue and Mount Auburn Street as likely locations. However, in terms of implementation I want to be careful that the loss of metered parking spaces does not drastically decrease revenues that could be used to fund bicycling infrastructure and other transit-oriented projects. I would want to ensure that any lost revenue is made up for elsewhere from some of other sources I’ve mentioned.	It is unfortunate we can make that happen all day long. I think the ability for public transportation to by pass traffic would make them that much more attractive. Which in turn would reduce car ridership, which is good for the our environment and us.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
No	Yes	Yes
Our streets are already extremely narrow, and adding bus lanes, especially in some of the busiest parts of the city, is just not feasible. I am in favor of doing a better job of integrating buses into our traffic flow. I am in favor of innovative traffic control and coordination mechanisms, such as equipping buses with timers to ensure that lights at intersections stay green. This makes bus routes the most efficient (incentivizing their use), and optimizes traffic flow by reducing commute time for everyone.		It would cut down on traffic and pollution.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	No
As a dense city in a region that is increasingly becoming more dense, it is absolutely critical that more people use reliable public transportation. Allowing for priority access for buses during rush hour would increase reliability, thus also increasing the demand for using the buses!	Absolutely, I think that Cambridge should encourage the use of public transportation and sustainable modes of transportation. With a higher number of residents riding busses during rush hour and with an aim to increase frequency of trips and stops, it is definitely an effective option to provide lanes for exclusive use by busses.

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
Yes	Yes	Yes
yes but I believe buses should have separate lanes for buses and others for cars.	Yes, policies such as these foster accessible and high-quality public transit in Cambridge. Successful examples can be seen in Boston around the SOWA District on East Berkeley and Washington Streets.	With a comprehensive transit plan, this is a strategy that has the potential to address increased population and traffic congestion as part of an infrastructure plan to meet capacity needs, maintain safety for all commuters, and promote our sustainability goals for a more resilient, healthy, Net-Zero city.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
Yes	No	Yes
I would be very interested in pursing this. I would like to read the assessments that have been performed, hear from the city departments and manager and from Boston officials where this is currently being utilized in certain areas.	Local businesses count on rush hour customers traveling by all methods, including disabled/elderly customers who must travel by car and/or can only walk short distances. I care deeply about supporting local businesses and keeping Cambridge communities rich with diverse commercial opportunities. I would be able to support this measure, however, if I could be certain that access to these businesses would be preserved in some other way.	We should also consider congestion pricing as another way to reduce car traffic which frees up road space for bikes, pedestrians and buses.

Do you support exploring new ways of raising revenue to provide the City of Cambridge with more tools to improve conditions for people walking, using mobility assistive devices, and biking (e.g. congestion pricing)? If yes, please give examples that interest you.

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
Yes	Yes	Yes
Grants, and private sector donations. I will not support increased taxes at this time.	Congestion pricing has been successful in other cities, particularly London. However, the Commonwealth does not allow such an effort in Massachusetts. Nevertheless, there is no doubt in my mind this approach is essential for an improved quality of life in the city. Even small, historic town centers like Carlisle have significant traffic back ups at peak hours. Congestion pricing would be a significant, early step leading to a more efficient transit ecosystem.	It would interesting to explore a Cambridge owned-and-operated fleet of cars to serve as a competitor to Lyft and Uber, and to generate additional municipal funds.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
congestion pricing should be considered for Rt 2/16 for commuters traveling through Alewife (some 80% of the traffic is not local). The additional revenue generated by dynamic pricing for parking meters could be dedicated to such improvements. If the state regulates TNCs (Uber & Lyft) the revenue should go toward sustainable transportation in the cities where TNCs are most used.	Please see again my answer to question #1 from the question set on Page 3.	Special levi on upzonings, on a per sq ft basis, which would be dedicated to the above goals.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
No	Yes	Yes
I think these types of policy questions are more about what we prioritize in our budget rather than how we raise revenue. Instead of imposing extra costs to try and change behavior, I would rather talk about creative solutions which also build community, and disincentivize automobiles by making community spaces. I elaborate on this in a subsequent question.	Making it a requirement for developers to commit dollars to an infrastructure fund.	Rent a bikes.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	-
I think it’s important to understand the limiting factors for road and infrastructure improvements. When we’ve been making so much progress recently, I’m not sure that funding is the main constraint. I’m also not sure the funding mechanisms would be substantial enough to move the needle on the cost of an infrastructure improvement. I’m open-minded, but would need much more data and time to analyze than is currently available to a first-time candidate.	Some examples of revenue raising that interest me include: utilizing revenue from dynamic parking meter pricing, vehicle levies on registering cars with the city, land value captures, and hosting community fairs to raise funds. Of course, for any one of these options, I would want extensive research into their effectiveness specifically applied to Cambridge before any next steps.	?

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
Yes	Yes	Yes
When new apartment or condo developers or chain retailers come into the city they need to pick up a fair share of taxes.	As indicated in question 5, developers seeking to cut parking requirements in areas well-served by public transit and bicycle infrastructure should pay into a trust designed to improve the infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists and ride-sharing programs. Congestion pricing, charging for semi-public garages, and adjusting the annual fee for residential parking permits to one which is based on income will provide revenue to the City so that it can improve conditions for cyclists and pedestrians.	I would like to explore partnerships and community benefits models that make transit more accessible and improve conditions for all.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
No	Yes	Yes
I would like to work with the City Manager to review improvements already planned and ones that can be funded with current budget allotments. I am not automatically convinced that raising more money from residents should be pursued before assessing budget utilization as is done each year.	I support exploring new ways of raising revenue, especially through fees on new development that doesn’t appropriately accommodate its residents with off-street parking.	Lots of possibilities to explore including higher resident permit parking fees. Other ideas could include charging an excise tax surcharge on automobiles, traffic mitigation fees from large developments, and congestion pricing.

Do you support raising the annual fee for residential parking permits?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
Yes	Yes	Yes
	Annual parking permit fees should be prorated either based on family income or value of the automobile. Any family with more than one car should pay an increased fee for their additional cars.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes, I sponsored a policy order to consider that. It was sent to the Transportation Committee where it got a tepid response. One concern raised is that any fee increase must reflect increased administrative costs, so significantly raising the fee might be subject to legal challenge. I think at minimum the fee should increase annually in line with other costs of living and that the fee for a second or third car per household should be significantly higher. Senior citizens could apply for a fee reduction or waiver, but it shouldn’t be an automatic free parking pass for seniors of means.	Yes, eventually and gradually. Given that this is a flat fee, immediately raising it would primarily impact car-owning low- and middle-income residents. My first priority is to build a Cambridge that encourages alternatives to automobile transportation, in which the need for cars is much lower. Making public transit more convenient and accessible must be a cornerstone of this agenda. Besides increasing the efficiency and availability of transit service by partnering with the MBTA and neighboring local governments, I will explore sources of funding to subsidize T passes for low-income residents, and ensure that new transit will serve all of our neighborhoods. I will work to facilitate business membership in Transportation Management Associations to promote alternative modes of transportation through initiatives like commuter shuttles and the MBTA Corporate Pass. As our zoning regulations are overhauled, I will work to lower required parking minimums and ensure that new zoning facilitates transit-oriented development. Once we have broader and more efficient MBTA service, as well as an expanded network of bike lanes, then I will fully support increasing the fees for residential parking permits.	But it would have to take into account seniors, as the car become more valuable when we have hard time walking. The percentage increase should be dedicated to improvement to make safer, smarter streets.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
No	Yes	No
The current fee is $25, and while I do not think it is currently prohibitive, raising it could be a hardship for some families in Cambridge. People who have cars in the city usually have a good reason for their use, such as families with small children, elderly, or disabled residents not old enough or unable to bike or walk on their own. For these groups, raising permit prices on them would not change behavior, just add cost, and perhaps add to existing inequities.	I would not want to raise fees on seniors or low income residents.	I am not for more taxes or fees.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	-
We need to launch a review and restructuring for our parking permit process, including who is eligible and how much the permits cost. For instance, our small business owners and their staff have a terrible time parking in the city to deliver equipment, supplies, or simply to oversee their staff (and they can’t all simply take public transit or commute via bike). So, we should explore the idea of a business parking permit. I think we should also allow non-car owners a better option to get a parking permit for using Zip-car. I think we could raise fees in certain cases, though we would - of course - make sure that our low-income residents are not negatively impacted.	I support this in the cases where there is not an overwhelming need for residential parking. In talking to thousands of constituents across the city, there are some areas where residents have expressed the need for more parking, but where we can, the City Council should definitely discourage car ownership when possible (includes raising annual residential parking fee) in efforts to accelerate more biking in the city. This can also act as a revenue stream to support the building of more bike lanes and safe street infrastructure.	“Maybe” – we should adopt a shared parking scheme like that in Indianapolis, Indiana and Virginia

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
No	Yes	Yes
It does not help working class citizens and seniors who cannot afford parking garages and need on street parking to pay more.	Yes, if it is adjusted to the income of the applicant.	I would support this policy as part of an overall balanced plan to promote more walking and biking while increasing the fee in incremental amounts over time.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
No	Yes	Yes
Living in Cambridge is very expensive. I do not think adding additional costs to a family should be done lightly or without good reason.	I support a parking permit fee structure that is variable depending on whether residents have off-street parking available to them.	I’ve already described how I personally and successfully advocated for this and I’ve been carefully tracking it.

Do you support the rollout of dynamic parking meter pricing* (i.e. increasing meter rates during periods of increased demand) in business districts to free up on-street parking and reduce cars “cruising” for open spaces?

Josh Burgin	Dennis J. Carlone	Olivia D’Ambrosio
Yes	Yes	Yes
	Dynamic parking meter pricing has been tried in other communities. Many are in California and have shown to be very successful. One example I recall in Pasadena had a significantly different range of pricing over a two-block distance. This approach would reduce general parking congestion and allow for an individual tradeoff where people can park more cheaply, and possibly for a longer time, if they park further away from the main center of activity. There is no question in my mind this will be successful in Cambridge. However like with any other change there will be push back. But other cities and towns have shown that this is a proactive, productive means to achieving a better balance of parking and, equally important, reducing circling car traffic in search of a nearby vacant parking space.	With regard to many of these questions – I think we should pursue all sensible policies that discourage the use of cars and encourage the use of bikes and feet, while also ensuring we have adequate parking available for the vehicles that are and will continue to be part of our community. The latter issue can be tackled through the former – each car we eliminate in effect “creates” a parking space, or at the very least, less competition for the spaces we already have.

Jan Devereux	Samuel Gebru	Ilan Levy
Yes	Yes	Yes
Yes. We should deploy technology that facilitates demand-based pricing, more efficient use of metered spots, and better enforcement.	I realize that this may be an unpopular policy among business owners (despite the increase in store traffic it would result in) and among motorists (despite the increase in space turnover), but it is one I will stand behind nonetheless. I see the best way to roll this is out with the least backlash is with a corresponding marketing campaign to educate the public on the benefits of dynamic pricing. Similarly, I see this as requiring the conversion of remaining “dumb” meters in these districts to smart meters amenable to dynamic pricing, and work to integrate them into the existing Passport mobile app to help motorists find empty spaces. In this respect, I would look to the pilot programs in the Back Bay and Seaport as models on how we could implement such efforts in Cambridge. I realize that this project requires large capital outlay to be correctly implemented, but in the long run it will more than pay for itself.	But being unfamiliar with implementation scenarios it’s hard to say how effective this would be.

Alanna Mallon	Marc McGovern	Gregg Moree
No	Yes	Yes
People are already nervous about small businesses’ relationship with the protected bike lanes, and I think reducing parking and increasing pricing at the same time will be met unnecessary animosity. We should be exploring more creative and innovative ways to reduce the demand for driving, instead of using blunt instruments like raising costs. Open Newbury Street in Boston, the closure of Memorial Drive on Sundays, and the Harvard Festivals are great examples of this. The prohibition on cars keeps them off the streets while providing a friendly atmosphere for residents to walk in new open spaces and patronize local businesses. These free events not only boost the patronage of our local businesses, but they also build community and reduce the demand for cars without creating division. We need to be exploring more options like this in the future.		I think that would help.

Adriane Musgrave	Nadya Okamoto	Hari Pillai
Yes	Yes	-
This is another complicated issue that needs further study, which is untenable for a first-time candidate. Few of our parking meters in Cambridge are electronic, so first we would need to invest in such a system. We also need a solution that business owners are happy about because we don’t want to burden our local stores and restaurants, which have a hard enough time staying in business these days. So, again, I’m supportive of the idea. But the realities are more complicated.	I believe dynamic parking meter pricing can be an effective way to raise revenue for other initiatives aimed at protecting cyclists and pedestrians (like those mentioned above). In San Francisco and other major cities, pilot programs have had positive results, boding well for implementation in Cambridge. I most definitely would want to hear from more residents and local businesses on what they believe is most effective for the community.	Maybe

Jeff Santos	Sumbul Siddiqui	Vatsady Sivongxay
No	Yes	Yes
Again let’s not attempt to pit bicyclists against motorists. Increasing meters is not a good answer. I would eliminate meters in semi -residential neighborhoods like Kendall Square and make them parking permits and allow for some meters in those areas.	Please explain your choice This idea makes sense, and will raise revenue to provide the City of Cambridge with more tools to improve conditions for people walking, using mobility assistive devices, and biking. I would want to be careful about increasing the prices during high-volume hours when lower income employees may need to drive to work, such as before and during nighttime shifts on weekends, in neighborhoods with restaurants.	Dynamic parking meter pricing is a potential option for a key component of my platform to create an action plan to manage vehicular traffic, reduce congestion, support local businesses, and maintain safety through making short-, medium-, and long-term improvements.

Bryan Sutton	Gwen Volmar	Quinton Zondervan
No	No	Yes
I am open to all ideas if they can be shown to work and have a positive impact. That being said, I am not familiar with dynamic parking meter pricing and it seems it would cause confusion.	Local businesses count on rush hour customers traveling by all methods, including disabled/elderly customers who must travel by car and/or can only walk short distances. I care deeply about supporting local businesses and keeping Cambridge communities rich with diverse commercial opportunities. I would be able to support this measure, however, if I could be certain that access to these businesses would be preserved in some other way.	We can try all kinds of techniques for maximizing revenues from parking. One simple thing to do is to raise parking meter fees which are ridiculously low and parking tickets which at $25 cost less than a day of parking in most commercial garages.